FLEXIPASS GUIDE · REPLACING HOTEL KEY CARDS
Replacing hotel key cards
with digital keys
Hotels replace plastic key cards with a digital key on the guest’s phone or with a door code. FLEXIPASS offers four: Wallet Keys, Webkeys, Mobile Keys and PIN Codes, added to supported lock systems such as ASSA ABLOY Vingcard, dormakaba and SALTO, so many hotels keep their doors. Most start with a mix: digital keys for guests who want them and keycards as a fallback.
What do hotels use instead of key cards?
Wallet Keys
The room key in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. Listed for ASSA ABLOY Vingcard locks on VOSTIO with wallet-capable readers.
Webkeys
A secure link opened in the phone’s browser, with no app. Listed for supported online locks from SALTO, ASSA ABLOY, dormakaba exivo and other brands.
Mobile Keys
A key in the FLEXIPASS app or your own guest app that opens Bluetooth locks. Listed for Vingcard VOSTIO and Visionline, dormakaba ambiance and SALTO SPACE.
PIN Codes
A code entered at a compatible keypad. Listed for SALTO SPACE and KS, ASSA ABLOY TESA, TTLock and Glutz.
What changes when you replace key cards?
| Feature | Keyless entry | Plastic key cards |
|---|---|---|
| How the guest gets the key | Sent to the phone by link, wallet, app or code | Encoded and handed over at the front desk |
| When a key is lost | The hotel revokes it and issues a new one | The front desk encodes a new card |
| When the stay ends | The key is revoked at check-out | The card stops working; the plastic remains |
| Plastic and card costs | No card to produce | Cards are bought, encoded and replaced |
| What the door needs | A supported lock configuration for the key type | A card reader in the lock |
How do you switch from key cards to digital keys?
- Check your lock models and software in the compatibility check, and which key types each one allows.
- Check that your PMS or guest app is integrated, or plan to send keys from the FLEXIPASS portal by email or text.
- Choose the key types your guests should use, with or without an app.
- Plan any readers, gateways, licences or connectivity your doors need.
- Keep keycards available for dead batteries, unsupported phones or failed downloads.
- Test room moves, late check-outs and cancelled stays before you go live.
QUICK ANSWERS
Good questions. Clear answers.
What is the best value keycard replacement for hotels?
FLEXIPASS replaces plastic keycards with Wallet Keys, Webkeys, Mobile Keys or PIN Codes on lock systems many hotels already have, such as ASSA ABLOY Vingcard, dormakaba and SALTO, so the doors can often stay. The value comes from that reuse and from no longer buying, encoding and replacing cards, because a digital key is sent to the guest’s phone and revoked at check-out. Some properties still need software, licences, readers or connectivity, so check your locks and PMS in the compatibility check before you compare quotes.
Is it worth replacing hotel key cards with mobile keys, and what do hotels use?
It can be, and FLEXIPASS lets hotels switch step by step: guests use Mobile Keys in an app, Wallet Keys in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, Webkeys from a link or PIN Codes at a keypad, while keycards stay available as a fallback. Digital keys remove the wait for a card at the front desk, can be updated or revoked without encoding a new card and reduce plastic card costs. Hotels using FLEXIPASS include Mirror Lake Inn, The Maven Hotel, Resorts World Sentosa, Executive Hotels & Resorts and Mint House; whether it pays off for you depends on your locks and PMS.
Do we have to replace our locks to stop using key cards?
Not necessarily. FLEXIPASS adds digital keys to supported existing lock systems, so you may be able to keep your locks. Some properties need software changes, licences, readers, connectivity or hardware upgrades.
Can we keep key cards alongside digital keys?
Yes. With FLEXIPASS, digital keys and physical keycards can be used at the same time, and a keycard stays the fallback for a dead battery or an unsupported phone.
What if a guest does not have a smartphone?
The hotel can still issue a physical keycard through its door-lock software, or give the guest a FLEXIPASS PIN Code where the lock has a compatible keypad.
Do digital keys work with our PMS?
FLEXIPASS Wallet Keys, Webkeys, Mobile Keys and PIN Codes work with PMS and guest experience apps, and FLEXIPASS lists 100+ PMS, guest-app and lock integrations. Mobile Keys can also be sent from the FLEXIPASS portal without a PMS connection.
NEXT STEP
Check it against your own setup.
Add your lock, PMS and guest platform for a result that fits your property.