Hotel Door Locks
Your guests trust you to keep them safe and secure, so selecting the right hotel door locks is an important consideration for your property. Fortunately, smart lock technology has come a long way and is now accessible to small independent hotels.
These mobile-enabled locks work with a hotel app to create a digital key for guest use, which can be revoked when they check out.
Magnstripe Locks
Magstripe locks use a magnetic strip encoded with information to work with a specific guestroom lock. When guests swipe or insert their keycard, the door will unlock after a few seconds.
Magnetic stripe keycards came on the scene in the 1970s and are a giant leap forward in hotel lock technology. Similar to credit cards, the plastic keycards have a strip that has a unique code for each room. When inserted or swiped, the hotel’s magstripe reader reads the data to open the lock.
Pros: Magstripe keycard systems are cost-efficient and simple for guests to use. Cons: They can become demagnetized if they’re near a metal object such as a door handle or mobile phone, leading to malfunction and requiring a trip to the front desk for a new card.
Smart locks connect to your hotel’s management tools so you can automatically create and share unique mobile keys and access codes for each stay. Operto Boost makes it easy to fit these digital locks into your existing locks so you can offer mobile check-in, and connect them to guest experience software for extra upsell opportunities.
Keycards
When people stay in hotels, they are often given a key card to access their hotel door locks room and other areas of the hotel. These cards look similar to credit cards and have magnetic stripes, barcodes or RFID chips that contain information. They are used as a modern replacement to traditional metal keys. But how do these cards work?
Traditionally, when you arrive at a hotel, the front desk staff will link your Key Card to your room on their digital system. Once the connection is made, the key card will unlock your door lock automatically.
Magnetic stripe key cards have a black magnetic stripe that can be swiped through the hotel’s door card reader to trigger a response from the lock. These types of key cards also have a unique user access number that can be scanned to identify the guest when they check in.
Proximity cards and smart cards are newer technology that can be tapped against the sensor pad of a hotel door lock to trigger a response. Unlike the older magnetic stripe key cards that can be easily demagnetized, these newer systems are more secure and less susceptible to hacking.
Keypads
Hotel door locks that require guests to use a keypad instead of a keycard or smartphone to unlock the door are often referred to as pin code locks. These locks allow guest to enter via a code that is automatically assigned to their reservations or they can unlock the door using a PIN number provided by the hotel upon check-in. These types of locks are easy to set up and work with most existing hotel hardware.
These locks don’t have cylinder mechanisms, so they are less prone to picking or bumping than other types of hotel locks. Guests can also easily change their security codes. These lock systems can be integrated with your property management system so you can monitor and record who is entering the building.
Many smart locks can be powered with a USB port, so you can use a mobile power bank to re-power your smart hotel lock if the battery dies. This is a good way to avoid the hassle of having to replace the whole lock when the battery runs out.
Keyless Entry Systems
Incorporating advanced door lock systems that incorporate RFID technology, magstripe, PIN code, and Bluetooth capabilities, helps hotels streamline their check-in process for guests. By reducing the need to swipe cards through card readers, hotels can reduce lines and staff workloads. The integration of management software also helps them automate guest access permissions, making the entire process more efficient and improving customer satisfaction.
Many of today’s electronic hotel locks offer a mobile key option that allows guests to bypass the front desk and gain access to their hotel door locks rooms using a smartphone app. This system is an effective fallback in case a guest loses their room key or the card malfunctions.
Another option is a PIN code lock that works with a numerical code instead of an access item, which eliminates the need to carry around a hotel key card and lets guests enter through the doors even if their phones are not available. This type of hotel lock also integrates with your property management system, so the codes can be changed for each reservation and is easy to install or set up.
Electronic Locks
Guests can easily check in online and bypass the front desk with these digital locks that are fully mobile-accessible. They can be opened with a PIN code generated in the guest app or by entering a touchcode on a touchscreen keypad. These locks are very secure and offer a variety of models, designs and colours.
These digital lock systems work with a central access control system and can synchronize with your PMS to help you streamline the check-in process, automate keycard encoding and provide a seamless experience for guests. They can also automatically adjust room settings, such as lighting and temperature, based on occupancy to achieve energy efficiency and cost savings.
Salto offers a range of smart locks that work with an app and a native cloud-based management platform. These locks are easy to install and integrate with other Salto hardware such as door handles and electronic deadbolts. This solution is a great fit for retrofitting into existing hotel properties. They work with a Bluetooth lock reader that can connect with any compatible smartphone to unlock the door.
