Alltech Blog
Mobile room keys: plan the guest journey before choosing the lock
Client arrival, access rights, reception and emergency solution: practical questions about an Openow project.
Topic year 2026
Receiving a room key before arriving can simplify part of a hotel stay. For the hotel, the service requires planning the whole process: the booking, issuing access, opening the room, entering shared areas and helping guests when something goes wrong.
What Openow proposes
TESA presents Openow as a mobile key solution for guests and staff. The described process uses an app, a virtual key and permissions linked to the stay. Depending on the installation, those permissions may cover the room and other doors fitted with compatible technology. See the TESA Openow presentation.
Describe a real arrival
Before choosing the equipment, describe the process from the guest’s perspective: when do they receive instructions, how do they find the entrance and who can help? Late arrivals need the same attention as arrivals during reception hours. Plan an alternative if a phone is unavailable or the guest does not wish to use this process.
- Identify the doors to be crossed between the street and the room.
- Define the creation, modification and termination of rights.
- Plan room changes and extended stay.
- Organize staff access separately from client access.
Verify associated equipment and services
An existing electronic handle does not prove that all required functions are available. Check the lock model, software configuration, licences and any interfaces with the hotel management system. The door and its mechanical operation must also be examined: access control includes physically using the entrance.
Test with the reception team
A useful test follows a complete stay: issue access, open the intended doors, change permissions and end their validity. Reception staff should be able to carry out routine tasks and report an incident with the information needed to investigate it.
Alltech supports electronic lock and hotel access projects in Alsace. Planning starts with the existing equipment and the desired guest journey, then identifies the adaptations and daily operating procedures required.