Novotel by Accor operates circa 500 hotels around the world with Novotel Christchurch Airport one of the latest sites to open. The 4.5-star hotel features 200 premium rooms, ten suites, ten accessible rooms, hospitality and conference facilities. Designed as an extension of the airport arrival sequence, the design celebrates the land and culture of New Zealand.

'Along with appearance and consistency with all other door hardware, the solution needed to be functional and simple to use for a good guest experience,’ says Warren and Mahoney’s project architect Trevor Boustead. ‘The quality of the locks and handles is key for the hotel to meet their performance and durability benchmarks.

‘They operate similar technology across their sites and an interface with access control and security combined was fundamental in the manager’s brief. Hotel staff can secure bedroom floors, allowing guest and staff access only from the lifts and stairs, while visitors can only reach public areas, such as the lobby and restaurant.’

RFID technology for security, guest satisfaction and hotel reputation

Pre-programmed, digital key cards allow hotel management to control guest and staff access permissions and track room entry and exits for guest and staff security. Importantly, key cards provide a seamless guest hotel experience, as they allow access to not only the suites, but also other key amenities within the hotel, such as gymnasiums and pools.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is the most popular choice by hotels for its ability to improve operational efficiency and security, enhance the guest experience, and provide the hotel with the data its needs to monitor door and card use.

VingCard by ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions is designed uniquely for the hotel industry. The RFID key cards have data encryption built into the card with connected software so, unlike traditional proximity cards, they are fully immune to skimming devices which steal sensitive consumer information and unauthorised card cloning. ‘Locks record the last 3,000 guest entries and 250 staff entries on cards,’ says Mike Levestam of Liverton Technology – New Zealand agents for VingCard. ‘This records all transactions on the lock log, so the hotel can track this information from a security point of view. VingCard comes mobile-enabled, so it can be operated with either a key card or a mobile phone app.’

VingCard also integrates with welcome sensors on guest arrival to open curtains or lights at night. Extensions include room safe access, property management systems and point-of-sale – all designed to enhance guest experience and increase the hotel management’s understanding of guest usage trends.

Lockwood antique bronze-finish handles

Door locks are the quiet performers we rely on for safety and security. And travellers particularly, need confidence their possessions and valuables are safe when they are on the road. Quality, robust door handles, closers and key cards all give important signals to guests about the importance the hotel places on their security.

At Novotel Christchurch Airport, the architects have specified Lockwood Symphony handles. Made of low-friction brass, the furniture features a 53mm solid brass rose with screw fixings concealed on both sides by a threaded rose trim. Selected for their minimalist aesthetic and wide range of finishes – from satin chrome through to brass and polyester powder coat – the interior designers selected antique bronze at Novotel to complement the earthy tones of the interior design.

A complete specification and schedule

ASSA ABLOY has 400 brands worldwide, and New Zealand specifiers can access all of them. This Novotel uses products from three of our divisions:

• ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions for Lockwood Bronze Hardware
• ASSA ABLOY Entrance Systems for Besam double swing units
• ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions for VingCard

Our architectural consultants work with architects and hotel owners to develop complete hardware solutions and specifications according to requirements and budgets. ‘We itemised and priced every component at Novotel for review by the architect and hotel manager,’ says ASSA ABLOY’s architectural consultant Allan de Wagt.

‘The ASSA ABLOY group can supply a total solution, from customer touchpoints to electronics to cloud software. Our clients choose the systems they need according to staff operational needs, guest experience and price point.’

Hospitality hardware solutions can be grown on a modular basis, according to growing user needs. Mobile-enabled, electronic locks allow hotel owners to future-proof their investment by having access to a system that is constantly evolving and developing with multiple integrations, such as in-room safes, mobile access, and IoT location solutions.