Have your guests locked the doors to the vacation rental before stepping out? Did they misplace the keys? Or is the current lock easy to pick for intruders? These are common worries that keep rental owners up at night. To avoid burglary, trespassing or annoying phone calls at odd-times by guests who are locked out, smart locks can make all the difference.
Read on as we explore how smart lock technology can help improve safety, trust and confidence amongst patrons of short-term rentals.
Invest in smart locks for guest safety, confidence and trust
Physically handing over keys to your property is not the most hygienic option, given the current pandemic. Lockboxes are not very reliable either. Plus, you don’t want to be letting yourself, or the staff, in to perform house-keeping and maintenance services while the guest is present.
All things considered, to keep your guests and staff members safely distanced it would be best to invest in smart locks for your short-term rental property.
Smart locks that sync with a central hub (via bluetooth or WiFi) will enable sanitary, encrypted and virtual control over your rental’s front doors, garage doors and gate intercoms. This means you and your guests can track entry and exit, and lock and unlock the property’s entryways from anywhere, with just your smartphone.
What’s more, these smart locks also integrate seamlessly with property management software and smart systems like ACs, lights, home assistants and cameras to deliver the ultimate property automation experience. Think lights and the AC turning on and Alexa playing your favorite music, the moment the door is unlocked.
The benefits of smart locks for property managers
Remotely managing access to short-term rentals is swiftly becoming part of the new normal. To that end, smart locks can be used to grant or revoke access to your property in real-time – doing away with the need for keys to change hands.
Here are some of the other common features that smart digital keys deliver:
- Enables you to keep tabs on your rental property without having to physically visit it. This feature is especially useful in COVID-times when you don’t want to keep running over to check if the rental’s door is locked or to share a spare key.
- Offers a faster and hands-free guest check-in and check-out experience. It empowers guests to check-in and check-out on their own, without staff being present. It also lets you remotely and instantaneously share and revoke property access for each guest.
- Ensures that staff don’t have to interact with guests, and vice versa. You may use the insights collected by smart locks to control when your cleaning and maintenance staff enter the property. The technology even allows you to request guests for ‘permit to enter’ at a scheduled time.
- Activates your camera in real-time. Whenever a person requests access, the keyless lock communicates with your outdoor camera so you can see who is at the door.
- Alerts police or a home security service. In case there is any tampering or damage to the lock, you will receive an alert on your device and also law enforcement will be immediately intimated.
Why your guests will love smart keys
Today, most travelers look to vacation rentals for a socially-distanced holiday. Safety, cleanliness and a touch-free check-in feature high in their list of priorities.
To match these guest expectations and stay ahead of competition, consider installing smart locks at your short-term rental.
These innovative devices add to the safety and convenience at your property by:
- Opening doors automatically when your guests get home, with the tap of the smart device, biometrics or a voice command. No need to keep track of keys anymore!
- Locking doors automatically, when your guest is outside of a predefined perimeter from the property.
- Offering regular alerts on their device, especially if the doors are unlocked are locked or left ajar.
- Enabling guests to remotely secure the door through their smart devices, in case they forget to lock the door after stepping out.
Additionally, many smart locks allow your guests to generate temporary digital codes that give delivery agents access to drop off groceries or food orders to the doorstep or into the garages, during approved times, even when they are not within the property. Talk about next-level vacation rental automation!
Undeniably, smart digital keys have numerous advantages over the conventional door lock and key. Are you ready to give PointCentral’s access control solution a try? We promise you won’t want to go back!
