The Key Conundrum
- ovationdiversified
- Sep 16, 2018
- 2 min read
Having a short-term vacation rental in the City is full of challenges (finding a great cleaning service used to be one of your problems...until you found us!). When the City itself isn't making your life difficult, the ceiling in your master bedroom cracks...the hot water in the bathroom goes on the fritz in the middle of your guest's shower...your group of girls in the City for a girls' weekend all decide to use the hairdryers at the same time and blow a fuse. Ugh! For all the many, many joys of having an airbnb there are sure a lot of headaches!
One of the perennial challenges is “How do I get the key to my guests?” There are many options out there, including:
Live Key Exchange
Pro’s - minimizes risk of something going wrong, adds a personal touch, guests can ask questions if they have them
Con’s - time consuming (especially is guests’ check-in times change), some guests don’t prefer this method, costly
Traditional Lock Box
Pro’s - easy, inexpensive, convenient, can be placed anywhere, fairly discreet
Con’s - sometimes lock boxes jam, lock boxes can be removed or cut, building management doesn’t always like it
Digital Lock
Pro’s - easy, convenient, guests like it, key codes can be changed frequently for better security
Con’s - expensive, sometimes technology fails, can’t be used with all types of homes (eg high rise buildings don’t always allow these types of locks)
App-based Smart Locks
Pro’s - just about the easiest method out there, convenient, guests like them, great for security
Con’s - expensive, sometimes technology fails, can’t be used with all types of homes (eg high rise buildings don’t always allow these types of locks)
Key Sharing Services like KeyCafe®
Pro’s - easy, relatively inexpensive, guests like it (as long as it’s conveniently located!)
Con’s - sometimes technology fails, locations can be far from your home, a bit pricier than other options
Fake Rock/Under the Doormat/Under the Flower Pot
Pro’s - easy, inexpensive, convenient
Con’s - not very secure, some guests don’t like it, it can easily be moved/removed
Over the years we have tried all of these options. While they all have their merits, I would say our favorites are:
Digital Lock - when you can use one, this is a safe, easy to use, secure option that both guests and hosts like to use
Traditional Lock Box - these are pretty much idiot-proof, fairly secure, convenient, easy to install/move, and pretty much ubiquitous around the City. The hardest part is helping your guests figure out which of the dozen lock boxes on the fence is yours! (spoiler alert: text or email them a pick with it circled)
Services like KeyCafe - if you're lucky enough to have one of these close to your home, these are a great option. Keep in mind, however, that sometimes technology fails and you get that urgent call from your guest saying "The door won't open!" In addition, these can be harder for less tech-savvy guests to navigate
What are your favorites? Any others that we missed? Any lock box horror stories??
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