Self check-in is quickly becoming the norm for vacation rental properties. It’s resource-lite, contact-free and enables guests to get on with their vacation as quickly as possible.
Facilitating this evolution, we’ve seen a market surge of keyless door locks, smart bolts, and other remote access tools. Of course, with changes to property access norms come concerns about security.
With the smart lock industry expected to grow by 20% by 2028, it seems like novel methods of property access are here to stay. If you’re considering making the upgrade to your vacation rental properties – check out these benefits of keyless door locks.
What is a keyless door lock?
A keyless door lock is a type of property access which doesn’t use the traditional metal key-in-lock mechanism. There are various types, from keypad deadbolts to app-activated systems.
Keyless door locks are not to be confused with key lock boxes, in which the physical keys to a property are contained within a small safe box, usually accessed by pin code. These are generally used for the check-in process only, after which the guest continues to use the physical keys. With keyless door locks, the access remains keyless throughout the duration of the guest’s visit.
Benefits
If you want to free yourself from being present at every check in, and you’re not keen on installing a lock box for keys – smart locks have many benefits!
Save time
Firstly, keyless door locks can save time for you and your guests. If your guests can check-in online prior to their stay, there’s no need for you to meet them at the property to go through the formalities. Simply equip them with the access details and they can start their vacation as soon as they arrive. Furthermore if you include a digital welcome book with your stay, you can be assured that your guests will have everything they need.
Save resources
With the saving of time comes the saving of resources. Your team won’t need to greet guests at properties to check them in, saving on staff hours, travel costs, and even paperwork. Further, without the use of physical keys you don’t need to worry about keeping track of them. If they get lost, there’s no need to replace locks and issue new keys to all stakeholders. Simply reset your system and share new digital accesses with those who need them.
Online Check-Ins
In the last couple of years we’ve become very familiar with contact-free interactions, and short-term rentals are no exception. Online check-in is now standard for many vacation rentals – guests simply provide all the necessary information digitally ahead of their stay, rather than getting them to rifle through paperwork and ID when they arrive.
This is great for guests as after a potentially long journey, they can just get on with the serious business of enjoying themselves. It also makes arrivals more flexible for them – they can arrive when they’re ready rather than at a scheduled check-in slot.
Keyless door locks are also vital for this process. Once they’ve checked in, just send your guests the information on how to get in.
Increased Control
There’s always an element of trust involved when handing over the keys to your vacation rental property. Using smart-locks can offer increased security and peace of mind to property managers, as activity is tracked and recorded for whenever you may need to check it.
Some smart lock options upload all lock activity to the cloud – identifiable by user codes – so you can see who has accessed your property and at what time. This extra layer of security gives you more control over your properties.
Streamline Processes
As you know, managing vacation rentals can be admin-heavy. Keyless access is an easy way to streamline several processes with one tool. For example – organizing access to suppliers or maintenance can now be done remotely. This means cleaning turnarounds can be quicker and any issues can be resolved swiftly.
Future-proof your vacation rental properties
As interactions and traditional tech turn digital, investing in keyless door locks could be a smart move for your vacation rental properties. Secure your rentals, save on resources, and improve the guest experience – all with one smart tool.
To find out about the smart locks integrated with Avantio’s PMS, check out our marketplace.
