How to Place a First Smart Lock Order Without Wasting a Quarter
The sequence that turns a first order into a repeat programme.
Read the article →Working With Hotel and Serviced Apartment Projects
Hospitality projects fail on timing more often than on product. The property cannot open until the locks, the cards, the encoder and the software are all on site and working together, which makes the delivery sequence the critical path.
Review the door schedule before quoting
- Room door thickness and material, by room type
- Fire rating, where it applies, and what the lock has to suit
- Existing preparation on a refurbishment
- Back-of-house and meeting-room doors, which often need a different lock
Hotel doors are usually thicker and heavier than residential doors, and the mortise and the fixing have to suit what is actually hanging.
Package the system rather than the lock
Swipe the table sideways to see the full specification →
| Locks | Room doors, plus back-of-house where required |
|---|---|
| Cards | Guest cards, staff cards and a front-desk working stock |
| Encoder | The device the front desk uses to write a card |
| Software | Issues cards, tracks rooms, produces the audit trail |
| Gateway | Where the property wants live status or central control |
Software and locks arriving separately is the most common cause of a property that cannot check guests in. They ship as one package.
Master-key levels
Swipe the table sideways to see the full specification →
| Guest card | One room, valid for the stay |
|---|---|
| Section master | The rooms one supervisor is responsible for |
| General master | All rooms, held by management |
| Override | For a lockout or an incident, with an audit entry |
Spare cards
Order spares with the locks. A card re-order carries its own lead time and shipping cost, and a card shortage stops check-in, which is an expensive way to save a small amount.
Phase around the opening date
Work backwards from the opening date, including the fit-out and the commissioning time. Then phase delivery by floor or wing so nothing sits in a corridor.
- Fit-out sequence and floor-by-floor delivery plan agreed at quote stage
- Locks delivered by floor or wing, with packing lists per phase
- Software and encoder delivered early enough to configure the front desk
- One room fitted and checked before the batch is produced
- Commissioning: encoder, cards and software tested against a live room
What to send with the enquiry
- Room count by type, and the door schedule
- Whether the property is new-build or a refurbishment
- The target opening date, and the fit-out sequence
- Whether a third-party PMS is already in place
- Whether back-of-house doors are in scope
Tell us the opening date at quote stage. We will say plainly whether the programme holds rather than promising a date and missing it.
Buyer Questions
Three questions this guide usually raises.
On this topic
Who supplies the hotel software and encoder?
They are supplied as one package with the locks, so the property is not integrating three vendors before it can open.
Can delivery be phased by floor?
Yes, arranged at quote stage so the fit-out sequence, the freight and the documents all match.
How do fire-rated doors work?
Tell us the rating required. The lock and its fixing have to suit it, and we will confirm what we can supply rather than assume.
Related Reading
How to Measure a Door for a Smart Lock: A Photo Guide
Five photos and three numbers are usually enough to confirm the fit.
Read the article →OEM Packaging for Smart Locks: From Artwork to Sealed Carton
The packaging is the part buyers underestimate, and the part that cannot be changed once it is printed.
Read the article →