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Wireless hospitality ROI

Since the introduction of electronic locks in the late 1980s, hotel locks have over the last 20 years become a commodity and seen as a necessary expense. The security of guests and their belongings is paramount and security has become a significant line item in hospitality budgets.

Recent developments in technology have however transformed hotel lock and access systems into powerful management tools with a very specific ROI and ability to improve the overall guest experience, whilst enhancing management of hotels and hospitality establishments.

Hospitality and specifically hotels/guest houses require tough, yet unobtrusive and discreet security where the line between guest safety and possible inconveniencing of guests is often a delicate one.

During the day visitors of all types arrive at the hotel – guests checking in and out, staff arriving for and leaving after work, delivery people, maintenance people and non-residents coming in to the hotel to use bars, restaurants, conference rooms, business services and health facilities.

Along with these welcome arrivals, as with any site that brings together large numbers of people with high value goods and belongings, another sort of visitor can be attracted, one who costs the industry many millions of rand each year. To protect against such threats, security needs to be comprehensive yet remain stylish and effective.

Despite the significant reduction of bedroom theft over the last few years, such incidents can still occur and in many cases are usually due to the use of outdated locking systems, unauthorised entry or guest carelessness. This is where application of the latest wireless technology in electronic access control systems can help.

Critical to modern hospitality security installations is the requirement to have the room locks as well as the ‘back of house’ access controlled doors working on the same system and having a common reporting database. This not only allows for accurate real-time tracking of movement for all person types within the hotel/resort, but also allows for the guest’s room access card to permit access to other secured hotel facilities such as the swimming pool, health club, gym, lockers etc.

Magnetic swipe card locks are no longer secure enough for today’s access needs. This technology is now more vulnerable to cloning. Handheld copiers for magnetic stripe cards can be easily purchased over the Internet and the cards themselves can be easily copied or have the data tampered with to amend which room the card can access. RFID technology eliminates the demagnetised or damaged key issues that guests sometimes experience with a traditional hotel key card and allows for the application of security to other facilities such as storage lockers.

The future is here

The day of the offline hotel lock is over. Hospitality establishments can now control security, grant access privileges and gather data from every door without spoiling the aesthetics of the doors by fitting obtrusive card swipe locks/ancillary hardware to the doors.

Modern, state-of-the-art access solutions using secure wireless on-line technology are changing the face of hospitality security by providing the ability to remotely cancel key cards from the system when guests leave, lose or do not return them and this enables maintenance of a high level of security ensuring a secure and accessible environment for both guests and staff alike.

Hospitality installations are normally based on flexible time limited access. In practice this means that hotel guests usually stay for short periods of time after which their access authorisation is automatically withdrawn from the room lock and any further changes of the system require intervention at the lock with a management card or the inconvenience of a visit to the front desk.

Modern hospitality access systems such as SALTO allows front desk hotel access management software (HAMS) to control your property’s security, grant access privileges and gather data from every door without leaving your desk – all using wireless technology.

Wireless technology, together with technology like SALTO virtual network (SVN) which uses distributed intelligence in both the lock and the key card provides hospitality establishments with all the benefits of a fully on-line access control system at just a fraction of the cost of an on-line system.

Theme park and resort hotels can leverage the same technology to use different carrier technologies (wrist-bands/key-tags) and allow access to rides and facilities as well as to act as a cashless payment method. This makes it easy to charge items/food and beverages directly back to the room via seamless integration (RFID to mag-swipe emulator) to all leading POS/hotel management systems. Secure, authenticated access to créche facilities is also enabled.

Smart energy saving devices (ESD) installed in the rooms guarantee significant energy savings and additional functionality like enabling access to the bar-fridge only when an adult card is in the device. Whilst standalone locker type locks can control access to lockers/cupboards and filing cabinets.

Wireless and SVN technology creates for the first time, the reality of removing mechanical keys from stadium/public event sites because it is the most cost effective access control solution designed in a format that controls a door lock, and can easily be retrofitted or temporarily installed with minimal infrastructure requirements.

Installing electronic locks that are compatible with NFC (near field communication) technology allows NFC enabled cellphones to act as contactless data carriers to open and control access controlled doors.

This is the future of hotel security – no lengthy check-in; simply access your room by swiping your cellphone that was pre-programmed at the front desk or via SMS. The same cellphone grants access to all the amenities including lockers as well as back-of-house doors restricted for guests use only.

Installing and putting NFC compatible technology in place now or as part of an upgrade/refurbishment places any hospitality business in front of the competition, leading the way for technological advancements in upcoming NFC technology that will be in all cellphones in the next two to three years.

Incorporating this technology into awards programmes allowing seamless online bookings will add value to the overall guest experience and result in totally keyless buildings.

Integration is a key value driver

It is important to partner with a systems integration partner who can add significant additional value and ROI realisation to your solution through integration. Intelligent, seamless integration into back-office and HR systems enables true value-realisation and enables businesses to leverage the investment in security technology by pro-actively using information provided from their security systems.

Accurate time recording/ensuring vendors deliver on agreed contracts/elimination of duplicate data capture and the automated application of processes (eg, terminations on the payroll) are just four examples where the right installation partner can add significant value and deliver over and above the pure security/hardware-based solutions historically provided.

Any hospitality establishment considering a refurbishment/upgrade project or looking to replace traditional key systems or older, underperforming swipe or other access solutions, should take the opportunity to keep up with technological change and invest in the latest access control systems to enhance building security and their guest experience whilst delivering true business benefit.

Benefits of modern wireless systems

Room management

* Automated check-in.

* Instant extended stay.

* Instant room move (re-rooming).

* Real-time audit trail.

* Remote maintenance system to report in room problems.

* Real-time audit of inside openings.

* Passage mode activates for meeting rooms.

* Cards do not de-magnetise – end of ‘my key does not work’ situations.

* Batteries do not fail unexpectedly – smart battery management.

Security and safety

* Lost card cancellation.

* Door ajar alarm.

* Intrusion alarm.

* Remote opening.

* Lock down emergency function.

* Fully featured access control functionality normally reserved for on-line systems – APB / non-scheduled access attempts etc…

Staff management

* Live on-line staff tracking.

* Real-time monitoring.

* Instant master card cancellation.

* Dynamic mater keys.

* Staff and contractor timed activities.

Front desk

* Auto check-out.

* Remote real-time guest check out.

* Privacy guest room mode monitoring to show if the guest is in the room.

* Automated ‘low battery report’ for maintenance.

*Real-time monitoring.

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