Years ago it would have been thought impossible for guests to access their rooms safely at night without a 24-hour reception. Today, hotels with online management and no reception at night are a reality; providing a service for new arrivals without needing anyone in the hotel.
This is achieved by simply replacing the conventional room entry system with an electronic lock. This process can dispense with the need for physical keys, and is quick and easy to implement. In fact, many lock models do not have to be replaced, so minimal intervention is required.
How do electronic locks for hotels work without reception at night?
Once the electronic lock is installed, access can be easily managed with the Rent & Pass system. Under the philosophy of “reserve and enter”, guests receive their digital key or an access code on their mobile phone and can access the premises during their stay.
Omnitec's Rent & Pass system, widely used in holiday homes, is a solution for hotels that have no 24-hour reception. This means that not having a reception service at night is no longer an impediment for guests arriving late. In addition, it is a viable alternative for family hotels and bed and breakfasts with few rooms, where having a night shift could prove expensive.
How to access the room
- Once the reservation is confirmed, guests receive a message with a code to open the door or a digital key . Thus, by simply bringing their mobile close to the lock, the door opens via Bluetooth technology.
- Once at the hotel, guests can open the main door and their room door using their smartphone or the code they have received.
- After the stay is over, the key is automatically cancelled. What happens if they decide to stay a little longer? No problem! Extending the validity of the key is very simple from the administrator platform.
- After their departure, a new temporary key is created so that the cleaning service can leave everything ready for the next guests.
Code and Bluetooth: 2 access possibilities
If guests arrive late at night or are delayed, reception staff do not have to be at hand, as new guests will have all the access information they need to enter their rooms by themselves. Not having to check in late also improves the experience for guests travelling at night who often arrive tired. They can go to reception the following day at their convenience.
At night, they can access through the client app or via a PIN code, which is useful if there are battery or reception problems.
- Numeric code
When making the reservation, the guest receives an access code that is valid for their entire stay. So if they arrive when the reception is closed, they can use this code to enter both the main hall and the room they have booked.
- Bluetooth
Guests who have booked the room can access the hotel and their room using the Bluetooth technology on their mobile phone as their digital key.
Opening with a digital key not only benefits guests arriving at night, but is also used for access for the entire stay. This avoids unnecessary visits to reception and prevents keys being lost, and is also a more convenient and secure system for both the hotel and guests. In fact, it improves the traveller experience, especially during the pandemic when a minimum of contact is important.
Control and security for owners
Also, at Omnitec we have developed the Rent & Pass application, which can provide remote control features from a smartphone or tablet. This is a tailor-made solution for hotels which may be too small to have their own server software.
The administrator can create, send, block or delete electronic keys; record the entry times for each lock or user and receive security alerts.
In addition, with a Gateway, Bluetooth electronic locks can be converted into online devices. When the gateway is connected via Wi-Fi, the locks transmit the recorded events to the cloud and the devices can be managed remotely.
If you want to know all the options that electronic locks and remote management can provide, as well as the best way to incorporate them into your hotel, contact our team at Omnitec via any of the different channels available, and we will be happy to help you.