California Vacation Villas Enhances Safety and Convenience with Electronic Locks
California Vacation Villas (CVV) is a full-service leasing and property management company that specializes in short-term vacation rentals. It manages a 70-unit inventory in Southern California’s beach and low desert resort areas. The company strives to provide a safe enjoyable experience to its guests as it maximizes revenue and asset protection for property owners. CVV prides itself on the use of the latest vacation rental technology to deliver a high quality stay and an efficient operation.
The Challenge
CVV’s President Quinn Tamm follows industry trends closely. He knew that operators who use metal keys in lock boxes for guest and vendor access had concerns about lost keys and unauthorized duplication. He became interested in the growing ‘connected home’ technology movement and its benefits for temperature control, security monitoring, and overall guest convenience. Tamm wanted to work with his owners to implement a technology solution that would make its units more secure with flexible, convenient guest access, and guarantee a long-lasting product life. He also wanted to install networked energy management controls that would monitor and reduce unnecessary power use. Further, the company’s desert properties are subject to high temperatures. Therefore, these units often have high utility costs from frequent air conditioner use. CVV’s beach properties are exposed to salt air and beachfront weather conditions which may lead to corrosion.
The Solution
After careful consideration, Tamm decided to implement Oracode 480i and 660i keyless entry locks, Oracode Smart Controllers and BeHome247 Enterprise Property Control integration.
Cost Savings
After doing so, California Vacation Villas attained immediate benefits. CVV now provides more secure, flexible unit access with reduced labor costs thanks to more efficient staff management. When the 480i locks are wirelessly connected to the Oracode Smart Controller, managers can monitor real-time unit access remotely.
Additionally, the Smart Controller permits CVV management to control thermostats, lights and pool/spa settings. This enables optimization of each unit’s temperature year-round, which saves owners hundreds of dollars each month. CVV managers control unit thermostat temperatures within a specific configurable range when a unit is occupied. Guests can set their temperature within a range CVV designates. CVV also programmed a cooling setback temperature when the room is unoccupied in the summer.
Security Via Time-Sensitive Codes
Plus, Oracode gives property managers the ability to provide a unique time-and date-sensitive code to each guest, vendor, housekeeper, and owner. Owners or property managers may grant remote access from any web browser or mobile device to guests or vendors for greater control and flexibility. For example, property managers can create a code for guests that only works during their stay; they can also monitor when the code is used. Access codes, programming, and entry audit trails are stored in the Oracode lock to keep properties secure.
“Oracode locks let us give guests their own unique code that activates for specific configurable time periods," said Tamm. "This saves us a great deal in labor expenses because we do not have to staff a front desk. We track when guests leave the unit to verify if a late check-out is billable. For safety, only the highest level of management codes are set to override the deadbolt, not the codes we make for vendors and housekeepers. The Oracode lock also notifies us if an invalid code is used to attempt to open a door.”
For added security, the Oracode lock tracks and maintains an audit trail of the last 5,000 lock events including the date and time the lock event occurred. The lock records and identifies each person entering and exiting the doors.
Guests can customize their code once they are in the unit to something easier for them to remember. This makes it more convenient for them to enter with a personal code. CVV also programs emergency codes for guest safety.
Reliable Lock Performance
Tamm said, “The Oracode battery life is excellent. We have had no failures due to battery performance. We have found Oracode quality and battery life to perform much better than other locks, providing greater long-term durability and reliability. They stand up to high desert temperatures and the salt air at our beach units very well.”
The 480i electronic lock easily replaces a standard deadbolt allowing operators to install it using only a Phillips screwdriver. The 660 requires a detailed installation but removes both a deadbolt and door handle which eliminates the chance of failure.
Oracode’s time-sensitive entrance code eliminates keys and saves property management a significant amount of time. The lock sends notifications through the website to property managers and owners informed in real-time of occurring events such as guest first arrival, early checkout or if the Internet is down.