Updating And Unlocking A Classic

Jan 1, 2008 12:00 PM, BY Stephanie Silk

After being closed for a two-and-a-half year, $440 million rehabilitation, the Plaza Hotel in New York reopened in December 2007 with newly replaced hard lock systems consisting of Signature Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) electronic locks by VingCard, a part of the ASSA ABLOY Hospitality Group.

VingCard's RFID electronic locks allow for contactless entry into the Plaza Hotel's 282 guest rooms, and are compatible with next-generation Near Field Communication (NFC) cell phones.

The installation has been in place for six months and only took a few days says director of security for the Plaza, Don Smith.

ASSA ABLOY CEO for Hospitality North America Marc Freundlich notes that VingCard is upgrading hotels out of the 50-year-old mag-stripe-based system to the more reliable, open-platform RFID lock system.

Unlike complicated access control systems powered by volts and wires, the VingCard system is battery-operated. Freundlich says the batteries can run for one to two years with normal use. “It didn't require any more time than a standard lock,” Freundlich says, citing that the holes provided by previous locks were used for this installation.

To use the lock, an encrypted card is given to the guest at check out, and once at the door, is placed on top of the door's encoder.

A major feature that may reel in more guests is NFC cell phone compatibility. This allows patrons the ability to swipe their NFC-enabled cell phone over the lock in place of a key card.

The process involves making a normal reservation, such as through a Web site, in which the guest would receive confirmation along with a request for his or her cell phone number. “You will then receive a Short Message System (SMS) message giving you a confirmation number. When it's time for you to check in, the hotel will send you an encrypted SMS message — and that will be your key,” Freundlich says.

He says there is no need to wait in any lines — guests can go straight to their room with the SMS and get in their door. The hotel will then receive an SMS, notifying them that the guest has unlocked the door. After the pre-designated checkout time, a code will invalidate the key and send it to the front desk to inform the hotel staff. “Upon checkout, again, you don't have to wait at the desk,” Freundlich says.

For users who opt not to employ the NFC capability, the system is compatible with the three leading RFID ISO standards: ISO 14443A/MiFare, ISO 14443B and ISO 15693.

Though the Plaza's locks are not currently NFC-operable, Smith says it could be installed in the locks with minimum interruption. Freundlich and Smith say this will improve customer satisfaction over the coming years. Proposed research that indicates that 50 percent of mobile phones will be NFC-compatible in 2010.

“This product brings us into the next wave and to the future of the lock system,” Smith says. “We were prepared to take the next step to meet guest expectations, an important part of our industry.”

Want to use this article? Click here for options!
© 2008 Penton Media Inc.

This month in Access Control

• Opening Up About Door Closers
• An Enterprise Approach
• The Framework For Open Systems
• On A Higher Plane
• More from April's issue