Replace Door Lock for Hotel Rooms: What Factors Need to be Considered?

Hotel room door locks have always been essential parts of hotel hardware products that must be considered for hotel owners. A good electronic hotel lock system can benefit the hotel and hotel residents, convenience and safety.

Last Updated on March 17, 2024 by Vincent Zhu

But there are still many hotels on the market that use old-fashioned magnetic card hotel locks or TEMIC hotel locks. After years of use, the hotel’s old door locks can no longer meet modern hotels’ needs.

More and more hotels are preparing to replace door locks with the RFID hotel lock system for their hotel room doors. But before you are ready to replace door locks for your hotels, do you know what factors need to be considered when replacing hotel locks?

This article will comprehensively introduce all the factors that should be paid attention to when ready to replace or upgrade hotel door locks and complete the hotel door lock replacement smoothly and safely. 

These factors are mainly divided into:

• Hotel door lock installation;
•    Accurately old hotel door lock measurements
•     Hotel Door Measurements and Confirmation
• Hotel lock system management software and hardware compatibility;
• Improvement function of hotel lock systems problems;
•   Key Card Hotel Energy Saving Switch
•   Hotel Elevator Control Systems
• What Types of Electronic Door Locks for Hotels Do You Need?
• Hotel door lock replacement cost
•   Hotel lock cost
•   Hotel management software cost
•   Hotel key card cost
•   Shipping costs from China
•   Hotel door lock installation cost

Hotel door lock installation

1. Accurately old hotel door lock measurements

Here is the first question: when you consider replacing door locks for hotels and installing the hotel door locks, will you consider replacing the hotel door first? This question is essential and will lead to the next question.

If you do not replace the door for your hotel, the next question is:  Please ensure that the new hotel lock can be installed or covered in your original old hotel lock position. You must confirm and accurately offer old hotel door lock measurement parameters.

The hotel door Lock measurements parameters that need accurate measurement are as follows:

• Mounting hole distance of old hotel lock plate:
• The length and width of the front and rear panels of the Lock:
• Lock mortise size:
• Distance from door edge to inner and outer lock body:
• Door thickness:

2. Hotel Door Measurements and Confirmation

Hotel Door thickness

When you are ready to replace your hotel’s door lock, please ensure you offer the exact hotel door details and measurements. Different door specifications and thicknesses will use additional hotel locks and lock mortises, and the lock mortise is an essential part of the hotel lock.

• For  door thickness between 38-65mm, choose hotel locks with American standard lock mortise,
• If your hotel door thickness is less than 38mm, choose the hotel lock with a European standard cylinder (a European standard lock cylinder used in Europe and Vietnam).

In any case, please provide the thickness of the hotel door to find a suitable lock.

How many hotel room doors are left-hand openings and right-hand openings?

It is challenging to assemble and replace the door lock for your hotel by yourself; adjusting the left and right door opening is not recommended after receiving the new hotel lock.

The best way is to determine the number of hotel locks for the left-hand opening and right-hand you need when placing an order so the supplier can set it in advance. This will help you reduce your hotel’s door Lock replacement work time.

Are there any public hotel doors in your hotel?

When you are ready to replace the door lock for your hotel, please don’t forget to consider the public doors.

Hotel public doors are mainly used in lobbies, restaurants, corridors, gyms, and other areas of the hotel. Customers want to use room cards to enter the above areas.

Please confirm how many public doors in these areas need hotel locks, and then please inform the hotel lock system supplier in advance. The suppliers can set corresponding special hotel locks for these public doors.

Does your hotel Lock supplier provide comprehensive Hotel door lock installation instructions?

When you try to replace the door lock for your hotel, you have to face the hotel lock installation work. If you want to install and finish hotel door Lock replacement work by yourself, then a complete hotel lock installation guide or video will be adequate to help you install hotel locks.

Here is ShineACS Hotel Door Lock Installation Guide- Help you know how to install the hotel door lock correctly!

Hotel lock system management software and hardware compatibility

Hotel door lock replacement work is not always easy. You will have to consider hotel door lock hardware and system management software compatibility issues when preparing to replace the door lock for your hotel.

If your old hotel lock is an RFID card lock system, you should have the corresponding hotel key card encoder and hotel lock system management software. But when replacing the old hotel lock, you may ask the following two questions:

1. Can the newly purchased hotel lock directly apply to your old hotel lock system management software and card encoder/issuer?

Unless you buy new hotel locks from the same hotel lock manufacturer or supplier, the new hotel locks cannot be used with your previous hotel lock management software and card encoder.

Because different hotel lock manufacturers or suppliers have various encryption methods for their hotel locks, management software, card encoders, and room cards, other manufacturers’ hotel lock system products are incompatible.

2. Can the newly purchased hotel lock be used with the old one?

In some cases, maybe only parts of your hotel lock are broken, and if you want to replace door locks for these broken parts, you may ask this question.

If you buy new hotel locks from the same manufacturer or supplier, you can use them together. But if not, you still want to use it with the old hotel lock.

At this time, you may need to use two different hotel lock system management software, card encodes, and hotel room cards from other manufacturers to be used together. But obviously, this solution is not so suitable.

To make your hotel management more convenient, we advise using hotel locks from the same manufacturer as much as possible or replacing all old ones.

Of course, another solution only considers replacing the mainboard part of the old hotel lock. You can buy a new PCB board for the hotel lock, card encoder, room cards, and management software from another supplier.

Then, replace the mainboard part of the old Lock with a new PCB board.

3. Does your hotel Lock supplier provide comprehensive software operation instructions?

Hotel system management software’s operation is essential to the hotel lock system, especially when processing your hotel door lock replacement work.

Using the management software to conduct a series of hotel room management operations, such as setting each Lock to the corresponding door and issuing related room cards to hotel customers. Set the usage time of the room and so on.

The comprehensive software operating instructions will help you configure the entire system correctly and quickly and then serve your hotel as soon as possible and better.

You can look at ShineACS Hotel Lock System Software Operation Instructions for reference.

Consider the improvement function of hotel lock systems.

Many hotels only use simple hotel door lock systems, which are only used on hotel room doors. So, When you are ready to replace door locks for your hotel, please also consider more hotel lock system functions.

For example, do you need the hotel key card energy-saving switches and elevator control system?

Imagine a scenario:

• You want your hotel guests to use the room card to use the hotel elevator and enter the corresponding floor after getting the room card.
• The hotel guests must use this room card to open the door.
• The hotel guests must use this room to supply power to the guest room.
• The hotel guests must take out this room card to ensure safety when they power off the room.
• The hotel guests must use this room card to enter activities such as gyms, restaurants, and bars.

When you replace door locks for your hotels, the hotel lock system’s improvement functions will effectively provide the hotel with a safer, more assured, and more convenient environment.

Hotel key card energy-saving switches and elevator control systems are your best choice to achieve these functions.

1, Key Card Hotel Energy Saving Switch

The hotel energy-saving switches adopt a Mifare or Temic card to take power. It is designed for star hotels, motels, budget hotels, apartments, and office buildings.

The power hotel energy-saving switch is installed on the doorway’s sidewall in the hotel guest room.

When the hotel guests check in, the guest inserts the room card (door opening card) into the hotel card switch, and the total power in the room is turned on. Remove the room card; the room power will be powered off after 8-15 seconds, saving hotel energy.

For more information about the hotel key card energy-saving switch, please visit this article: What is Key Card Hotel Energy Saving Switch, and how does it save hotel power?

2. Hotel Elevator Control Systems

The intelligent hotel elevator access control system is specially developed to match the hotel’s electronic lock system and is used for floor button control of hotel elevators. You can use the Mifare room card issued by the hotel door lock management software.

After the guest gets the room card, they can only use the room card to swipe the elevator to use the elevator and select the corresponding floor.

To a certain extent, it reduces the entry of irrelevant personnel and brings a quiet and safe environment to the guest room area. The hotel elevator requires a credit card, giving guests a sense of security.

More and more hotels are also taking such measures.

For more information about the hotel elevator control system, check this article: What is an Elevator access control system for hotel security?

What Types of Electronic Door Locks are for Hotel Door Lock Replacement?

When you want to replace the door lock for your hotel, another essential consideration for replacing the door lock is the Types of Electronic Door Locks you will need.

Currently, three main hotel locks are commonly used: the Temic hotel lock system, the Mifare hotel lock system, and the Bluetooth Smart hotel lock. So, which kind of hotel lock system is more appropriate?

• Mifare hotel lock: use a Mifare card to control the Lock. The frequency is 13.56Mhz
• Temic hotel lock: a lock that uses a Temic card to hold the Lock, with a frequency of 125Khz
• Bluetooth smart lock: a smart lock that uses mobile phone Bluetooth to control the Lock

The main difference between the Mifare hotel lock, Temic hotel lock, and Bluetooth bright door lock

1, MIFARE hotel lock, MIFARE card locks for hotel rooms, is currently the world’s most used. It has the most mature technology, stable performance, and significant memory capacity of an inductive smart IC card.

MIFARE cards can be used as a room card to open the door lock of a hotel room and use the same MIFARE card on the access control system of other areas of the hotel.

For example, suppose your hotel has elevators. In that case, energy-saving switches, restaurants, bars, gyms, and other areas are equipped with access control equipment. You can use this MIFARE room card to enter and consume. 

2, Temic hotel lock can only be used as a hotel room card (there are also Temic power switches and ladder control. Others are more difficult to get).

For hotel applications, 13.56MHz RFID technology will improve security, reliability, and scalability.

3, Bluetooth smart lock: Because it can perform related operations on the Lock remotely through a mobile app via Bluetooth, it is especially suitable for apartments and AIRBNB rooms.

Therefore, after the above comparison, I hope that when you are ready to replace the door lock for your hotel, please consider what kind of hotel lock system your hotel needs and then choose.

The Cost To Replace Door Locks for Hotel Doors:

As the most important thing to consider is indoor lock replacement, hotel owners will assume the cost of replacing door locks. When preparing hotel door lock replacement work, it is better to know the various costs of replacing door locks for your hotels.

It will help you better budget the hotel door lock replacement work so that the hotel lock system products can be selected according to the budget.

We will carefully discuss the cost of replacing door locks for your hotel. The paramount price to replace door locks includes the following:

• Hotel door lock cost.
• Hotel management software cost to replace door locks
• Hotel key card cost to replace door locks
• Shipping cost.
• Hotel door lock installation cost.

1. Hotel lock cost

You will have to buy new hotel locks and other hotel lock system products when you are ready to replace the door lock for your hotel. The price of the hotel lock is affected by function, material, brand, etc.

• For example, hotel locks with MIFARE cards are more expensive than TEMIC ones.
• The 304 hotel lock is more expensive than ordinary stainless steel or aluminum alloy.
• The international hotel locks of notable brands are much more expensive than some standard ones.
• The price of standard ordinary RFID hotel locks is between 25-45, and the cost of some large brands may reach between 60-150 US dollars.

2. Hotel management software cost

When you are ready to replace the door lock for your hotel, please ensure that the supplier provides the corresponding hotel lock system management software and registration code.

Standard hotel management software price: Most hotel lock system manufacturers will provide corresponding free management software.

Different suppliers may charge a specific cost for the software. Of course, whether the software provided is necessary for hotel lock management software or Integrated hotel management software with Hotel PMS function.

Would you please consult with the provider before purchasing the specific cost?

Customized hotel management software cost: Sometimes, you may want a customized one with your hotel information and contact information.

At this time, a particular software development cost is required. The price will be determined according to the different functions and customized information.

Hotel registration software cost: When using the hotel lock system software, you must usually enter the corresponding registration code to use it.

Before purchasing the hotel lock system, you must ask whether the supplier provides a free registration code. Is it an annual fee or another method of assessing if the price is charged?

ShineACS Locks will provide free hotel lock system management software with a permanent registration code. If you need it, please get in touch with us.

3. Hotel key card cost

When you want to replace your hotel door locks, you may want to choose more personalized customized services, such as a personalized hotel room card.

Standard white hotel key card cost: Generally, a white hotel key card’s price is 0.8$-2$ per piece.

Customized hotel key card cost: Most hotels expect guests to use the room card with hotel information. The hotel’s room card needs to be a customized printing service.

This service can be carried out at the corresponding hotel lock provider, and the customization hotel key card cost is approximately 100$ for each bulk purchase.

4. Import shipping costs from China

When you are ready to replace door locks for your hotel, please consider the shipping cost of imported hotel locks.

Because the hotel lock’s weight is about 2.5-3.5KG, which will vary due to different materials and sizes, the overall weight will be huge when the quantity of hotel locks is large enough. The corresponding import shipping costs will increase a lot.

And different shipping methods have a direct impact on shipping costs. Especially during the pandemic, the reduction of international cargo flights has increased transportation costs.

Therefore, we suggest you choose a reasonable Mode of transportation according to the country where you import hotel locks, the quantity you purchase, and the time required for your project. The following is a comparison of the three modes of transportation:

• Express shipping: the fastest time, usually 5-10 days. The cost is the highest, at about 6-10$ per kilogram.
• Airfreight shipping: The time is relatively fast, usually 7-15 days, and the cost is relatively high.
• Sea Shipping is the slowest time, generally 25-40 days, with the lowest cost.

For example, if you can buy hotel locks with no more than ten sets, it is recommended to use express transportation, such as TNT, DHL, FEDEX, etc.

When the quantity purchased is 50-100 units, consider air freight.

When there are more than 100 units, the weight will be huge at this time. It is recommended to use the shipping method.

5. Hotel door lock installation cost

We do not recommend hotels carry out door lock replacement and installation work alone.

Although the hotel lock suppliers generally provide installation manuals or videos, lock and door measuring, opening, assembling, and debugging for an inexperienced person is difficult.

It is still a relatively complicated task. Therefore, we suggest you directly find an installer who provides local hotel door lock installation services or a hotel lock supplier who can offer installation services locally.

The hotel door lock installation cost is about 60-100$ per hotel lock.

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