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Digital keys don’t simply open doors in your innovative living properties. They open up new opportunities to generate more revenue and better guest experience too.
From avoiding the hassle of lost keys and lock-outs to saving time managing housekeeping and maintenance, digital access control solves multiple property management pain points and facilitates seamless property access. When used correctly, top-of-the-range digital key software also unlocks efficiency, leading to growth for property managers.
Here are five ways digital access control works harder for your innovative living properties.
Automatic check-in and check-out
How much time do you and your guests waste on manual check-in and check-out processes?
86% of guests prefer a contactless check-in. But even with online check-in, relying solely on physical keys adds unwanted friction for new arrivals (i.e. finding the appropriate lock box) and unnecessary costs for you (i.e. a late night concierge). In addition, resetting key codes, replacing lost keys, or simply key handovers to housekeepers post-check-out slows down your capacity for quick turnarounds, hindering potential revenue.
Instead, integrated digital access software within your property management system (PMS) automatically assigns digital keys to guests before they arrive. To make arrivals seamless, email guests with their digital key, alongside helpful information about finding or entering the property. Digital keys self-expire in line with check-out within your PMS, removing access after a preset time (i.e. one hour after check-out) and kickstarting post-stay housekeeping. With digital keys, you can welcome new guests quickly and save time.
Secure and seamless property access
How do you balance security and access across your innovative living properties?
Handling the complexity of access control with physical keys is an operational nightmare. Business travellers, for instance, require access to city centre serviced apartments 24/7, but they also need stringent security to protect their belongings and personal safety. Residents living in suburban BTR properties will want to invite family and friends from time to time, while limiting children’s access to specific amenities that could pose a safety risk. Rural coliving properties comprise shared spaces, but residents still require secure access to private accommodation.
Alternatively, walk the security-access tightrope with ease, with digital keys. Give guests staying in city centre serviced apartments personalised 24-hour access codes for the entrance, elevator, and personal rooms, so they simply tap and enter as they please. For BTR properties, guests can share access codes with visitors, set auto-locking for specific amenities (i.e. no access to the gym between 11pm-5am), or limit entries by age (i.e. under 16s’ keys cannot enter the swimming pool). Allocate coliving residence access in line with their booking or membership, opening communal areas to all, but restricting access to private areas or specific floors to residents only. Sync your digital access software to your PMS to customise access according to your property and guest types.
Simplified maintenance and housekeeping
How do you grant temporary access to operations staff when managing remotely?
Be they employees or contractors, remote-based or on-site, housekeeping staff or maintenance personnel, you work with a varied team to run your innovative living properties like clockwork. But managing multiple people across multiple locations is a headache when unexpected spillages or repairs require complicated logistics around keys.
Or, simplify all operational tasks using integrated digital key software with your PMS. Set daily check-in and check-out activities for your onsite housekeeping team, and share digital keys for each building and unit. Assign temporary keys for external maintenance contractors to fix a broken sink or take gas meter readings. Whether your innovative living property has 30 access points or 3000, allocate or remove access to specific operations teams or individuals remotely, just with the touch of a button.
Insights and management from one platform
How do you handle the demands of multi-property and mixed-use residential management?
Thanks to advances in PropTech software, managing multiple different property types in one portfolio has become increasingly popular – such as a short-stay property in London and a long-stay coliving location in Stockholm. Without digital key software, managing property access across different guest types (sometimes in the same building) is complicated.
Meanwhile, digital access control manages each property and guest individually from one simple platform. For instance, automate individual access control within your PMS, according to each specific guest booking (i.e. a short-stay serviced apartment guest can’t access the top-floor resident lounge reserved for BTR and long-stay guests). What’s more, as digital key software reports directly to your PMS, you learn valuable insights about guest movements, communal space usage, and amenities (i.e. through entry/exit timestamps) so you can better manage each building (and even redesign spaces based on guest preferences).
Greater revenue potential with personalised access
Does your access control software limit your revenue generation?
Physical keys or keypads that require manual resets hinder your ability to maximise revenue from your units. If all keys grant the same access requirements (i.e. to the building and guests’ private units), you’re limiting your capacity to charge for amenities or monetise your spaces.
But personalised access with digital keys offers revenue generating opportunities. For instance, offer tiered pricing packages with different levels of amenity usage (i.e. charging short-stay guests extra for gym access at peak times). Make the most of all your space by renting out parts of the building for external events, and managing it by generating one-time access permissions for relevant attendees (i.e. yoga on the roof or a pop-up art gallery in the lobby). Offer memberships across your property portfolio, allowing subscribers to access multiple properties in multiple cities using an app.
Digital keys are the present and the future
27% of serviced apartment operators already use digital access control systems. If you’re thinking about transitioning to digital keys or upgrading your current digital key set-up, look for software that offers:
- A customised balance between security and access
- A streamlined experience for residents
- Efficient operations across multiple properties
- Remote management from one platform
- Revenue potential opportunities
At res:harmonics, we integrate with the leading digital access specialists - including SALTO Systems and RemoteLock - giving you more than just digital access control.
“We’re delighted to integrate with res:harmonics. With RemoteLock embedded in res:harmonics’ PMS, property managers have complete control over their portfolio’s access settings and can deliver an amazing guest experience.” Barclay Friesen, SVP of Partner Sales, RemoteLock
From maximising occupancy and revenue with blended stays to freeing up management time for an enhanced guest experience, our exceptional access control integration partners enable you to seamlessly manage property access, enhance guest experience, and maximise revenue across multiple locations within one centralised platform.
Download the Ultimate Guide to Serviced Apartment Management Software 2024 to learn how property management software supports serviced apartment operators.
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