How Hoteliers Can Get to Secure Mobile Key Understand what lies beyond the Tip of the Mobile Access Iceberg

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Clementine Benson
6 years ago
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1 Hw Hteliers Can Get t Secure Mbile Key Understand what lies beynd the Tip f the Mbile Access Iceberg

2 Executive summary Mbile access is currently the mst debated tpic in htel cmpany crprate bard rms. And n wnder. At ne hspitality tech cnference in 2014, Mbile Mayhem was the title f the mbile access panel. Majr chains already use mbile apps t drive lyalty prgrams and prmte amenities and services. Smaller prperties will sn be able t fllw suit. And remte check-in/check-ut via smartphne is ne f the mst frequently used guest services n htel mbile apps. In a September 2014 annuncement, even Apple claimed that its new Apple Watch culd act as a digital key t pen a smart lck. With all the publicity, hteliers are led t believe that all their guests need is a mbile phne r wristband t d everything frm unlcking guestrm drs t rdering ccktails by the pl. This kind f thinking mits 2 imprtant cnsideratins: There must be security between the key and the lck, and security between the netwrk and the key. This requires that a well-designed secure infrastructure be in place. Is Yur Prperty Ready fr Mbile Access Dr Lck Systems? Shuld yur prperty r htel cmpany cmmit t a mbile access strategy nw, befre frnt desks and dedicated rm keys are declared bslete? "I'm nt sure," may be a htelier's best answer. This white paper prvides a three-step prcess t help hteliers evaluate if secure mbile guest access is right fr their peratin: What Hteliers Need t Knw abut Secure Mbile Access: An Emerging Technlgy Vendr enthusiasm and guest expectatins are driving rapid develpment f secure mbile access. Tday it is an emerging technlgy that will certainly be widely installed in the next several years. Fr peratrs t make an infrmed business decisin abut mbile access, they need t understand that a viable mbile delivery slutin invlves several cmplex prcesses befre a guest pens their dr with a smartphne. Hteliers need t knw the right questins t ask. As a start, a secure mbile access system must: Cmmunicate with guests' smartphnes almst anywhere n the planet, Integrate smthly with a htel s prperty management and lyalty systems and enhance peratins, Deliver a secure mbile key credential via the internet t a specific mbile device, Be cnvenient, reliable and secure fr bth hteliers and guests, Prvide guests with a seamless experience during check-in/check-ut and thrughut their stay. Kaba Beynd security Kaba (SIX Swiss Exchange: KABN) prvides the Saflk and ILCO electrnic lcking slutins. Kaba is a leading, glbally active, prvider f high quality access management slutins, htel access systems, enterprise data and time recrding systems. Kaba has set trends in security

3 and beynd fr 150 years and fcuses n functinality, cnvenience and design, and delivering ptimum value t clients. Here is Kaba s three-step prcess t help hteliers assess their wn readiness fr secure mbile dr lcking systems: 1: Answer tw gateway questins that signal a prperty s mbile access readiness. 2: Identify yur cmpany s reasn fr wanting t adpt mbile access. 3: Understand the implementatin prcess fr a secure mbile strategy. Step 1: Tw questins that signal mbile access readiness. Yur answers will establish a baseline readiness fr secure mbile access. A) Is yur prperty equipped with RFID (radi frequency identificatin) dr lcks? RFID lcks are required n guestrm drs fr a simplified transitin t mbile access technlgy. The RFID lcks frm Kaba may be easily cnverted t Bluetth Lw Energy (BLE) mbile access use. If yu have nt yet installed RFID lcks, the retrfit upgrade cst shuld be factred int yur mbile access decisin. Wuld yu like t learn mre abut RFID lcks? Please click here [ t dwnlad a Kaba white paper n, Hw RFID Dr Lcks Deliver Guest Satisfactin and Efficiency t Htel Operatrs. Bluetth Lw Energy is a preferred cmmunicatin technlgy fr mbile-ready RFID dr lcks. If yur RFID lcks have Near Field Cmmunicatin (NFC) technlgy, find ut if yur access cntrl vendr has a defined upgrade strategy t deliver Bluetth Lw Energy. Again, factr any upgrade csts int yur mbile decisin. B) Is there demand frm yur guests fr secure mbile access; will mbile add value? Media cverage and advertising suggests that mst guests feel psitively abut mbile access. Mbile check-in/check-ut and secure mbile rm keys reprtedly tp the wish list f experienced business travelers. If that describes a significant segment f yur business mix, yu may be ready t further evaluate ging mbile. If yu perate limited-service prperties with budget-cnscius guests, hwever, yur cstbenefit scale may nt yet tip tward mbile. Nt all guests are tech-savvy travelers. Fr these guests, mbile access may be seen as adding unnecessary difficulty t a familiar prcess. Fr them, it may be less desirable than keycard use. Deluxe destinatin prperties culd als cnsider if their guests value the persnalized service f a staff member wh greets them in the lbby r prte-cchère with a dr key and escrts them t their rms. If this is the case, RFID lcks can enhance the guest experience, while prviding a platfrm fr future technlgy expansin.

4 Step 2: Identify yur mtivatin fr ging mbile. Tw main drivers currently influence hteliers' decisin t adpt secure mbile access dr lcking systems; evaluate if these drivers are apprpriate fr yur peratin: Marketing benefits: Mbile access will likely create a perceptin that yur prperty is an innvative technlgy leader. Hw imprtant is this t yur prperty s market psitin? Mbile access may cntribute t a strnger branded lyalty prgram by requiring direct relatinship with a chain r prperty fr rm access. Fr guests t utilize mbile access, they must first dwnlad the chain r prperty app. This includes mbile access functinality with lyalty prgrams, and amenity marketing infrmatin. Chain apps enable guests t bk directly and bypass nline travel agencies. Is it likely yur guests will want t take the time t use their handheld t evaluate the prperty s fferings prir t pening their dr? If yur guests dwnlad a htel app t use the mbile key, they will als be mre likely t explre ther revenue generating functins. These include prperty prmtins fr dining, spa and ther activities. Is this an advantage fr yur prperty? Pssible peratinal benefits: Lighter frnt desk check-in lad with faster check-in. Reduced frnt desk labr csts. Imprved peratinal efficiencies and a better guest experience. Step 3: Beynd the Tip f the Iceberg: Evaluate the implementatin prcess fr a secure mbile strategy. Steps 1 and 2 are the tip f the iceberg when it cmes t mbile implementatin. The technlgy invlved and peratinal steps required fr a successful, secure rllut lie beneath the surface. Addressing these steps is essential fr an infrmed, smthly executed mbile access implementatin prcess. The fllwing checklist identifies 6 initial elements f a mbile access decisin prcess strategy: 1. Open a dialgue with yur prperty management system (PMS) vendr t evaluate the criteria needed t develp a fully-functinal mbile key interface. This interface and key assignment prcess may require pre-arrival rm blcking based n guest lyalty prgram preferences. Will yur PMS accmmdate these requirements? 2. Develp a prcess with yur PMS vendr that addresses yur cmpany s plicies t manage and message virtual check-ins n day f arrival. Fr example, yu must nw deliver a key t a guest wh cnducts remte check-in frm a taxi en rute frm the airprt. If yur prperty is in an versld cnditin, hw will yur system handle rm assignments flexibly fr a cnfirmed guest when the arrival time is uncertain? 3. Verify that yur lyalty prgram is able t interact with guests wh bk rms and check-in/check-ut via the secure mbile access functin n yur htel app. 4. Analyze the impact f secure mbile access n yur ther systems, such as yur central reservatin system. An inflexible infrmatin technlgy infrastructure and perating

5 prcedures may require significant prgram changes t accmmdate secure mbile access. 5. Evaluate app develpment. Examine the ease-f-use and security features f the mbile access app. Hw well will it integrate with yur current htel app? Verify the upgrade path t add mbile access dr lck systems. 6. Address nn-technlgy issues such as: Marketing cmmunicatin - Yur guests need t learn that yu ffer mbile access, and understand hw t use the system. Security prcedures - Hw will yu verify that the mbile phne user standing befre yu is really yur guest? Legal issues Which entity is respnsible fr mbile access security? The mbile credential delivery prvider; the guest whse handheld device is utside the prperty s cntrl, r the prperty, itself? Hw will yu prvide cnfidentiality fr credit card numbers and ther persnal infrmatin prvided ver a mbile netwrk? Hw will yu issue additinal keys fr nn-mbile-using guests r children? Kaba is here t help yu answer these questins. T set up a mbile readiness assessment, please cntact Kaba s hspitality mbile access prfessinals at infldging@kaba.cm. Finally: Delivering security is essential The primary respnsibility fr a prperty peratr is guest security. Kaba leads the industry in develping and implementing ttal-enterprise security fr guest drs, public spaces, and physical access in BLE, RFID and ther platfrms. Existing magnetic and RFID keycard systems are cntrlled by the prperty. Hwever, mbile keys, by design, are delivered ver pen netwrks t third party mbile devices. Key credential delivery is cmmunicated via a mbile carrier t a smartphne wned by yur guest. If yu decide t g mbile, wrk with a vendr that will ensure end-t-end security. Kaba s IDCnnect mbile key management and delivery system assures secure deplyment f the mbile key. The fllwing prcesses must be secure: Delivery f key t guest's smartphne ver a secure credential prvider. Encrypted strage f key n guest's smartphne. Secure, encrypted key credential cmmunicatin frm guest's smartphne t dr lck. Kaba leads the industry in develping and implementing ttal-enterprise security fr guest drs, public spaces, and physical access in BLE, RFID and ther platfrms. Cnclusin Kaba s clud-based mbile access system merges security and cnvenience t enhance the htel s lck system investment and guest security. Kaba is an innvatr in NFC, BLE and ther technlgies that enable the issue and management f secure mbile credentials fr htels. Kaba s latest RFID dr lcks are mbile-access cmpatible t give peratrs a flexible chice f guest entry ptins. Kaba lcks utilize a clud-based mbile access system and a BLE (Bluetth Lw Energy) t deliver a seamless guest experience.

6 We're Ging Mbile! And Taking Yu with Us. Kaba prvides the Saflk and ILCO brands f electrnic lcks. Click here fr infrmatin n Kaba electrnic lcks. Fr mre infrmatin n secure mbile access slutins, please cntact Kaba at (800) r infldging@kaba.cm.

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Consider your network. Before setting your project s fundraising goal, you need to consider your team s networks size and giving potential. PROJECT TOOLKIT Thughtful preparatin is key t yur prject s verall success. The pre-launch phase begins fur t six weeks befre yur prject s launch date and is fcused n utreach strategies and explring netwrks