Why would you want to improve your hotel’s key management systems?

Travelling is a form of escape.

Whether you're looking for an action-packed adventure, a luxurious and blissful getaway or you're making deals and attending conferences for work, taking a trip and staying in a hotel is a break from day-to-day life.

While the perfect holiday or trip looks different for everyone, the one thing we all want is to feel safe when we're staying away from home. 

If hotels want to attract guests and build a solid reputation as a great place to stay, they need to ensure people feel secure.

An excellent key management system is one way to take the guest experience to the next level. Not only does it provide additional safety but it also makes life more convenient and efficient for guests while traveling.

Keys displayed in old cupboards can spell trouble for hotels, leading to loss and misplacement, problems managing access, and unauthorized duplication.

Reviewing your current systems allows you to identify gaps in security as threats evolve with technology, as well as opportunities to enhance employee accountability and check-in efficiency. All of that can put smiles on guests’ faces, encouraging them to return again and again. 

If you’re regularly replacing keys, battling suspicious activity, or losing access to rooms, then you may need to improve your system.

5 ways to approach key management system upgrades for hotels

1. Review access control to rooms

It would be terrifying for guests if perpetrators could enter their room at will. This could happen all too easily with old key management systems, like a key hook. Guests could be left feeling embarrassed and inconvenienced if employees like cleaners or porters walk in when privacy is required. 

Modern key management solutions can give you greater control over who has access to what and when. You could set curfews allowing cleaners, for example, to access rooms within a specific time frame when guests are out for the day, making their stay more relaxing and enjoyable.

2. Review access control to vehicles

Many hotels want to offer more than just a comfortable bed. Travelers are often drawn to luxury facilities like golf courses or want to book excursions through the hotel. This means you might also have an array of vehicles like buses or golf carts. 

As they can be expensive to replace or repair and can be deadly with the wrong people at the wheel, you need to control who can access them and when. A key hook can make it all too easy for irresponsible guests and employees, or even intruders, to grab and go.

3. Check-in/out processes

Have guests complained to you about how long it takes to check them in?

Here’s some good news: intelligent key management systems can make this process more efficient. 

With keys stored safely in one place, staff are able to quickly retrieve the correct room key with no hassle or fuss. This high level of prompt service enhances the guest experience and improves customer satisfaction. 

4. Access to high-risk areas and equipment

Guests and untrained employees must be kept away from anything dangerous. Many hotels are moving away from old key systems that make it far too easy for the wrong people to access hazardous areas and equipment. 

With the help of modern technology, you can provide controlled access to engineers for lifts and high-voltage areas while keeping everyone else away.

5. Consider the language barrier

Hotels welcome people from all over the world, as both guests and employees. This means multiple languages could be spoken in your business. 

You might therefore benefit from a hotel key system offering smart software that allows staff members to read on-screen information in their language. This offers a more seamless experience, making it easier for employees to get their jobs done and fulfill requests.

Speak to the Traka team about improving your key management systems 

Traka can help hotels become leaders in security.

One instance is helping The Berkeley in London maintain five-star service. The luxurious venue has achieved “lightning speed operations” through greater accountability of keys. 

The stylish hotel has 190 elegant bedrooms and five signature suites, as well as award-winning Michelin-star restaurants and celebrated bar facilities, a spa and a gym. Since such deluxe facilities could attract criminals, and demand efficient service, 

The Berkeley recently upgraded its systems to expand its capacity and improve security with biometric technology to help protect it against threats like shoulder-surfing. This involves someone attempting to steal sensitive information by watching over the victim’s shoulders as they use a device in public.

The Berkeley also benefits from Traka’s key cabinets and software, which help to prevent keys from going missing by providing detailed records of who has access to what, and when they were taken or returned. This has helped to increase accountability and reduce replacement costs.

Your guests deserve five-star security 

Hotels must review and improve upon their current key management systems in order to continually boast five-star security.

To achieve this, it’s essential to frequently reflect on your venue’s access control, key visibility, and employee accountability.

Consider how often keys and equipment are lost or stolen, and how much it costs to replace them.

Are you becoming more worried about threats, and seeing more sophisticated attacks, whether physical or digital? 

It’s important to ask yourself how efficiently guests can be checked in and out, as this can impact their experience. Also consider how easily guests, untrained staff or intruders can access dangerous areas and equipment, as well as hotel vehicles? Do you have multiple language needs? Do you want to have more control over when employees can access rooms and when?

Modern key management solutions can provide the answer to all these questions, allowing you to restrict access to keys, rooms and equipment to authorized staff members and guests, set time limits on their usage, encourage more responsible behavior, and allow people to read on-screen information in their mother tongue.