You are the owner of a furnished apartment in short term rental and you are wondering about connected locks? Tired of waiting for late travelers? To adapt to those in advance? To run to be everywhere at the same time without ever being? What if the smart lock was the solution?
An everyday object, the physical key remains an essential tool for accessing a home, a trunk, or a car. An object at the center of our busy lives. That we lose, that we seek, that we are stolen. Hence the idea of reinventing it. And for that, what better than the connected object?
The owner of a short-term rental or the concierge who manages several lots will sooner or later end up wondering about the processes put in place to manage the arrival of the traveler. Since work/life balance has become a fundamental value: how long can it take to run in all directions?
If you realize right now that you will have neither the time nor the energy to take care of your short-term rental property, OIQIA offers you to manage it from A to Z, for you.
From the writing of your announcement to the autonomous entry of your guests to cleaning your home, we take care of everything!
To find out more or to contact us simply click here: I discover OIQIA
Many players in the short-term rental industry claim it: “travelers will be welcomed in person upon arrival.” A nice promise that finds its limits over time. Certainly, this point of contact can be a pleasure (happiness to discover your traveller, to discuss, to show an accommodation that you are proud of). But also a source of stress (when the traveller is late, early, picky, etc.)
You give your best but don't get a 5-star review in return. This is frustrating because recognition is important to you. And for the attractiveness of your home on rental platforms. Then, the weariness, the feeling of being fed up with the behavior of some travelers altered your excitement to welcome them in person.
On the other hand, you are also a person in action, you will run everywhere to respect your rigorous organization to the letter. But that's it. At the beginning, it was fun but the more the lots in management increase the more work you have. The less you can bear the grains of sand that shake everything up. And you are wondering about the profitability of all these trips with what this generates. Fuel costs, parking problems, fines, vehicle wear and tear, etc.
And if the smart lock was the solution to your problems?
One smart lock is placed in place of and above your usual canon. In other words, you are going to dismantle your current lock. Many tutorials exist to help you in this process.. Then, you will install the smart lock chosen. The instructions for use are mostly quite simple and clear. But do not hesitate to read the reviews before making your selection.
One smart lock is presented in a kit with, depending on the brand, the screws, tools, tools, lock, accessories and necessary consumables (batteries, keybord, emergency key, etc.). It has the same purpose as the mechanical lock (lock/unlock a door). But it also offers the possibility of sharing access with family, guests, travelers. Temporary service providers such as a cleaning lady. And all this without having to travel.
Access is provided in several ways, depending on the brand of the lock. It is necessary to download an application for remote installation and/or management. The modalities are the fingerprint, the digital code, the connected card, the connected card, the emergency keys, etc. By Bluetooth and/or by Wifi (the short-term rental manager needs both). Finally, manufacturers offer numerous options for accessing housing.
In addition to owners, concierge services or other short-term rental property managers may have an interest in implementing this type of lock. And offer autonomous access for the traveller. In fact, except for the key boxes, which are not very secure and whose installation sometimes seems amateurish, only the connected locks propose the automation of the arrival of the traveller.
Oiqia, the digital concierge, has broken down all the tasks necessary for a short-term rental manager to carry out its mission successfully. And the question arises: from how many assets does it become impossible to manage everything yourself? What is the advantage of accumulating the physical keys of numerous lots in view of the risk that this represents (losses, thefts)? How to quantify the time lost to run after each traveller arrives? And how to take into account the vagaries of appointments (delays in particular)? Finally, how can you make a short-term rental manager profitable and grow without multiplying costs?
At Oiqia, one thing is certain: The autonomous arrival of the traveller is fundamental for the reasons mentioned above. On the day of arrival, he will be guided via the Oiqia application on smartphone to the accommodation. He thus benefits from a personalized welcome, thanks also to the welcome booklet and the Qboy virtual assistant available 24/7. Oiqia has chosen a smart lock reliable and suitable for short-term rentals that allows remote control and the sending of a temporary code to the traveller.
Of course, if there is a problem, the traveller can contact Camille and her customer service team. Quality of service is Oiqia's priority. As for profitability, it is crucial. As well as traveller satisfaction, which is essential in a service profession. Undoubtedly, the smart lock is a tool that facilitates the management of short-term rentals. It allows remote access control via the Internet. Allows you to multiply passenger arrivals in the same period of time. And saves travel expenses, parking, hiring in case of organizational problems.
Remember that a dissatisfied traveller will always be more expressive than a satisfied traveller. However, its objective is the following: to access rented accommodation without hindrance. The Oiqia model emphasizes the importance of reconciling the profitability of the activity and the increase in the degree of traveller satisfaction. No one has the ambition to work at a loss. And the smart lock is a suitable tool to achieve this objective.
Let's get to the heart of the matter: what could be our obstacles: the failure? computer piracy? What if my home was squatted? robbed? remained ajar or open to all wind? Let's take a closer look: a lock mechanical or Connected may encounter a problem at any time. But the manufacturer has also thought about it and brings you certain solutions.
A key that breaks in the lock is a real problem. Impossible to close the door (maybe even open it) and in the case of short-term rentals, for access to the fast traveller, it will be necessary to urgently call a locksmith. Likewise, a traveller who does not return the key will force you to change the entire lock to avoid any problem of intrusion. So a mechanical lock is not exempt from all risks in short-term rentals.
In the case of the connected lock, we know that the failure will be twofold. Or it will come from consumables (dead battery, battery to be changed). Or the failure will be electronic (access to Bluetooth or Wifi, telephone failure, application crashing).
Does that mean you'll stay locked out? Let's look at several scenarios. Faulty consumable? It doesn't happen suddenly. Les connected locks have alarms that indicate that you need to react. If the phone breaks down, in fact, the guest will have to find a way to be able to contact the host or their concierge in order to access the accommodation. With an adequate connected lock, he will be able to access it by other means, managed remotely. The same goes for broken Bluetooth and WiFi problems: an emergency solution is often anticipated by the manufacturer. Hence the interest, again, of selecting the right one smart lock
Whether it's a smart lock or mechanical, a traveller who leaves without locking the door will take you by surprise. On the other hand, with a connected lock, it is possible to be alerted and therefore to be able to react quickly. On the other hand, with a mechanical lock, only the human presence will be able to verify the opening of the door.
In the case of computer piracy, it is obvious that blockbusters have largely exploited the vein and developed our imagination. But in reality, this is still complicated to implement. In fact, the manufacturer of smart lock anticipated this problem and is working on security issues. If mechanical locks have standards to demonstrate their level of security (A2P or VdS), the same is true for connected locks. Some offer high levels of security, especially in terms of the encryption of the data exchanged. It is therefore important to be well informed beforehand. And to update the application regularly. Download our comparison of connected locks to save time in your search.
Whether in the case of a connected or mechanical lock, a home targeted by a burglar will be the subject of particular attention. The advantage of a connected lock is, without a doubt, the triggering of an alarm or the reporting of an intrusion without authorization (depending on the brand). But let's be clear, risk 0 does not exist and it will not be due to the lock in particular.
In conclusion, the smart lock is a tool particularly suited to short-term rentals in terms of saving time, money and, de facto, profitability. To summarize, the advantages are locking, remote unlocking via the Internet, sharing temporary access keys with travelers and easy assembly without drilling (for novices). On the other hand, the disadvantages are the monitoring of consumables, the necessary upstream organization in the event of a failure and the purchase cost. That said, the OIQIA system has shown that it is essential to achieve its profitability objective. A short-term rental manager who wants to ensure its growth will not be able to do without connected tools in order to further control its costs.
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