VingCard Elsafe, the global leader in hospitality security and part of the ASSA ABLOY Group, announces that the 269-room Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa, Edinburgh, has installed the Signature RFID contactless locking solution as a next-generation upgrade from the traditional magnetic-stripe keycard system. In conjunction with the RFID upgrade, Sheraton Grand Edinburgh has also implemented VingCard's software, smoothly interfacing the locking system with the hotel's property management and point-of-sale systems.
Located just steps from Edinburgh's Exchange financial district and its famed Princes Street shopping thoroughfare, the 26-year-old hotel last year underwent a top-to-bottom guestroom refurbishment. To cap off the renovation, the hotel has completed the installation of Signature RFID locks from VingCard Elsafe, which include NFC cell phone compatibility. Signature RFID offers highly reliable security features and unprecedented convenience and ease-of-operation for hoteliers and hotel guests alike. The Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) locks allow for simple, contactless guestroom entry.
Crucially, the system can be easily adapted to Near Field Communication (NFC)—technology that is expected to be in widespread use globally within a few years and which will enable travelers to use their mobile phones as keys. After making a reservation but prior to arrival at the hotel, guests will receive a booking confirmation number, room number and encrypted room key access code through an encrypted message to their NFC-enabled phone, allowing them to bypass the queue upon arrival and go straight to the room, where their phone will unlock the guestroom door.
Signature RFID also provides unmatched control and security, with its 600-event audit trail and innovative anti-cloning software, creating a sense of ease for hoteliers, according to Christian Henon, Pesident of ASSA ABLOY Hospitality Europe/Middle East/Africa. Additionally, Signature RFID locks offer Signature Grand Edinburgh the opportunity to go green. “The energy-efficient locks require fewer battery changes than traditional electronic locks, meaning less waste and lower battery costs for the hotel,” Henon says.
Meanwhile, Sheraton Grand Edinburgh is further enhancing property security and guest safety with the software by VingCard access management system.Compatible with Microsoft Windows Vista and several other operating systems,software lets hotel management control exactly who has access to every door on the property, and when, by specifying restrictions within defined user-groups, equating to more flexible access management control than the fixed hierarchical structures common with other access control vendors' systems. And with Plug-and-Play connectivity, an intuitive graphical interface and menu-driven software, Assa Abloy's software is easy to install and to use.