SALTO XS4 access control solution deployed at Hard Rock Hotel Penang

(04/09/2009)

Located at the famous Batu Ferringhi in Penang, the Hard Rock Hotel Penang is managed by Singapore based HPL Hotels & Resorts, a hospitality management company that also operates Hard Rock Hotels in Bali and Pattaya.

Hard Rock Hotel Penang boasts 250 chic rooms and suites with unprecedented views of the hill and sea. All rooms are fully equipped with DVD/CD players, a 32 inch LCD TV, iPod Docking station, Wi-Fi connectivity, IDD telephones and in-rooms safes. The hotel features five food & beverage outlets, including the famous Hard Rock Cafe, and a wide selection of leisure facilities including a 26,000 sq ft free-form swimming pool – the largest swimming pool in Penang.

SALTO Systems have been awarded the contract to provide access control for the new Hard Rock Hotel Penang, the latest luxury hotel in SE Asia. The installation will be carried out by local SALTO business partner Deltaprise, who will supply a fully integrated access control solution to the hotel, which opens for business on 19 September.

SALTO’s XS4 (hotel solution) will be installed at the hotel. The XS4 access control solution was developed with the needs of hotels in mind and features a range of hospitality-specific applications including the ability to remotely re-assign/transfer rooms, monitor on-duty personnel, track facility maintenance tasks, manage back of the house doors using the same system and eliminate signing master keys in and out enabling staff to take their keys home if required.

The Hard Rock Hotel installation, SALTO’s first for the global chain, will utilize 254 XS4 electronic locks fitted to all the guest rooms and suites as well as to a number of sundry rooms, 3 XS4 offline wall readers that will serve as access controls for glass doors and 3 XS4 offline wall readers for lift control.

The XS4 range needs no hard wiring and provides a totally wire free networked electronic locking solution with a great range of features. It incorporates distributed intelligence in both the lock and in the key. Locks are networked to the computer via the hotel’s own front desk Opera management software, yet they need no wiring or WIFI infrastructure.

The communication link is the intelligent key, it opens individual rooms and acts as a 2-way data transporter giving the hotel full control at all times while the key cards automatically store and convey information back and forth between locks and the controlling PC.

"We are delighted to be awarded this contract to install our access control solution for one of the world’s most exciting brands" said David Rees, Asia Pacific Regional Manager for SALTO Systems SL.

“Hotel installations are normally based on flexible time limited access which means that guests usually stay for short periods of time after which their access authorisation is automatically withdrawn from the room lock and any further changes of the system require intervention at the lock with a “management card”. With SALTO and the XS4 solution, this is controlled via our SALTO Virtual Network (SVN) utilising distributed intelligence in both the lock and the key card.

SVN will allow the Hard Rock Hotel to read, receive and write information from/to smart cards and revolutionises the traditional problems associated with ‘key’ control by eliminating the need to replace locks if security is breached due to the loss or theft of a key card. And, in addition, SVN’s built-in audit trail facility can also be used as a management tool if required to check easily check who accessed a room and when” Rees continues.

Thomas Blachere, Director of Operations for Hard Rock Hotel Penang, says “We chose SALTO for its system reliability and sleek looks. As an established fully integrated hospitality access control solution, it will allow us to run the hotel smoothly and securely, both in terms of cost and efficiency".

Related topics:  Building access control system   Door entry systems and locks 

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