Five Problems You May Experience With Your Hotel Locks
There are all kinds of door locks for hotel rooms. Most of these commercial locks operate with some sort of card key. Some are electronic, while others only require that the key block and release certain tumblers inside the lock. Whatever kind of commercial door locks you have on your hotel doors, you will undoubtedly need a commercial locksmith anytime your doors experience one or more of the following problems.
Door Does Not Recognize Any Card Key
Every hotel door lock has its own keys. Usually, two are provided to guests at check-in, but there is always a spare, and always a "master key" in case the lock refuses to open. Every once in a while, a door lock goes wonky and refuses to recognize any of the keys, including the master key. The cause is often electronic, but only the locksmith can tell for sure.
Door Recognizes Key, but Handle Will Not Turn
A slightly more frustrating issue is when the key cards are recognized, the little signal light goes green, but the door handle will not turn. Inside the lock there may be a wire that is disconnected, or a short circuit that prevents the signal from the lock to the handle. It is a relatively quick fix, but the room will be unavailable for at least a few hours.
Door Handle Turns, but the Door Jams at the Last Second
This issue happens a little less often but is the result of something not meshing right with the door jamb or other components. Recent overuse or abuse of the door by previous guests is the root cause. The door needs to be realigned so that the door lock will release, the handle turns, and the door remains ready to open until it closes again. You can either replace the door and the lock, or try moving the catch a little bit so that everything works again.
Power Outages Lock Guests in Their Rooms
Most commercial door locks work independently of each other. However, there may be some special circumstances where some doors, such as those on the ground floor, receive a surge of energy during a power outage. It causes all of the doors to lock, often with guests still in their rooms. Hopefully, you have an emergency plan and/or backup generators so that guests are not stuck in their rooms for very long, or they do not even notice that they are stuck because the emergency is over in minutes.
Guests End up Electrocuted
Guests can be electrocuted by door locks, but it has to be the "perfect storm" to happen. Still, if this bizarre occurrence takes place, you will need to have the commercial locksmith take great care in opening the door and disabling the lock. There may be other contributing factors, such as wires in the wall that are sparking or crossing currents. In that case, you will also need an electrician on the job to prevent further fatalities and/or injuries.
Commercial Locksmiths Fix All of the Above
Thankfully, commercial locksmiths have the knowledge and skills to fix all of the above. If any of these situations occur, be sure to call the locksmith that handles these issues for you right away. With any luck, he or she can come immediately and solve the issue. You may also request emergency service, which costs extra, but at least the locks will be fixed the same day the problems are discovered. Be sure to describe the problems fully to the locksmith so that he/she comes prepared and does not have to leave the hotel for tools or supplies.
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