Extend Key Card Validity Post-Checkout for Improved Guest Experience
Dear Mews,
Currently, key cards expire at our fixed checkout time (11:00 AM), which can cause inconvenience for guests who need to retrieve luggage or personal items from their room shortly after checkout. This often results in unnecessary trips to the front desk or frustration when access is denied.
Proposal:
We’d like to propose introducing a configurable grace period (e.g., 30 minutes) after the standard checkout time, during which key cards remain active. This small change would significantly enhance the guest experience by providing flexibility and reducing friction during departure.
Benefits:
- Guest Convenience: Guests can retrieve forgotten items without needing to return to reception.
- Operational Efficiency: Fewer interruptions for staff to manually reactivate cards or assist guests.
- Customizable: Hotels could set the grace period based on their specific needs (e.g., 15, 30, or 60 minutes).
Implementation:
What would be ideal is a configurable buffer period (e.g., 30 or 60 minutes) in the keycutter integration. This buffer would automatically be added to the checkout time in the reservation and used as the key card’s validity end time. This way, guests can easily retrieve forgotten items without needing front desk assistance.
We’d love to hear your thoughts or experiences with similar challenges!
Ivo Meisen
shared this idea
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DM9EE
commented
that would really help a lot. Same with earlier check-in. Check-in and check-out times rely on the times set in the RATE. e.g. check in is 16:00......but for example, our front desk is not staffed on sunday after 12:00, so we prepare the keys and put them in the keybox...guest arrives 15:30 but can't enter the room. even when room is checked and free for the guest........we must program keys manually, which contains risk of errors.......must count and type in number of nights, number of keys, etc......very annoying. only way to change it, is in the RATES....but that is impractical....... can't be too difficult.....
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Leo Blouin
commented
The keycutter integration settings would be the ideal location for this new feature.
This is particularly important when the locks are not set the right time (+/- 5min from real time) correctly. Nothing frustrates a guest more than going to their room and having to return to reception because it’s only a minute after check-out time.
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anu
commented
When there´s a rate with early check in/late check out, the times should up date automatically so we wouldn´t need to manually change them before cutting the keys.
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Claudia Berg van den
commented
that would be very helpful. preferably being able to chose your own standard times. e.g. checkin time minus 1 hour and checkout time plus 1 hour. And automatically adjust to prebooked late checkout or early checkin
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L H
commented
Keys (using keycutter) are automatically made based on check-out and check-in times. It would be useful to make a key that works until 10h15 if the check-out is for example at 10am. Now, if guests forgot something or want to pick up luggage they left in the room at 10h01 front office needs to make a new key.