Hotels: how to replace door lock?

With the generational change in the hotel access control system, the old hotel door locks can no longer meet the needs of modern hotels. For convenience and safety considerations, many hotels decided to replace the old hotel system. So, how to replace door lock? This article will introduce you in detail from hardware to software.

Remove the old locks

General Removing Step:

1. First, open the battery cover on the lock, and remove the battery.
2. Unfasten the screws that hold the latch plate in place, and remove the front panel, the back panel, and the lock cylinder protection cover (Note: some anti-theft door lock doesn’t have.)
3. Use a Phillips head to remove the lock cylinder fixing screw (The common location for bolts and screws is on the center line of the side lock body and parallel to the bottom of the keyhole.)
4. Remove the square bar from the indoor lock.
5. Insert the key and turn it to take out the lock cylinder. Keep the key on the key lock cylinder to facilitate distinguishing between indoors and outdoors.

Something you need to confirm before purchasing new locks

(1) Changing the doors or the door locks？

If it is to replace the entire door, the choice of new locks will not so limited. Because there is no need to consider the lock size, lock cylinder, and hole distance, but you need to consider the door material.

If it is to replace the entire lock, it is necessary to select new locks based on the measurement parameters of the old locks. (such as the types of lock body, the holes in the door, etc.)

(2) Quantity confirmation：

① How many doors need to be replaced in your hotel?

Doors in the hotel include public doors, room doors, employee doors, etc. Different doors use different locks, which have different functions, types, and access control systems. So when a hotel decides to replace the door locks, the hotel needs to determine how many door locks need to be changed, and whether it is guest room door locks, public door locks, or others.

Counting in advance and properly choosing the hotel lock solution can make your hotel management more efficient, economical, and convenient.

② Confirm your hotel front desk quantity.

The number of hotel front desks is determined by the size of the hotel. Large hotels have multiple front desks so that guests can check in quickly. The number of front desks also determines the number of card issuers required.

Smart locks and card issuers are complementary and inseparable. Therefore, before buying a new lock, you can count the number of front desks in your hotel and know your hotel’s needs, so that you can get the quotation from the supplier as soon as possible and conclude the transaction quickly.

③ Confirm your hotel elevator quantity.

The elevator is a necessity of every hotel. And the elevator controller is the auxiliary product of the lift and is mainly used for controlling the hotel floor access.

The elevator controller is one of the optional items of the hotel management system and is controlled by the system. Therefore, you need to count the elevator quantity in advance so that you can know the demands of the number of elevator controllers, which is helpful for you to replace your hotel door locks and hotel systems quickly.

Most hotels on the market install elevator access control system, which can effectivity improve hotel security, and upgrade the image of your hotel brand.

(3) Confirm your hotel door color.

Due to smart locks having various kinds and colors, to make your hotel look more beautiful, you need to select a lock with matching color for your hotel door.

So before purchasing a new hotel door lock, you need to determine your hotel door color, there are four common colors on hotel doors for your reference.

(4) Confirm your hotel door opening direction.

Before purchasing, you need to confirm the opening direction of the replacement door, so you can book with the smart lock supplier in advance, which can reduce the time cost and labor cost of the door lock replacement.

(5) Measurement parameters

① The material and thickness of the old door.

The installation of smart locks has requirements for the thickness and material of the door. Generally speaking, anti-theft doors with a thickness of 40mm-90mm can match most smart locks on the market.

Some doors (such as wooden doors, iron doors, glass doors, etc.) whose thickness is less than the normal range cannot be installed with the standard smart locks. Smart locks for these doors need to be purchased from specific electronic lock brands.

In addition, it should be noted that when changing from a mechanical lock to a smart lock, will be making some modifications to the door body, removing the old lock, and digging holes according to the installation requirements.

This means that it will cause some damage to the door and cannot be restored. Therefore, when choosing a smart lock, you must be cautious. Choosing it poorly may mean you have to change the entire door.

② The lock body type of the old lock.

The lock body of the old lock determines the type of new lock. So you need to confirm the lock body model of the old lock before buying the new one. Common you only need to take a photo of your old lock mortise and send it to the supplier, they will give you some suggestions.

To perfectly cover the old lock hole, we usually suggest hotels use the same types of mortise to replace the old mortise.

Specifically speaking：

The ANSI mortise is fit for the lock with a large panel, such as YGS-9936. The EURO mortise is commonly used in the lock with a long and thin panel, such as YGS-9939.

The tubular latch is fit for the lock with a smaller size panel, such as YGS-6675, and this kind of lock is usually used in apartments, campuses, etc.

③ Position of the door lock holes.

The door hole plays an important role in determining the cost of replacing the lock. Choosing the matching hole can avoid additional installation costs.

Measure the size of the latch guide plate and the door holes of the old lock body in advance, and then give the size to the supplier, so that you can quickly find a new lock that suits your hotel door.

(6) Confirm whether the old locks are separate or integrated.

Integrated locks and separate locks have different position holes, so hotels should pay attention that a new separate lock should replace an old separate lock, and a new integrated lock should replace an old integrated lock. To perfectly cover the old hole, the new lock should be the same size or larger than the original.

(7) Confirm which hotel key cards are suitable for your hotel business.

There are various types of cards on the market, the common types are magnetic cards, RFID cards, NFC cards. Here are brief introduction:

Magnetic card

This type of card works on the principle of magnetic stripe identification, it is the earliest-used hotel key card in the hotel industry. But this kind of card has a fatal drawback, that is easy to demagnetize. The good thing is having a cheap price and is effective, so it is still used by many hotels.

RFID card

This card allows contactless identification via Radio-Frequency identification (RFID). RFID card has little tags inside and works by radio wave recognition. Users can put it into the key card holder or wallet, without worry about demagnetization, which is convenient. Unlike magnetic card, RFID card is not easy to duplicate. Its Safety, advance, convenience, so that it is welcome by the hotel industry.

NFC card

With NFC technology, hotel key cards can communicate without physical contact. The same as an RFID card, the user can unlock the door lock without contact. Even if NFC cards are not as well-known as RFID cards, they are gaining popularity.

(8) Confirm whether need to buy another language install package.

English is one of the most used languages on the international market, so most imported hotel systems use English as a standard language. Therefore, you need to confirm the English proficiency of your hotel front staff. If they are not familiar with English, you need to buy an install package for other languages.

(9) Confirm whether the new system can be compatible with the original PMS system.

If the new locks are purchased from the old lock supplier, the new system can be compatible with the hotel’s original PMS system in most situations. But if it is a new supplier, it is necessary to communicate with the new lock supplier about whether the new system and old system are compatible, which is determined whether the new locks can work with the old locks.

(10) Confirm whether local laws require fire certification.

Fire protection certifications are required by some governments to ensure people can quickly escape in an emergency, including fire, to test the security of the door lock. Before purchasing a lock, you should check whether there are any local laws and regulations that require it.

Several governments require fire protection certification to test the security of the door lock, and to ensure people can escape quickly in an emergency, so you need to check your local laws and regulations to see if it is required before buying a lock.

(11) Confirm whether the supplier has a detailed installation tutorial.

A supplier with comprehensive hotel door lock installation instructions and a complete user manual for instructions will help you save a lot of unnecessary trouble during the lock replacement. With complete instructions, you can install the entire locks on your own.

But it is better to find a professional installation company to install them. After all, if you are unfamiliar with the operation, some problems may occur and the lock may be damaged.

Install the new lock:

When all the preparations are done, the next step is the install the new lock. For details, you can read the following article: How to install hotel door lock?

Installation video:

General installation steps:

1. Put the mortise lock body into the already dug door hole, adjust the locked position, and fix it with screws.
2. Use screws to fix the lock cylinder from the inside of the door to the outside. Align it with the screw holes using screws.
3. Install the front panel according to the bolt hole position, and use basic screwdrivers (such as flat screwdrivers, or Phillips-head screwdrivers) to fix it.
4. Insert the square bar from the inner door to the outer door, install the lock plate, and fix them well.
5. Install the back panel.
6. Open the battery cover and install the batteries one by one. Then close the battery cover, and the installation is complete.
7. Make the correct lock adjustment. Operating the lock switch, check whether the lock can work normally or not.
8. Having installed the basic lock hardware, you should also test the software to see if it can manage the new locks.

The compatibility of hardware and software of the hotel management system

It is not only necessary to integrate the new locks’ hardware configurations with the old locks, but it is also necessary for their software to work together when replacing hotel smart locks. So here are some questions you have to consider: 

Benefits to upgrading the hotel door lock

Recommended lock

YGS-9936

– Ideal to replace old locks. Covers the brands of many models of locks on the market.

FEATURE

• ANSI high-security bolt with 3-point latch with anti-friction and anti-card locking mechanism in stainless steel.
• Anti-manipulation handle with free rotation, avoid forcing the opening lever.
• Audit system with capacity to register up to 1000 events including openings with emergency keys.
• PCB sealed with silicon encapsulated treatment for high humidity environments.
• Software available in several languages. Standalone mode or centralized database.
• EEPROM memory to maintain the information and configuration even if the batteries are removed.

YGS After Sales Service

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With more than 20 years of smart lock experience, YGS could provide a set of hotel door lock management solutions for your hotel business.