The Challange

Family run since opening in 1969, the Commodore Hotel recently expanded its seaside premises, adding 25 new rooms with views of the Devon coast. High standards are very important in all areas of the business, so the hotel owners required a new secure access system that would work seamlessly with the luxurious feel of the refurbishment.

Key Requirements

• Secure access control without the cost and inconvenience associated with traditional systems
• An unobtrusive wireless system that did not compromise the contemporary look of the newly refitted rooms
• A user-friendly room access system that would appeal to the 21st-century traveler
• A system that could be fitted without disrupting day-to-day business: closing the hotel to fit new locks was not an option
• An access control package which was tailored specifically for use in small hotels and guesthouses
• A system that would be cost effective to install and to run on a day-to-day basis

The Solution

The Commodore Hotel installed SMARTair^® Guest escutcheons in every new room, working together with door latches from ASSA ABLOY mortised into the doors. SMARTair^® Guest is a bolt-on solution for securing both external and internal doors, and can often be fitted to locks with the option of retaining existing key systems.

Because there’s no wiring – and no need to change the doors – SMARTair^® Guest allows building aesthetics to remain as the designer intended.

“I was working at the same time as the cleaners to make sure we didn’t disturb the guests,” says Andrew Pearcy, a locksmith at Keyhole Surgery. “I was able to fit the lock case and install the product from start to finish in about 2 hours for each door. I would recommend the system for small hotels, as for lock- smiths it’s just like fitting door furniture, so labor time is minimised.”

It’s easy for a manager to administer the SMARTair^® Guest system, adding and removing ac- cess authorisations instantly. If a guest loses a card, there’s no need to change the locks: the manager just needs to issue a new card, the lost card will be unvalid.