Keyless hotel check-in. The future is here

Together with the Tor Sørnes electronic key card invention in 1974 started a new era of room accessibility in the accommodation business.

After a few decades, hotels are still using electronic key cards which are replacing physical keys. However, technology is not standing still, and there are new solutions introduced to the industry.  

Once the accommodation provider decides to switch from the key to the card, it takes a lot of investment. All doors have to get card readers installed as well as the key card reader machine. This can cause some extra work and time, especially if the machine is not linked with your PMS.

Is there another way?

The mobile phone as your hotel room key

Key card access is one of the most popular solutions in hotels, but how does this work with apartment rentals?

In the past few years, I hear more and more requests from apartment rental owners about their problems with the keys. Most of the apartments don’t have a reception so there is a dedicated person who greets the guest upon arrival and hands over the key. This can be very inconvenient if the guest is arriving late or there are several arrivals at the same time but in different locations. Another way to solve this issue is to leave the key in the postbox or even at the neighbouring apartment. That’s why, the possibility to enter the apartment with the phone, is a salvation for such businesses.

Many times business owners complained about lost keys, inside locked keys, broken cards, high costs of keys or key cards, and similar problems. Guests, having the key on their mobile phone during their stay, removes the worry from the property's side. Guests will have the phone with them, so therefore, the key will always be at their side. Sure, it might happen that someone will lose the phone. But in these unfortunate situations, the property owner can help by letting the guests in remotely.

No surprise that people are expecting to be able to do everything using their mobile devices. Daily small tasks like food ordering, navigating, bill payment, reservations, and many others became a routine for users on their mobile phones. Therefore, access to the hotel room shout not be  an exception anymore.

How does mobile key work?

With the advanced technology, accommodation providers can find several options. There are quite a few solutions that you can choose from. Just pick the one which suits your needs the best. Most of the times, keyless check-in is possible with the mobile applications, provided by the host. If the hotel or apartment rental has an app, might be that it also works as the key to your room!

Usually, a unique entrance code is generated and added in the application. The door lock is Bluetooth-based and once you are at the door, it is enough to enable Bluetooth connection, open the application and select the entrance option. There is no need to program the key cards and no need to manually generate entrance codes that later can be sent to your guests. Most of the smart lock providers can be integrated into the property’s PMS system and automatise the whole process.