The hospitality industry has been using solutions like facial recognition-based access control to ensure compliance to Covid-19 protocols but concerns like privacy have limited their use. This is where ZKTeco aims to help hospitality customers with a new app-free smart hotel solution aimed to streamline the operation and management of hotels as well as offer a card-less experience for the guests.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the hospitality industry. Demand slumped last year as people stayed indoors and avoided non-essential travel. However, the situation is improving slowly, with data showing an uptick in the number of people staying in hotels. According to STR, In April 2021, hotel occupancy levels have already reached the highest rates of the previous year.
But the market is still far from stable. Hotels are still vulnerable to infection outbreaks and even a small lapse in health care guidelines could result in business downtime. Employees and customers must continue to maintain social distance, use contactless solutions, and sanitize anything that people touch.
Ensuring that everyone follows COVID-19 protocols is difficult, especially in the hospitality industry where you need to make sure your guests are comfortable. To make it easier, businesses have explored the use of solutions like facial recognition-based access control but concerns like privacy have limited their use.
This is where ZKTeco aims to help hospitality customers with a new app-free smart hotel solution, an advanced system aimed to streamline the operation and management of hotels as well as offer a card-less experience for the guests.
The app-free smart hotel solution consists of the USB Desktop Encoder D147-H, Wireless Control Panel SLG410, HTML5 Mobile Management Page and the Wireless Hotel Lock ZL500.
How does it work?
The ZKTEco app-free smart hotel solution makes use of the ZigBee communication system. Speaking to asmag.com, Peggy Zhou, Sales Director for Smart Locking Solutions at ZKTeco explained that their ZL500 smart wireless hotel lock is also equipped with RF technology and the MF module. This means that customers can use their mobile phones or traditional cards to open the lock when needed.
“With the ZigBee wireless technology and ZigBee gateway, the hotel door locks and devices can be installed without any wire through the wall or door,” Zhou said. “It can also be centrally and remotely managed through a web-based all-in-one software in real-time. The software platform used is ZKBioHLMS, which consists of multiple integrated modules to handle hotel access control, elevator control, etc.”
What makes the solution special?
Several companies are trying to come up with solutions that would help businesses with better access control and locking systems. But Zhou points out that several factors make ZKTeco’s solution stand out from the rest.
“This new solution is very different from other traditional hotel lock solutions, as it integrates wireless ZigBee communication and brings a whole set of new advantages,” Zhou said. “For guests at a hotel, contactless mobile unlock enables a life without cards and keys. The solution also offers an improved user experience of check-in & check-out. When the guest books a room, they will get a greeting message with detailed information of the room, valid date and time, as well as a virtual key for the room.”
Moreover, a HTML5 Mobile Management Page also offers functions like calling room service from the mobile phone itself.
“For the hotel management, the solution offers real-time remote monitoring and management all the hotel door locks, unlock/lockdown, battery status, and online records check through web-based software,” Zhou continued. “It can also authorize access rights remotely to multiple users like guest and hotel employees. There is an open API for hotels to integrate third-party PMS or OTA platforms as well."
The hotel management can also receive various reports like room occupancy data, which would help them make better operational decisions. All this is accessible through a simple web-based platform, making it easy for the staff to use it anywhere, anytime.
Get further details about the smart hotel solution scheme.
Who should use this solution and why?
The ZKTeco app-free smart hotel solution would ideally suit mid and high-end hotels that are looking to offer a safe and secure environment for their staff and guests. Zhou suggests that the solution is the most cost-effective and competitive wireless solution in the market to meet their need.
Besides the pandemic, ZKTeco also expects demand to stem from the general interest in benefits that IoT brings. This, along with the trend of digitalization is expected to bring even more demand for solutions like this.
“More and more industries have begun to realize the convenience and benefits of the advanced wireless communication, big data and cloud server,” Zhou added. “Hotel industry would also like to follow or even lead the trend to win the market.”
How can systems integrators benefit?
Being a major security solutions provider, ZKTeco understands the need for making the work of systems integrators as easy as possible. To this end, the company has released an open API of the smart wireless lock for easy integration with their own platform or with the hotel’s existing PMS or OTA system.
“Also, as our app-free smart hotel solution software uses our all-in-one software platform—ZKBiosecurity with built-in different software modules like access control, elevator control, parking system, etc., SIs can offer this comprehensive solution not only for the hospitality industry but also other verticals,” Zhou added.
Smart solution for a smarter world
As people begin to travel more and stay in more hotels, the need for solutions that would ensure safe and comfortable experiences is set to grow. Working with ZKTeco’s smart app-free smart hotel solution system would help hotel management and systems integrators achieve this.