A Guide to Choosing a Hotel Door Lock System
A hotel door lock system is a customizable array of locks, keys and credentials that can secure private rooms as well as public spaces in hotels. This guide can help motel, inn and bed and breakfast owners find a hotel lock system that meets their business’s specific needs and site-specific regulations.
Keycards
Whether your guests are using a keycard, PIN code or their smartphone to access their room, there are many options for hotel lock hardware and software. It’s important to weigh your options and determine what’s most important for you and your guests.
Traditionally, hotels use magnetic stripe cards that guests swipe at check-in to gain access to their rooms. These systems can be costly to maintain and are susceptible to a number of vulnerabilities.
Another option is a smart lock system that uses Bluetooth or WiFi to verify identity. These systems can be more secure than card and pin codes but may have less flexibility in terms of re-programmability. Regardless, you should always choose well-tested solutions to ensure the integrity of your hotel door locks.
For example, Salto offers an electronic lock cylinder that uses RFID technology to let guest’s mobile phones act as their keys. It can be programmed wirelessly through a hotel’s management software and has a battery low indicator to help staff keep track of battery replacements. Salto also integrates with a variety of management systems including Assa Abloy, Onity and Hafele. Our Mews Commander PMS also easily integrates with these types of locking systems to provide a complete hotel guest experience.
RFID Cards
When guests arrive, they will be able to access their hotel rooms without needing to carry a key. That’s because door locks with RFID (radio-frequency identification) are designed to let them wave a credential in front of the reader, which then communicates the information stored on it and unlocks the lock.
Aside from removing the need to carry around and lose a key, RFID locks are also a lot more secure than traditional magnetic stripe locks. This is because hotel door lock system they do not require a contact system that can be broken or damaged by wear and tear.
Additionally, hotels can set versatile permissions for RFID locks. This ensures that guest can only access their rooms, as well as certain communal spaces or other on-site amenities. This is essential to ensuring the safety of staff and guests in times of emergency or intrusion.
Salto offers a line of locks for hotels that utilize RFID technology. These can be used with a hotel management software to manage and audit all hotel doors over a network. Additionally, they are BLE compatible to allow mobile phones to act as the keys. They can even display “Do not disturb” notifications and offer battery status LEDs. For a more convenient option, there are also pin code systems that allow guests to enter a numerical code on the keypad of the lock itself or generate a PIN code in the Salto KS app.
Keypads
Traditionally, guests use keycards or keys with a magnetic strip to unlock their hotel room doors. However, these types of locks are prone to wear and tear as well as being easy to lose, which makes them vulnerable to theft.
With a hotel door lock system incorporating RFID technology and Bluetooth capabilities, hotels can provide guests with the opportunity to open their rooms using a smartphone app or key fob. This eliminates the need to give physical keys to guests and reduces staff workload.
PIN code locks are another secure alternative to traditional hotel room locks. Unlike other hotel lock systems that require a card or device to gain access, PIN code locks are opened by entering the correct sequence of numbers on the touchpad or keypad. These types of locks are water-resistant, occupy less space and can be used by multiple guests.
BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) smart locks are the latest trend in hotel door lock systems, as they offer a high level of security and facilitate guest contactless access. They work by connecting to an online or offline access control system that can send an encrypted message to the lock. This allows only approved guests to gain entry, so it can help to protect your guests’ privacy and improve their experience. This type of lock is also easy to install, as it doesn’t require the installation of additional hardware or batteries.
Smart Keys
Unlike magnetic stripe keys and key cards, smart door locks don’t need to be swiped or inserted into the reader. Instead, they use proximity and radio frequencies to communicate with the lock reader, verify a guest’s access permissions, and then unlock the door for them. This is a much safer and more convenient option, and it also reduces hotel staff workload.
Assa Abloy offers several different options for hotel lock systems, including their MT RFID, which is compatible with the Mews Commander PMS to allow guests to use their own smartphone as their digital key. This is ideal for self-check-in, contactless payment processes, and remote security management.
Another option is the Salto KS, which has a hotel door lock system native cloud-based platform and can connect to various hardware from the brand, including door handles, electronic deadbolts, and wall sensors. The platform makes it possible for hotels to manage and control their locks remotely, so they can update a guest’s key, keep track of when and how many times the lock has been used, and more.
Perhaps the simplest option is the traditional pin pad, which can be installed on room doors and used to open them. While this may seem like a backwards step for the digitally savvy, hotel chains such as Urban House in Copenhagen are already using them to elevate the guest experience and eliminate costs (not to mention the need for wifi, encoding, and other potential issues). You can even get smart lock integrations with some platforms such as Operto to enable hotels to remotely monitor and check the status of their locks.