The history of hotel card locks


Hotel card lock is a door lock opened by using a card instead of using a key.

Why hotel card lock?

Traditional door lock uses key to open but hotel card lock not.
It is because only one reason-the key card lock are prepared for hotels.

The key card door lock was designed especially for hotels which exists many different people and most of them just staying for a couple of days.

The normal door lock’s key is easy to duplicated and not safe for hotel room guests.

Normal door lockHotel card lock
Open doorkeycard
Duplicate keyeasyhard
Solution when lost keyChange the lock or change the cylinder(lock smith)No need change lock, just replace a new card

Mechanical and Electronical hotel card locks

In the history of key card door locks, there was one pure mechanical key card door lock as following photo.

mechanical key card lock
mechanical key card door lock

This lock appeared in the end of 20 century.It does not require put in batteries and still be used in many older and small lodge and inn.
However it has gradually withdrawn from the historical stage due to the mechanical key card door lock flaws.

In the 21 century the electronical key card door locks becomes popular.
Today, they fall into two camps- The magstripe key card type and RFID key card type.

Magstripe and RFID hotel card locks

Actually the magstripe key card locks (mag locks) are much more earlier than RFID.
This is because the development of magnetic card technology earlier than RFID technology.
The bank card and credit card are the earliest items which use the magnetic card tech earliest.

MIWA true picture

RFID key card door locks was invented during about 2002-2005.
This is just the time that RFID technology was born.

RFID Wins in worldwide

hotel key card functions

On a global scale the RFID key card door locks are slightly more popular than magstripe key card door locks.
For the new constructed hotels they prefer RFID type more.

This is not because of the inventor but because of the market needs.
Modern hotels are not satisfied with key card that just being a little more convenient than the traditional keys.They want more on the key cards.

For instance, they want longer life key cards.
They like one key card can do more things such as record more data likes the drinks, the breakfast and even parking etc.
All these rich functions requires a big capacity to store in key card.

Magstripe cardRFID card
Open doorInsert and slideNo contact
Magnetized by mobile phoneEasy


Multi useNot supportsupport
costVery cheapA third more expensive

Magstripe key card door lock is facing stagnation.

The only advantage of magnetic key card door lock now is the cheap prices card.
But most hotel choose magstripe key card door locks ignore the maintenance cost of the magnetic card locks.
The card slot should be keep clean and easy damaged.|

The world’s biggest magstripe key card users are the hotels in United States.
The reason of using magstripe key card of these hotels may just because they are established many years ago and there was only magstripe card and locks then.

And what’s more important is that in the near 10 years there is no fresh happens to this type key card door locks.


RFID key card door locks is still evolving.

In the second decade of the 21st century,new fashion hotels are trying provide more and more services and hardware facilities.
These new hotels mostly opened in Asia,europe and africa.
New fashion hotels not only provide new feeling guest rooms, but also more facilities.
And it become bigger size than old hotels.It includes more access controls in various area of hotels, more service to let customer pay.

All of these is for making money and prompting for quality of service.Hotel is not a place of sleeping anymore.

new fashion hotels

In this fashion, the new hotels prefer choose and use multi-function key cards.

one card in hotel

Take KAHN system as an example, KAHN System provide not only door lock, but also various functions such as elevator access control, common doors control.

KAHN hotel card lock provide rich system functions
KAHN hotel card lock provide rich system functions






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