Pioneer celebrates anniversary and delivers innovations for the hotel industry for decades

40 years of innovative locks for the Dutch market

VingCard has been present in the Dutch market since 1982. Jeroen Coesmans, Managing Director of Assa Abloy Global Solutions Benelux tells the story of a global market leader who continues to pioneer and innovate. 

That technology and emotion go hand in hand is demonstrated by the story of Norwegian locksmith Tor Sørnes. Jeroen Coesmans: "In 1974, he heard that his favourite opera singer had been harassed in her hotel room. This inspired him to invent a better locking system. This was the first recodable key card door lock, VingCard, hailed by National Geographic as one of the seven brilliant inventions that changed travel forever."

At the same time, Bjørn Lyng built the world's first electronic safe, Elsafe. These products came together in 1994 under the ASSA ABLOY banner in one company, VingCard Elsafe. 

The Netherlands was one of the first importers of VingCard Elsafe, now known as ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions. "Because of our long history, we have a wide customer base, with many famous hotels, such as The Grand, The Dylan, Okura, Krasnapolsky and Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin. Many local chains like Van der Valk, WestCord and Bastion have been using our products for many years." There are hotels that still use the first VingCard locks with punch card now more than 35 years old on a daily basis, a sign of quality, but ASSA ABLOY remains at the forefront of innovations.

Pioneering through the years

"In 2006, the first Wireless Zigbee lock came on the market, which can be remotely controlled and read out. Since 2012, it has been possible to incorporate the electronics and batteries entirely into the door, through the VingCard Essence. This was joined in 2014 by VingCard Allure, which combines RFID lock technology with electronic information panels. That year, we also introduced Mobile Access, which makes it possible to open a hotel room using a mobile phone as a key."

This development took off around the corona crisis, says Coesmans. "This has to do with the hygiene aspect: guests do not have to queue for a keycard. In addition, the front desk is also relieved. Check-in is possible at any time, without the front desk having to be manned. With the key on a phone, the guest can also operate or open other items, such as the hotel door or the lift, if necessary. Global hotel chains like Marriot and Hilton were the first to start doing this, but more and more Dutch chains and boutique hotels are also using digital keys. In 2021, we launched digital Wallet keys. For those who still want to make a keycard, we have increasingly sustainable solutions, such as variants made of recycled plastic, bamboo or pressed paper."

The cloud-based software Vostio, which ASSA ABLOY has offered since 2018, has also been increasingly used since the pandemic. "This software makes it possible to monitor hotels remotely. An on-site server is no longer necessary and it is possible to monitor several hotels remotely at the same time. Extra beneficial in times of staff shortages. For example, staff or guest cards can be created remotely."

When using contactless digital keys, security obviously plays a big role. "There are hooks and eyes to this. Thanks to 40 years of experience, we know how to set up this process safely. This is why well-known chains work with us. We offer an encrypted key, which is integrated into the hotel's app. Using ordinary keycards remains possible. The choice is up to the guest." 

The most recent innovation is VingCard Novel. "In this, all the technology is concealed in the door handle. No reader is visible anymore, everything is in the door handle. We are now installing this solution at the first locations. We don't just want to improve, but really innovate. Here, too, sustainability is important to us. There is a Novel variant that can optionally be charged wirelessly, making batteries unnecessary."