Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2011 · 16 posts · 1 vote
Why does so many vacation rental properties stick to traditional keys instead of using keyless lock. Keyless locks are both more secure and you never need to worry about losing a key with high traffic to a rental.
Residential Landlord · Chicago, IL · Member since 2012 · 356 posts · 81 votes
14y
My guess is that its too expensive when compared to a standard lockset and metal key.
If this site is a good indication, $200 per door is your hardware cost. If there are multiple doors then your cost goes up or you need a combination keyed/keyless system. This would be a PITA for your guests.
Then you also have to buy the encoder, software and keycards. If you're a property manager, you're going to want to pass these costs on to the property owners so you'll likely need a large customer base to do so.
You'll also need to convince each owner to pay for the lockset and retrofitting their doors. This might be a challenge since there typically isn't a long term contract for the property management. So if the owner agrees and later leaves for a competitor they are stuck with a keyless lockset they can't use (unless the new property manager happens to also use the same system).
Another note, the locksets you find in a hotel are battery powered. When the battery fails at your typical Marriott, no big deal. But for a vacation rental its a little more important for the lock to work when there isn't a service desk within walking distance. Also, for these applications since most hotel doors are now inside I'm not sure how the elements (salt/sea air, extreme cold) affect the reliability of the locksets.
Overall it would be a tough case to make over the reliability and low cost of the standard lockset and metal key.