VingCard Elsafe Installs Invisible Door Locks at Hotel Bristol in Vienna

VingCard Elsafe has installed its new invisible door lock at the 5-star Hotel Bristol in Vienna.

Essence by VingCard is a new concept in hospitality security, taking minimalist design to the extreme by eliminating all lock hardware on the door. Essence encases all electronic components inside the door itself to make the access devices practically invisible to hotel guests.

Hotel door locks have long posed a challenge to hotel design professionals tasked with blending the locking hardware into the hotel décor. Lock manufacturers have made strides in recent years by minimizing the hardware and incorporating new technologies such as RFID and NFC, but visible card readers had remained on the door exterior, giving hotels a distinctly commercial feel in the hallway.

Essence by VingCard solves that dilemma, hiding the locking components from the user and allowing designers to align the guestroom doors with the current trend toward a more residential look in hotel design, without compromising security.

"The moment I was introduced to the Essence by VingCard lock, I was struck by the minimalistic design and I realized that it would help the hotel to become even more elegant and beautiful, perfectly fitting into our Art Deco design," said Matthias Winkler, co-owner of the 150-room Hotel Bristol. "Essence has allowed us to create a clean design in our hallways, giving it a modern sophistication that is simply unmatched by any other luxury hotel in Vienna."

VingCard Elsafe's suite of RFID locking systems feature contactless access control via Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) encoded communication and secure anti-cloning software. Additionally, VingCard Elsafe RFID solutions are designed to be easily adapted to Near Field Communication (NFC) technology that is expected to be in widespread use globally within a few years and which will enable travelers to use mobile devices as room keys. Both communication protocols are compatible with Essence by VingCard locks.

In addition to the obvious aesthetic benefits for hoteliers, Essence by VingCard also minimizes several other operational challenges inherent to guestroom locking hardware, such as integration, installation and maintenance. Essence by VingCard is compatible with VingCard Elsafe's patented VISIONLINE system, a proprietary wireless networking platform that connects standalone electronic locks and other guestroom devices and systems, via a central property server.