Hotel operations staff strive to keep guests happy with prompt check-ins, good customer service, and clean and comfortable rooms. Small hotels and motels address basic needs for travelers and offer a fair price for those not seeking luxury. Larger hotels and resorts cater to travelers seeking luxury, white-glove service, and amenities including on-site casino and gaming operations, spas, and entertainment venues. Whether a hotel is large or small, or corporate or family owned, security needs to be top-notch to attain profitability.
Guest and staff safety and profitability requires a seamless master security plan to stay compliant with state regulations and mandates, and to reduce incidents of liability and risk. Regardless of whether the property is large or small, the physical footprint and perimeter of the building or buildings need security technology systems to protect assets and people on the premises. At any hotel, hundreds or even thousands of keys need to be managed and tracked to prevent security incidents and theft.
Morse Watchmans, the original developer and pioneer for electronic key control systems, streamlined the process of key management for hospitality environments and other industries over three decades ago. Its signature KeyWatcher product is an instrumental security solution that expedites management of all physical keys for hotels of all sizes.
What Is Electronic Key Control?
KeyWatcher systems allow designated hotel security and facilities administrators to assign users, track key usage, locate keys, schedule automatic reports, and set up email and text notifications when a key is overdue. KeyWatcher systems provide asset management for all keys and the assets they protect. KeyWatchers also provide access control for security professionals and key control administrators, who determine who can have access to specific keys. Full audit trail reports are available at any time, so key control administrators always know where keys are located, who has them, and when they are due to be returned.
When considering key control security for a hotel property, assessing the size and needs and the types of systems available makes the process simpler. KeyWatcher systems are modular, scalable, and expandable, which makes it easier to address changing needs, such as renovations and expansions.
Small Hotel Settings
For smaller hotels, taking an inventory of all keys within the building footprint, which may amount to a few hundred or less, can benefit from a small stand-alone, non-networked KeyWatcher system. A non-networked system offers data privacy and is a solid security system to manage important master keys. A small stand-alone system is a great tool and a resource to store all the room and facility keys, so staff no longer need to take them home. When keys leave hotel premises, there is an increased risk for expensive re-keying after they are lost or misused. A designated key ring for first responders also expedites response time for crisis and emergency management.
Medium to Large Hotels and Resorts
A single building with an expansive interior footprint and multiple floors typically requires multiple locations for the installation of key control cabinets for maximum efficiency and productivity. Installing these key control cabinets in a closed network at several locations throughout the building or in multiple buildings is ideal for larger hotels. Within networked key control systems, keys may be returned to any cabinet location for added convenience.
Larger hotels typically have multiple security technology and business systems including video surveillance and access control systems. Adding a key control system, which also provides access control, and integrating it with other security and business systems delivers real-time data when the systems are synched and working together to provide centralized security snapshots of what is always presently occurring on the hotel premises.
Security personnel can then monitor all security system activity from a centralized location or department. From a centralized department, security personnel can conveniently activate or deactivate users, track key usage, locate keys, and conduct key audits.
Large Hotel and Gaming Properties with Affiliated Satellite and Global Locations
For hotel and gaming properties that have satellite locations in multiple cities and/or abroad, KeyWatcher systems allow protocols for networking over a wide area network (WAN). This allows for tighter key control security and consistent security standards for all locations under the same ownership, whether private or public, which can be managed by a centralized security office. All key control activities can be viewed across all locations, whether domestic or overseas, and audited instantly.
The Benefits of Key Control for Hotels of Any Size
Key control systems, such as the Morse Watchmans KeyWatcher, are an essential security tool for hotel properties of all sizes. Tracking keys can be a frustrating task, but it does not need to be with electronic key control systems. Besides reducing the likelihood of lost keys and expensive re-keying, key control adds security operational efficiency and accountability, and saves time and money.
Sponsored by Morse Watchmans.
