Needless to say, the concept of opening doors with one’s smart device has gained popularity. The convenience associated with it is certainly one driving factor. Also, the rise of Airbnb and autonomous hotels has also triggered demands.
Needless to say, the concept of opening doors with one’s smart device has gained popularity. The convenience associated with it is certainly one driving factor. Also, the rise of Airbnb and autonomous hotels has also triggered demands.
Taiwan-based
Nestech is a company that provides mobile access control solutions for hotel and Airbnb owners. They were an exhibitor at the Innovex section of Computex this year, held from June 5 to 9.
According to Martin Prise, Business Developer at Nestech, the burden of always having to carry mechanical keys was one factor that drove them to create the solution.
“The thing is you have a lot of problems with your keys. A lot of people struggle to find their keys, and sometimes they lose them. Sometimes your guest or tenant lose your keys, and you have to make another set of keys or even replace your lock. This can be quite expensive, and everyone has had this kind of frustrating situation from time to time,” Prise said. “We provide something that allows people to enter their flats or other properties without keys, just their phone.”
Nestech’s solution entails an app that allows the hotel or Airbnb owner to create a QR code as well as a six-digit passcode, both of which will be sent to the guest or tenant. Once they receive the QR code, they can go to the hotel front desk and activate their smartphone’s NFC function with an iPad-like device. Then, they can check in to their room with their smart device. In the event of Airbnb properties that do not have an NFC activation device, the tenant can opt to enter the six-digit passcode to unlock the door.
“We provide the locks, too. You can buy them online, like on Amazon, or you can buy them from our website. What is good is that you can install it pretty easily on your door. It's pretty simple to install. Anyone can do it,” Prise said.
According to him, the solution is not reliant upon Internet, a feature that makes it unique.
“We provide a system without any Internet connection, as you already have the QR code. That's pretty unique. When you come from abroad you don't always have a connection with the Internet, which is ok. It works with Bluetooth and NFC, so it's pretty convenient,” Prise said.
Hotels, Airbnb targeted
The solution primarily targets two verticals: hotels and Airbnb, where users can benefit, Prise said.
“We don’t target luxury hotels. When people go to a luxury hotel they expect people to take care of them. Rather, we target small- to mid-sized hotel owners who want to remove the receptionist service. So even if there’s no receptionist there you can still go to your room,” Prise said. “Our solution also addresses the needs of Airbnb owners who, for instance, don’t have time to do check-in each time because their guest may be late. With our solution you don’t have to come to a place to meet guest. You just need to give them the QR code.”
The solution has already been deployed in certain hotels in Taichung and Taipei. Besides Taiwan, the company aims to push the solution to overseas markets as well, one being Paris.
According to Prise, opportunities in Paris abound for this solution. “It's a pretty good niche for us to go there. People in Paris, they care a lot about security. Also, for Airbnb, the system removes the need to hand over mechanical keys to the guest. In Taiwan you usually give the key to a neighbor or relative. But in Paris we don't have people nearby and we don’t trust our neighbors. That's why in Paris it would work well,” he said.