Electronic hotel door locks: Which types are best for your hotel?

Various types and styles of electronic locks have been developed over the years, and they are widely used in hotels, apartments, schools, office buildings, and other settings. Among them, the hotel is the first place to use electronic locks. The latest technology is combined with door locks to add a guarantee for people’s accommodation safety. This article will introduce you to electronic hotel door locks from multiple angles and dimensions, and help your hotel choose the most suitable hotel lock.

Hotel lock development history

Modern smart locks are well known, but how about the locks from mechanical locks to digital locks or earlier? Today, we will start with the mechanical locks of the modern hotel industry.

Traditional locks

The story of modern hotel locks starts in 1862, a beautiful hotel – Le Grand hotel officially opened. To ensure utility and convenience, all guest rooms in the hotel are secured by metal keys. According to their chief concierge, all room keys are attached to a big key ring and hung on a board at the concierge office.

At that time, it means those who need to enter the hotel room have to go to the concierge office to get a key. Despite how inconvenient it may seem now, it is the earliest hotel mechanical key lock. That also means modern hotel locks come into the world.

Recordable keycard locks

For a safer hotel staying environment, hoteliers turned their eyes to the keycard. In 1975, Norwegian inventor Tor Sornes developed a type of recordable keycard lock.

There are 32 holes in the unlocking key card, providing over 4 billion unique combinations, making each key card unique for each guest. The appearance of recordable keycards lays the foundation of electronic keycard locks.

Magstripe hotel card locks

Later, people continued to invest in hotel key cards for more convenient hotel management. Then magstripe card locks appeared, which use magnetic cards as door-opening keys. And the magnetic card much more secure than punch hole cards, and they are also the earliest smart cards used in hotels.

As time goes by, people gradually find its shortage, that is, the magnetic cards are prone to duplicate and demagnetization, which will cause unsafety and inconvenience for hotel guests and staff. Despite that, there still have some small hotels using them today.

RFID proximity card locks

With the evolution and development of smart cards, RFID proximity card locks come to 21 century, which can perfectly avoid the weakness of magnetic card locks. With the RFID technology, users are no longer worried about the demagnetization of the card. And their short read range makes hacking more difficult.

Even today, RFID key cards are more popular than magnetic cards. But the price of RFID cards is more expensive than magnetic cards.

Mobile key smart locks

In this smart era, high-tech permeates all walks of life. The most visible innovation in the hospitality industry is mobile key smart locks. Their keyless entry system allows users to enter their guest room without a key card, and achieve mobile check in.

Systems with mobile keys are still relatively new in today’s market, and their possibilities and features are endless, which can help save time for hotels and guests and improve the efficiency of hotel management.

Choosing the best electronic locking system for your hotel

Technology selections: Magnetic / RFID / Bluetooth

Nowadays, the hotel lock market is mainly occupied by electronic locks of the following three technologies: Magnetic/ RFID/ Bluetooth. Choosing the best electronic lock solution for your hotel can play a vital role in your hotel business. Let’s explore them in more detail.

Magnetic

The electronic hotel lock with magnetic technology uses magnetic materials as the carrier of information transmission. By inserting a magnetic card, the door lock can obtain the door opening instructions. It is the earliest electronic smart lock used in the hotel industry.

Features:

1. Magnetic cards have more than several years of development history, and the technology is mature.
2. The price of the magnetic lock and its cards is cheaper than the lock with other technology.
3. Easy to use, and the application is wide, such as banks, hotels, entertainment places, parking lots, and more.

Weakness:

1. Magnetic cards are easy to demagnetize and have high wastage.
2. Magnetic technology is easier to crack than other technologies.

RFID

The rise of RFID electronic locks is to solve the weakness of magnetic, it is an upgraded version of magnetic technology. By using RFID technology, guests just need to wave their RFID room card near the RFID reader to enter the guest room.

On the other side, RFID provides a wonderful anti-clone security function by encrypting the platform, ensuring the system can reject any unauthorized persons’ access.

Features:

1. With high efficiency, the RFID reader can identify and read several RFID tags at the same time.
2. Miniaturized size, diverse shapes, RFID reading is not limited by size and shape.
3. Built-in chip, not easy to wear and will not demagnetize.
4. The data can be protected by password with RFID technology, so it can not easy to be forged and altered.

Weakness:

1. RFID electronic tags are more expensive than ordinary barcode labels.
2. RFID technology has been around for a short time, and it is not yet well-developed in terms of technology.
3. Due to the retroreflective characteristics of UHF RFID electronic tags, it is difficult to apply them in metals, liquids, and other items.
4. At present, RFID technology has not formed a unified standard. Many standards coexist in the market, and the prices and quality are not equal, which is easy to cause difficulty in selection.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth technology in hotel electronic door locks is still relatively fresh today. With this technology, user can enter their guest room with their smart devices without any physical keys. Not only that, this kind of lock adopts higher technology and difficult crack mode, making your hotel room more secure.

Features:

1. There have multiple methods of encryption, more secure.
2. Compare with wifi, the battery life of the Keyless lock with Bluetooth is longer and more economical.
3. The mobile phone app can replace all functions of electronic locks, including mobile access, remote unlock, record reviews, etc. 

Weakness:

1. The price of Bluetooth technology is higher than general technology.
2. There is no unified industry standard for Bluetooth smart door locks, so their quality is different.

Unlocking ways selections

Traditional electronic locks for hotels mainly have two unlocking ways, that is key + card unlock. Traditional hotel key card locks use the key card as the primary unlocking method. And the mechanical key is usually kept by the hotel reception as an alternative option for emergencies.

With the development of mobile technology, the hotel lock industry has derived some new unlocking methods, including password unlocking, mobile key unlocking, and biometric unlocking.

Password unlocking is unlocked by entering the correct password. The front desk staff issues the password, then guests use the password to enter their room, and they can change it later as needed. This unlocking way allows guest to release their hands without having to carry keys or key cards, which are mainly used in motels, apartments, and small numbers of hotels.

Mobile key unlocking allows guests to use their smartphones to unlock the door without any physical keys. Additionally, guests can finish the entire check-in process through their smartphones, eliminating all contact with hotel staff.

Biometric unlocking uses each person’s biometric feature as a door-opening key. Face recognition and fingerprint recognition are widely used. Biometric unlocking is difficult to crack and has higher security.

Different unlocking methods have different prices. And it is no doubt that the higher the technology, the higher the price. Therefore, the hotel needs to choose the most suitable hotel lock according to its own needs and cost budget.

Appearance selections: Full-body or Separate component

Hotel electronic locks can be classified into two main groups, full-body and separate components. The overall structure of the two types is basically the same. Choosing the full-body or separate component mainly affects the appearance and image of your hotel, so you need to decide it.

The full-body lock is also called an integrated lock. The card reading area, handle and keyhole of this kind of lock are all on the same panel. Its size and style are relatively diverse.

The separate component lock means that the handle and the panel are separated, and the shape is small and concise. Although the lock body of this kind of lock occupies a small area of the door, its installation will be slightly more complicated than the integrated lock.

System hardware selections

The hotel electronic lock is one of the important components of the hotel lock system. The components of the system are divided into standard devices and optional devices. In addition to the standard devices, the optional part is what you need to choose.

Generally, the hotel door lock system is equipped with hotel lock software, smart hotel lock, card issuer, and cards as standard. The optional devices include elevator controller, power-saving switch, access control system, data collector, etc.

The more complete the system products, your hotel management will be more convenient. Of course, the system cost will be higher. So you need to choose according to your hotel business needs.

For the specific hotel lock system introduction, please refer to the following article.

6 Ultra popular electronic hotel door locks in 2023

VingCard Novel

Salto XS4

•  Material: The lock body and escutcheon are made of steel.
• Finish: Slim design, narrow body, more concise and decent. And fit most European profile doors and mortise locks standards.
• Technology: RFID, Bluetooth LE, and NFC technology, providing guests with a secure and seamless keyless and mobile experience.
• Finish: XS4 series many different sizes and colors with fully-customizable options.
• Carriers: Key card/key fob/silicone wristband/digital key.
• Installation: Simple-to-install, you can install it in any type of door.

Saflok MT RFID

• Standard Finishes: Bright chrome, bright brass, satin chrome, satin brass, dark mahogany.
• Technology: Provide contactless and mobile access technology.
• Security Features: High security and tamper-proof design.
• Power supply: 4 AA Alkaline batteries pack, the battery life is up to 2 years.
• Low battery alarm: There will have a low battery indicator that alerts hotel staff that the batteries need to be changed soon.
• Installation: Easily replaces existing mechanical or electronic door locks throughout a facility.

Hotel lock series: YGS-9936

• Material: Stainless steel double-layer composite structure design, durable, strong anti-destructive.
• Finish: With stainless steel surface and PVD treatment, it won’t rust and discolor, long-lasting.
• Chip: PHILIPS Mifare-1 chip with strong encryption and high security.
• Power supply: 4 AA alkaline batteries, which can be opened more than 15,000 times.
• Unlocking record: Can store the latest unlocking records (including mechanical key unlocking records.)
• Mechanical key: Equipped with mechanical keys to ensure the door can be opened in an emergency. And can be customized as a lock corresponds to a key or all locks corresponds to a key.
• Undervoltage reminder: When the battery power is lower than 4.7V, there will be a voice and light reminder when you are unlocking. At this time, the door can be opened about 100 times.
• Motor: Non-porous dust-proof motor, 0.25 seconds response time, which is ultra-sensitive and has a long service life.
• Free handle: Anti-violence, anti-compression handle structure, firm and durable.
• Standard lock body: 2-C
• False lock alarm: The door lock automatically alarms when the latch tongue does not really enter the locked state.

Hotel lock series: YGS-9916

•  Material: Titanium alloy and glass surface, one-time molding structure design, durable, strong anti-destructive.
• Finish: Sprayed and PVD nanotechnology surface, wear-resistant, strong in corrosion resistance, and longer service life.
• Chip: PHILIPS Mifare-1 chip with strong encryption and high security.
• Power supply: 4 AAA alkaline batteries, which can be opened normally more than 15,000 times.
• Unlocking record: Can store the latest 1000 unlocking records (including mechanical key unlocking records.)
• Mechanical key: Equipped with mechanical keys to ensure the door can be opened in an emergency.
• And can be customized as a lock corresponds to a key or all locks corresponds to a key.
• Undervoltage reminder: When the battery power is lower than 4.7V, there will be a voice and light reminder when you are unlocking. At this time, the door can be opened about 100 times.
• Motor: Imported motor, and the principle of cam lever pushes the response to reset quickly in 0.25 seconds, which is ultra-sensitive and has a long service life.
• Free handle: Anti-violence, anti-compression handle structure, firm and durable.
• Standard lock body: 2-C
• False lock alarm: The door lock automatically alarms when the latch tongue does not really enter the locked state.

Hotel lock series: YGS-9905

• Material: Stainless steel surface, and split structure design, durable and highly resistant to damage.
• Finish: Stainless steel brush surface, strong anti-corrosion, and longer service life.
• Chip: PHILIPS Mifare-1 chip with strong encryption and high security.
• Power supply: 4 AAA alkaline batteries, which can be opened normally more than 15,000 times.
• Unlocking record: Unlocking record: Can store the latest 1000 unlocking records (including mechanical key unlocking records.)
• Undervoltage reminder: When the battery power is lower than 4.7V, there will be a voice and light reminder when you are unlocking. At this time, the door can be opened about 100 times.
• Mechanical key: Equipped with mechanical keys to ensure the door can be opened in an emergency.
• Motor: High-performance, ultra-sensitive, and long-lasting imported micromotor responds quickly and resets in 0.25 seconds.
• Free handle: Anti-violence, anti-compression handle structure, firm and durable.
• Standard lock body: 2-E
• False lock alarm: The door lock automatically alarms when the latch tongue does not really enter the locked state.

It’s time to upgrade your hotel door lock system

Now, more and more high-technology electronic hotel locks appeared. In addition to safety, convenience is another highlight of these locks. Smart hotel locks systems are more intelligent in user identification, security, management, and more.

Besides key unlock, you can also unlock by high-technology identification, which is more convenient, and avoid the embarrassment of forgetting to carry the key and locked outside.

If your hotel still uses mechanical door locks, it’s time to upgrade your hotel door lock. Here, we will provide your hotel with the most comprehensive and economical intelligent lock solution. Welcome to contact us!