Hotel door locks and key cards, a buyer’s guide

Electronic door locks are one of those purchases that last ten years or more. The choice you make affects security, guest experience and how hard your front desk has to work. Here’s what to think about.

How hotel locks work

Each door has a battery-powered lock with a reader. At check-in, reception encodes a card with the room number and the stay dates. When the guest taps or inserts the card, the lock checks it and opens. When the stay ends, the card stops working.

Some systems also support master keys for housekeeping and maintenance by floor or area, and audit trails stored in the lock showing which card opened the door and when.

Card types

• Magnetic stripe cards are cheap but wear out and demagnetise near phones.
• RFID / Mifare cards are contactless, more durable and harder to copy. Most new installations use them.
• Phone keys are available on some systems, where the guest’s phone acts as the key.

Ask your supplier what the cards cost to replace in bulk, because guests take them home.

Connecting the locks to your PMS

This is the part most hotels get wrong. Without a connection, the receptionist checks the guest in on the PMS, then opens the lock software and types the room number and dates again. Mistakes happen, and keys for departed guests can stay live.

With the lock connected to the PMS:

1. Check-in encodes the card from the PMS screen.
2. Extra or lost keys are added or replaced from the guest’s record.
3. Room moves update the key to the new room.
4. Checkout cancels the key.
5. Key history shows every key issued, by room and guest.

Biodux PMS works this way with VingCard, TTLock, Orbita and Xeeder locks.

Questions to ask lock suppliers

• Which PMS systems is your lock software connected to in Nigeria today? Can I call one of those hotels?
• What card technology do you use, and what do replacement cards cost?
• How long do the batteries last, and how will we know when they’re low?
• Who installs and services the locks locally, and how quickly can they come out?
• Is there an audit trail in the lock, and how do we read it?
• How are master keys for housekeeping and security handled?

Questions to ask your PMS vendor

• Do you already support this exact lock brand and model?
• Does the key update automatically on a room move?
• Is the key cancelled at checkout?
• Can I force staff to issue a key at check-in?
• Is there a key history report?

A sensible order of purchase

If you’re building or refurbishing, choose the PMS and lock together, or at least confirm the lock is supported before buying it. Changing locks later to suit a new PMS is far more expensive than checking first.

Have a lock brand in mind? Ask us whether Biodux supports it before you buy, or see the door lock integration page.