Salto KS

With the latest SALTO KS app release for iOS version 8.7.0, you can unlock your door with your Apple Watch

SALTO KS strives to deliver new ways to operate access control and open doors—and with the introduction of SALTO KS on your Apple Watch, you can now take advantage of a seamless keyless experience at your wrist.

Picture this: you’re running late for work, coffee in one hand and backpack in the other. As you approach the door, you reach for your phone in your jacket pocket or your tag in the front compartment of your bag, and before you know it… well, you get the picture. Don’t worry; you’re not alone, and the team behind the cloud-based access control solution SALTO KS has the perfect tool for you. You can now unlock doors with your Apple Watch!
 

Setting up SALTO KS on your Apple Watch

With the latest SALTO KS app release 8.7.0 for iOS, the SALTO KS Digital Key to unlocking doors is on your Apple Watch. Your SALTO KS Mobile App can detect when an Apple Watch is synchronized with your iPhone and accordingly guides you through setting up and activating Digital Key on your Apple Watch in three easy steps.

1. Install the SALTO KS app on your iPhone and Apple Watch app
2. Open the app on your iPhone, and go to Settings to activate your Apple Watch Digital Key by clicking the ‘Activate’ button
3. To finalize with the setup process,  make sure to have both of your Apple devices with you awake and unlocked for this process.

Using Digital Key in your Apple Watch

To use your Digital Key with your Apple Watch, pull up the Digital Key on the screen, then tap your Apple Watch to a reader to unlock the door. You do not need your iPhone present to use your Apple Watch.

Privacy and Security 

SALTO KS uses advanced security features focused on protecting against threats to user data to ensure that your data remains safe.

If you lose your Apple Watch, you can disable your Digital Key through your SALTO KS account, you can disable your Digital Key. Once you reunite with your Apple Watch, you can also reset your Digital Key through the KS app to activate it again.

We aim to elevate your everyday experience of opening doors, providing you with a modern and seamless way of accessing spaces with your Apple Watch. Next time you walk into work, you will start your office day the right way with Digital Key.
 

Please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information. Our sales and support teams are happy to give you all the assistance you need!

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Csuites is the first premium flexible workplace in Asia that is designed to facilitate the need of enterprises with a large team of 50 to 200 members. The workspace solution caters to small and medium enterprises, enabling shorter leases, immediate move-ins, as well as security and sustainability credentials. Csuites aims to provide the benefits of a coworking space but with the quality and comfort of a next-generation enterprise space that would otherwise be forced to take a traditional lease. 

Csuites aims to create an environment that promotes corporate innovation, collaboration, well-being, and growth amongst its members. They are also mindful of the impact on people and the future and are consciously committed to lowering their carbon footprint through a mix of sustainable design and strategies.

Read on to find out how the integration between SALTO’s cloud-based access control solution SALTO KS, and Office RnD, the provider of software solutions that power flexible working, has helped Csuites reach their goal of offering high-end technical solutions that enhance their coworking member experience.

Csuites was looking for a cloud-based solution that could integrate with their space management tools and allow the operations team to manage access easily. The access control solution Csuites was looking for had to be secure, user-friendly, and seamless. Also, the solution SALTO offers (SALTO KS) includes the Digital Key feature, which aligns with Csuites’ vision of providing a seamless experience for their members, where they can have all their workplace needs within their mobile app, including opening doors.

The integration setup with OfficeRnD is really easy and seamless. The integration allows their Member Experience team to easily set up the door access and manage everything member-related in one single platform. They rarely have to go into the SALTO KS admin portal once the access group is set up. This makes the operation procedure easy and such a time saver so that the Csuites team has time to focus on what matters.

As Csuites is catered for corporates, they have to ensure that the fit-out quality and technology are progressive and the best in class. The design, layout, and amenities of the space also have to be catered to the need of their target market, which is spacious, with ample natural sunlight, and different types of workstations to enhance focus and collaborative work.

Csuites has been built with a people-centric design in mind. One area championing is wellness in the workspace. The office suites feature sound-dampening walls, and noise-canceling duct works to reduce the sound emanating from utility pipes. Another wellness aspect is the variety of work desks in each office suite, which include sit-stand desks, team tables, and desks along the windows.

The technology guiding principles are based on our customers’ needs. Taking into consideration that large corporates generally have preferred technologies. As such, the technology they have in place needs to be agnostic and seamless. Shared meeting rooms and event spaces will need to be equipped with high-quality audio and visual technology. Security is a big concern for most corporates. Therefore, Csuites need a reliable, safe, and secure physical space powered by technology. 

Some of the key design features of Csuites:

• Ultra-low power lighting of 4.3 W/m2, more than 50% reduction vs SS530:2014
• All water fittings in the project are rated 3 ticks under PUB Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme
• Acoustical Treatment: All office suites and meeting rooms are sound-proofed, and feature noise-canceling duct works to ensure maximum privacy and minimal distraction
• The base building is awarded Green Mark Platinum. 
• Active Workspace Elements: height-adjustable desks, high-quality ergonomic furniture and fixtures, and a diverse workplace typology to meet the needs of today’s dynamic workforce
• Biophilic Design: Full glass ceiling-to-floor facades provide an abundance of natural lighting, while natural elements such as wood and ample plants create a healthy, green, and well-ventilated space
• Extensive use of materials certified by the Singapore Green Building Council and Singapore Green Labelling Scheme 

Companies looking for new workspaces today want places with services that can better support their employees, and there is a major focus on well-being, talent attraction, and enhanced productivity.

About 35% of the total floor area at Csuites has been set aside for communal spaces that encourage people to interact. On the fifth floor is a fully serviced reception, and the common area for tenants will feature a café managed by ‘Huggs’, an event space for up to 150 people, as well as a variety of informal collaboration spaces. These are places where members can work at their leisure and where they can additionally hold informal meetings.

Each office suite has at least one meeting room, depending on its size, but other meeting rooms and a boardroom can be booked through a dedicated mobile application for members of Csuites. The app is designed by London-based space management platform OfficeRnD and allows Csuites tenants to unlock workspaces they have booked with their mobile phones.

Csuites also maps out heavily booked areas and collect data on space utilization rates throughout the workspace. By having data about how many people are in the space and what time they are there, they can get a sense of which areas are popular and which aren’t. Csuites will use the data to better furnish the spaces that are used more frequently, with more seats or work desks to better meet demand usage there.

Csuites is the first in Asia to provide premium, flexible workplace options for larger enterprises. They have 10 suites available, and each will be supported by additional hot-desking and flexible workspaces when required. Walls between the office suites can be removed to create a larger office space for larger-sized groups. 

The 10 private suites range from 50, 75, 95, and 170 people. Each office is equipped with 1.5-meter sit/stand desks, ergonomic chairs, lockers, indoor plants (to provide good air quality), and a utility area for storage and printer. The office also comes with ensuite meeting rooms with excellent acoustic treatment. One-third of our space is allocated for common shared amenities like a board room, event spaces, nursing mothers room, multi-faith room, first aid room, phone booths, shared meeting room, cafe, and pantries (including fridge and cabinet allocated for each office, instead of a shared fridge as you normally see in coworking spaces).

Traditionally coworking spaces provide a pedestal under the table, which restricts the movement and space one can have. Csuites provides lockers in the office, freeing up the workstation, and there are no table legs between a cluster of work desks to draw the distance between two members closer to promote collaboration. 

The design and the amenities allow larger corporations to network with other companies of similar scale. This might be quite new to the corporates that usually have their own traditional office, with no option of networking with other people aside from their colleagues.

As Csuites is also the only flexible workplace in Singapore that clinched Singapore Green Mark for Healthier Workplaces Platinum certification in 2020, which recognizes sustainable and resource-efficient solutions, SALTO is even more proud to have established this unique integration.

Want to learn more about how your coworking space could benefit from an access control integration that will offer your members a seamless experience? Feel free to contact our teams; they will be happy to demonstrate how SALTO can help.

The team that is building our cloud-based access control solution ‘SALTO KS’ is happy to present an easier way of assigning Tags to SALTO KS users. Because we know that time is precious, especially in Hospitality, Shared Living Spaces and Coworking, the team has been working on an improved ‘Tag Enrollment’ process. This new feature enables users to simply assign a tag to a guest by scanning it via a Tag reader, everything combined in one single flow. The Tag reader is a lock in your site (Wall Readers, Electronic Locks,  etc.) assigned by a Site Admin to perform this process. The receptionist or administrator can pick up a KS smart Tag, present it to the defined Tag Reader access point, and follow the steps displayed to assign the tag to the user profile. This saves time and guarantees a smooth experience of granting access!

Previously, an installer or employee needed to add the tag to the access control system one by one and type in the ‘Tag Number’. This feature significantly improves the user experience for our customers and installers by automating the process of inputting the Tag number, saving time and reducing costs.

What would the flow of checking in guests at a hotel or coworking space with Tag Enrollment look like?

Step 1: Check-in the guest or new member to your coworking space.

When the guest arrives at the hotel or coworking space and goes to the reception, the receptionist can check the guest in by scanning the tag on the Tag reader.

Step 2: The KS Tag is assigned.

Each tag is either blank or assigned to another user; by scanning the Tag reader, the receptionist can follow the steps and (re)assign the tag.

Step 3: The Tag opens the door of the dedicated room.

When guests go to their room or office, they simply need to hold the tag in front of the door lock to open it.

Setting up the Tag reader

A Site Admin can set up a ‘Tag reader’ that will be stored locally in the Web App. This allows multiple workstations to function on the same site with different Tag readers.
 

• To set up a lock as a Tag reader: Site Admin can select an available lock in the ‘Tag reader’ section in the Web App (Located in Site > Tag reader, or from the Dashboard by clicking on ‘Tag reader’). The Tag reader is a lock in your site (Wall Reader, Escutcheon etc.) assigned by a Site Admin for the Tag Enrollment process.
   
• Then, the Site Admin must navigate to the ‘Dashboard’ in the Web App where they can scan the tag directly to the Tag reader to view the details of those tags and take action upon them. Alternatively, on the ‘Dashboard’, you will see on the right top corner a title that says ‘Add a Tag’ which you can click on. Either of these actions will trigger a modal to pop up on your KS Web App, where you can follow the steps to assign a tag to a user.
   
• Once a Tag reader is assigned, it will be the default choice; in this way, the operator doesn’t need to select the lock every time an operation needs to be performed. Additionally, when a tag is not registered in the system, presenting it to the Tag reader will ensure the tag gets registered and assigned to the user.

In the case that the operator wants to select a different lock during an action on a tag, he could do so within the flow of that action, where a dropdown will be presented to select a lock. This temporary lock Tag reader won’t replace the one set up in the Site section as default.

Tag Enrollment brings a more intuitive on-site check-in process. The Hospitality Industry for Automated Self-Service Hotels, in particular, can benefit from this process, where a smooth and seamless check-in process and physical credential assignment are just as important as a door opening.

Please contact one of SALTO’s sales teams for more information. They are more than happy to give you all the assistance you need!

Founded in 2016 SaaS (Software as a Service) Holistic Building Experience technology platform Spaceti is used by both landlords and occupiers to enhance the building experience for the users and gather and manage all of their data in one place. Spaceti was the first-place winner in the prestigious Worldwide Proptech startup competition by MIPIM in 2019. Spaceti offers its client adaptability and scalability with a range of flexible, interoperable modules allowing clients to customize their solutions based on their key-organizational priorities. And is today running in over 200 workplaces and has global coverage with localized partner support.

We are very excited to announce Spaceti as a technology partner. By integrating with our cloud-based access control solution SALTO Keys as a Service, Spaceti users are enabled to reserve meeting rooms for specific timeframes through the Spaceti Booking System and automatically get access to the rooms for the reserved times and days.

SALTO took this opportunity to ask Spaceti’s CTO & Co-founder Ondrej Plevka about the integrations’ possibilities and what he foresees for the future:

Spaceti offers a Holistic Building Experience platform and works with clients to realize their smart building development vision. Can you give us an example of how this works?

The example has 3 levels of human interaction with the smart building. 

• Passive. We collect data from sensors on occupancy, air quality, or energy consumption and show it in real-time to people or process them in our historical analytics proprietary tool. 
• Active. We enable people to book spaces (workspaces, meeting rooms, parking spaces, etc.), get context on what services the building can offer, and be a part of social features like Newsfeed or Events. 
• Interactive. People can open doors with their phones based both on static access or dynamically based on the booking of a given space. Also, they can interact with smart lockers and share their access with colleagues. Last but not least, people can call elevators from their phones.

How do you help companies to enhance their performance of spaces over time?

We provide a Workplace analytics solution that enables companies to enhance their workplace performance by using that space more effectively. Our solutions help companies to become more flexible, agile, and responsive to future changes in the workplace environment by providing a better understanding of office layouts, and patterns in utilization per department and gathering insights into employee preferences for better comfort and improve their workday performance.

What would be the ideal digital infrastructure for a company, according to Spaceti?

We believe that the ideal digital infrastructure for a company must be capable of supporting modern and secure APIs, allowing each system to be used as a building block. The ideal digital infrastructure should also be prepared to connect to a cloud and enable the business to adapt to change.

It is a well-planned digital ecosystem that maximizes the value of data, integrates internal and external systems, and offers a platform for business innovation.

You help companies with data to transform vacant areas into flexible coworking spaces. How do you feel the workplace is changed positively because of your platform?

Spaceti's data-driven approach is helping companies transform vacant areas into flexible workspaces that meet the needs of both tenants and employees. Based on a data-driven approach, we help companies identify which spaces need to be transformed and create a space that can be used for any work: from traditional offices to co-working spaces, coffee shops or restaurants, or even recording studios.

An excellent example of this transformation is The Music Station. Together with our partners, we helped Warner Music Spain create a new creative co-working environment for Warner Music employees, artists, composers, producers, and managers, providing them with a powerful tool to enhance the building and workplace experience while enabling hybrid and flexible work via the mobile app.

Read the case study here

We believe that our platform positively changes the workplace because it provides a holistic solution for companies to establish a space-efficient and cost-effective workplace environment while satisfying the needs of tenants and employees.

Do you think becoming data-driven is the only way to elevate operational efficiency for a company?

As data-driven operations have evolved, they've become a must-have in today's rapidly changing business environment because they also provide support to other parts of operations within a company.

How does the integration between Spaceti and SALTO KS help companies scale?

Spaceti integrates with SALTO KS to create a strong competitive solution for both static and dynamic keyless access based on Spaceti Booking System. The easy installation of SALTO KS, combined with its fast connection to the Spaceti mobile app, helps companies scale through simple implementation.

Can companies also integrate with your product when they would like to learn more about their use of gas, air quality management (temperature, humidity, CO2, etc.), and smart parking, for example?

Yes, we offer integration with third-party systems. Our cloud infrastructure is prepared for quick integration and provides a modern and secure API. 

Please contact one of SALTO’s sales teams for more information. They are more than happy to give you all the information you need!

Would you like to become a SALTO technology partner? Fill in this form, and we will contact you as soon as possible.

Every two years the trade fair for security in Essen, Germany, is a big part of our joint efforts to put SALTO Systems on the (security) map. With every edition, the ESSEN security fair is getting more popular. With over 1000 exhibiting companies and more than 40000 visitors for the 2022 edition, this is almost an understatement. This year’s edition in September was a special version with all the SALTO group companies present after a period of not being able to see each other face to face. 

At the Essen fair, we could see the names of the group companies proudly presented on SALTO staff sleeves. Together, the companies form a collective of solutions that fit the needs of multiple verticals. The Essen security fair was the ideal opportunity to see first-hand the latest products and technology available and provided an opportunity to network and build partnerships with members and executives in the industry. 

While combining these companies, SALTO Systems remains the heart and soul of the company: including the founders that once started a small business in lock manufacturing. The ‘small business’ SALTO Systems once was, has grown out to be an industry leader in electronic locking and smart access with market-leading positions in key geographies and a diverse range of services with, currently, not only specialized in top-notch hardware but additionally the software which makes the hardware smart. It was a very special moment to see employees of all SALTO group companies intertwine: Clay Solutions, Cognitec, Contidata, Conlan, Bluefield Smart Access, Gantner, and Danalock were among the 120 people present from SALTO!

“SALTO has significantly expanded our range of products and services over the past two years through the acquisition of several technologically-innovative companies. At Security Essen, we’ve showcased the interaction of the different solutions of our Group companies live for the first time. - Axel Schmidt, Managing Director SALTO Germany.
 

With all these specialties combined, SALTO continues to push boundaries by expanding the envelope of what is possible and how the latest and emerging technologies can be used to create keyless buildings that are smart to own, operate, and manage. Think of face recognition, smart locker- and payment solutions, license plate recognition, and cloud-based access control. Besides expanding the company with the group companies, we have been growing our solutions with technology partners. By collaborating with all these partners we continue to develop the technologies and solutions that will help customers in various industries to drive intelligent building management and smart access technologies with more integrated and streamlined keyless and contactless solutions.

If you missed us at ESSEN  make sure to join us at one of our upcoming events. For details on these events – or to learn more about us – visit our events page here.

Don’t want to miss out on the latest from the world of access control? Follow us on LinkedIn and/or Instagram to stay up to date.

We’re proud to present res:harmonics as one of our core technology partners. res:harmonics property management system is an all-in-one platform that delivers the essential tools for coliving and serviced apartment operators to maximise profit, provide high performance operations at reduced costs and deliver great customer service. Headquartered in the UK, res:harmonics has doubled the number of units managed year-on-year since 2016, and is now integrated in over 10,000 units across Europe, North America, South America and Asia.

SALTO’s innovative access control solutions are integrated with res:harmonics PMS to deliver frictionless guest experience, streamline bespoke operations and generate additional revenue for coliving operators.

Effective coliving software 

Property management systems (PMS) are essential tools for the residential hospitality industry, eliminating the need to use different software platforms to manage operations. From boosting sales to optimising operations, res:harmonics PMS transforms operator productivity by as much as 40%, and generates more revenue by automating activities across the customer journey to improve guest experience at every touchpoint, which increases repeat custom. 

“res:harmonics property management software was specifically designed for coliving operators to seamlessly manage the complexities of coliving operations. Our integration with SALTO makes coliving management even easier by removing physical and operational barriers to access control.”

Giles Horwitch-Smith, CEO and Founder at res:harmonics

Safe spaces and smooth operations. The concept of coliving is based on community, openness, and social interaction between residents, which presents an array of unique challenges when it comes to security. As coliving operators welcome new residents and visitors on a daily basis, managers struggle to track physical keys and change residents' access, as well as finding a balance that maintains resident security and their belongings, whilst cultivating an open community. 

With SALTO and res:harmonics integrated a data-cke-saved-technology, coliving operators no longer have to compromise. Operators can remotely provide resident access to communal spaces, like gyms or swimming pools, limit access to private rooms, and change access to spaces throughout the day (i.e. for organised events in private meeting spaces). Operators also provide maintenance staff with temporary access to lift restrictions during emergencies.

For example, leading coliving operator, The Collective, uses res:harmonics coliving software and SALTO Systems to facilitate seamless community access to communal areas, control access to external events in its properties and provide exceptional security to private spaces. 

Whether you have 30 access points or 3000, there’s no need to hire onsite staff, call a locksmith or battle to find keys for maintenance tasks when using SALTO Systems and res:harmonics. The access control solution also fully integrates with existing management tools to provide real-time occupancy, demographic and amenities data for effective space monitoring. 

Finnish coliving concept Noli Studios has a wide variety of resident demographics and lengths of stay in their properties at any given period, ranging from students staying for a year to short-term tourists. With SALTO and res:harmonics, Noli tracks comings and goings, and easily switches access control as residents return and depart. 

“Community is the key”

It’s critical that coliving residents receive amazing user experiences. res:harmonics recently introduced a guest app that’s specifically designed for coliving operations, that facilitates communication between operators and guests for booking community events, reporting maintenance issues in real-time and paying bills. What’s more, the white-labelled guest app allows customisation and branding specifications. This feature also integrates SALTO keyless access to unlock doors at coliving properties. 

Integrating SALTO solutions within res:harmonics operations builds thriving coliving communities. By assigning credentials to an app or tag (key fob), residents simply tap in and out of specific areas, such as the garage or gym, and manage access to their own private space through guest invitation. 

Meanwhile, operators and residents can also organise community-enhancing events, such as a pilates class on the roof terrace or a cookery class in the kitchen. For example, Weave Living uses res:harmonics coliving PMS and SALTO System to enhance community events organised for its residents in Hong Kong. 

As the community changes, administrators can change permissions and easily add new properties as required, without compromising security or movement. 

Curious about res:harmonics innovative living software? Find out more here.

The B. Amsterdam coworking hub in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, is built to give entrepreneurs the flexibility and inspiration they need to grow their businesses. In the open-plan coworking space, you will find like-minded people. This often results in an increase in collaboration, igniting great ideas that might have not come to life otherwise. With a ‘full membership’ you get to enjoy this entrepreneurial community, and additionally make use of unlimited access to events, support, and facilities any coworking space should be proud to offer such as a padel court! All of this is spread over three buildings situated close to one another.

For this interview about how SALTO Keys as a Service helps B.Amsterdam increase member satisfaction, we spoke to Robin Slijkhuis, their New Business & Sales Manager.

What challenges or needs did you face in your building facility that led you to look for an access control solution like SALTO KS?

Well, there are approximately 300 spaces that need to be opened and closed on a weekly basis. This is time-consuming. We needed to get new keys, hand them over, get them back, change them, and worst of all, dismantle locks when someone lost a key. You can imagine with all these businesses that rent a space at B.Amsterdam there was a lot of administration, and therefore frustration regarding key management.

What steps and processes did you follow to determine your specific access control needs? 
There is great circulation in the number of people coming and going. The Digital Key functionality is therefore a big plus of SALTO KS. Because of Corona and after there was an increase in flexibility. We don’t need a receptionist anymore because there are no keys. Different types of people come and go such as members, cleaning staff, suppliers, and employees of ‘STACH’ the in-house coffee bar. We have people coming in from 6 am to 11 pm without any hassle. We are not using it yet but it would be ideal to share keys with guests of our members. For instance, when one of the companies that rent a space organizes an event they can simply send the ‘key’ to their guests so they can come in at a specific time. Additionally, it’s nice that the organizer can see who of the invitees came and maybe wants to subscribe for more events or information.

Why did B. Amsterdam choose SALTO KS in the first place over any competitor and how does it compare to previous management?
From the very beginning, SALTO KS was chosen as the access control management tool for B.Amsterdam. I wasn't included in the process but I find SALTO KS very reliable and easy to use. It’s also a big advantage that SALTO KS can be integrated with Office RnD which increases the ways we can optimize our member experience. It goes without saying, this way of managing access control in the buildings is way better than when we were working with mechanical keys and a receptionist.
 

How many members do you have in one building on a regular basis?
It depends on the day, but we have 300 offices spread over three buildings, with 3000 members, a STACH (coffee bar), and, event rooms. So I would say 750 members per day. 
 

What type of openings do you use and why? 
We have an 80% Digital Key adoption rate which means most people use the Digital Key feature to open their offices. We have a lot of regular suppliers such as cleaners and grocery delivery services who can get their own personal keys. We can see exactly who was in the building and at what time which makes a great case to attract new potential members. It gives them a sense of security. 

I recently learned about the Digital Key widget which seems to be a great next step for our members to make it even easier to open their doors.
 

How much does using SALTO KS reduce the cost and time of your building operation management tasks?
I don’t have the exact numbers but I’m guessing it’s a lot since we don't have to replace any locks or keys anymore and a receptionist is not necessary for access management at all times. It’s also helpful that we know when an office is empty so we can directly notify the cleaners to come and get the office ready for the next day/member.
 

How does using SALTO KS ignite the sense of community at B. Amsterdam?

Because you are able to get in the building and your office straight away, members feel included from the very beginning of their journey at B.Amsterdam. Members feel like they have ownership of their ‘own’ office, instead of a big building where they are just a ‘number’, which contributes to the exclusivity B.Amsterdam offers. 
 

What would you tell others who might be considering using SALTO KS?

SALTO KS makes operations way easier, and it increases member satisfaction. The system is intuitive so adding, deleting, and blocking members is a simple task.
 

Thank you, Robin, for taking the time to meet with us! It’s an honour to have B.Amsterdam in our customer portfolio.

Are you looking for a private office or a nice spot in an open office filled with entrepreneurs? Contact B.Amsterdam! 

Do you own a coworking space or are you interested in SALTO KS for another reason? Please contact one of SALTO’s sales teams. They are more than happy give you all the information you need!

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Coliving Consultant and Community Experience Specialist, Leah Ziliak is one of the world's leading experts in the industry. In the second post of our 6-Part Coliving Blog Series, Leah shares how the Hybrid Hospitality trend is changing the way we think about travel and hospitality. 

Working from the rooftop of a trendy hotel in Cape Town with 200 Mbps internet, a dedicated call room, and a barista serving up the perfect flat white, it's easy to see just how much the hospitality world has changed over the last decade. Remember when the 'business centre' of a hotel meant a couple of clunky desktops facing a beige wall with a printer?

With a coworking space, community events, group fitness classes, and even a mini movie theatre and a popcorn machine, this is more than just a hotel; it's an experience.  A Hybrid Hospitality experience.

Hungry? Scan a QR code at your coworking desk and the cafe downstairs will deliver your falafel wrap and cold-pressed juice right to you. Bored? Download the community app and you’ll see a list of social events to choose from. Stressed? Book a massage using your smartphone and easily access the spa with keyless entry. 

So, what exactly is Hybrid Hospitality?

Hybrid Hospitality is essentially a blend of the traditional hotel experience, with elements of the coworking and coliving spaces as well as

restaurants, wellness, retail and more. With Hybrid Hospitality, people can live, stay, eat, drink, work and socialise all in one dynamic space. Hotels, hostels, restaurants, bars and other hospitality venues are making the shift to create multifunctional spaces that foster connection and enhance the overall guest experience. 

Hybrid Hospitality is a growing trend, and for good reasons; it’s enabling hotels to expand their offerings, bring underutilised spaces to life, connect guests to a community, and draw in a whole new demographic.

So, why are we seeing such a massive push toward Hybrid Hospitality?

1. Consumer Trends: 
   
   In recent years, the hospitality industry has seen a shift in consumer trends. Millennials especially were looking for more out of the hotel experience and wanted to be part of a connected, engaging environment.
   
   Traditionally, hostels offered a great community experience, but were lacking when it came to high-quality spaces and superior hospitality experiences. On the flip side, hotels offered great spaces and excellent hospitality, but lacked any sort of community or connection.
   
   Because of this, we saw innovative hostel brands listening to those needs and creating a more elevated experience, offering work-friendly environments, well-designed spaces, private room options, and expanding the typical backpacker demographic.
   
   We also saw hotel brands focusing on community, events, neighbourhood integration, keyless access solutions for increased flexibility,  and rethinking common areas to create an experience that went beyond just a comfy bed and room service. 
    
2. The Pandemic Effect:
   
   Since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve seen an even greater expansion of the Hybrid Hospitality trend. The number of remote work opportunities has grown exponentially, meaning that people have more freedom to choose how/when/where they work. The work-from-anywhere movement has had a massive impact on the hospitality industry.
   
   Why take just a weekend trip, when you can bring your laptop and make it a month-long trip? Providing guests with ‘live-and-work-friendly’ spaces enables brands to cater to these longer-term stays.
   
   We’re also seeing a rise in remote work retreats and workations, with some companies offering travel perks to their employees, such as the ability to spend up to 6-8 weeks working from a location abroad. Employees are more mobile than ever before and the hospitality industry is ready to act as a home away from home for this new business traveller.
    
3. Digital Nomadism:
   
   With the rise of remote work, we’ve also seen an increase in long-term travellers. Digital Nomads often give up their homebase altogether and choose to live from different hotels, hostels, and coliving spaces around the world.
   
   It used to be that business trips and vacations were the only reason to leave home, now for an estimated 35 million digital nomads around the world, ‘home’ is constantly changing and can be anywhere in the world. Extended travel was once only a privilege for the super wealthy, but has now become an opportunity for the everyday remote worker. Hospitality brands are adapting to the needs of this growing demographic.
   
   Hospitality brands are adapting to the needs of this growing demographic who have a different set of requirements than your typical vacationer. Digital Nomads are incredibly well-travelled, tech-savvy and place a high value on freedom and flexibility within their living spaces.
    
4. Expanded Amenities:
   
   For many years, ‘hotel amenities’ were limited to a few different things - bathrobes, a gym, tiny bottles of shampoo and overpriced laundry services. But, in the modern-day hospitality world, it can (and should) be a whole lot more. And, as more and more forward-thinking brands provide these extras to their customers, expectations will be higher.
   
   Today, amenities can mean providing guests with opportunities to socialise through community events and connecting to the city in a more authentic way. Many hybrid hospitality brands are also looking to serve as a neighbourhood hub and integrate more effectively into the local community.
   
   Amenities can also mean implementing tech-driven services like digital check-in, keyless entry, and the ability to make restaurant or spa reservations from your smartphone to create a flawless overall experience.

In general, this new wave of guests are looking for much more from their hospitality experiences and brands are finding unique ways to provide increased value to their customers by offering flexible workspaces and tech-driven solutions such as a digital key to access the facilities on-the-go. 

With endless hospitality options out there, why not spend your money with the brands that truly align with who you are and what you need?

The Hybrid Hospitality model not only benefits consumers who now have a myriad of interesting choices at their fingertips, it clearly benefits the industry as well. By providing these unique customer-centric experiences, hospitality brands are able to generate new revenue streams, optimise their spaces, create brand loyalty and appeal to a much wider range of guests.  Not to mention, they’re able to enhance their entire guest experience in a very forward-thinking way.

The coliving concept is not simply a fad that will be fast forgotten - it’s an exciting time for the entire hospitality industry, but it’s also a key turning point for brands that want to stay competitive and relevant in the future. There are plenty of spaces in the world where you can get a quiet night’s sleep and a decent meal. But, the brands that are standing out above the rest are the ones who are creating something truly unique - both functional and engaging. It’s a whole new modern hybrid world out there and the smartest brands are here for it.

Salto Systems offers cutting-edge smart access technology to businesses for a complete smart building experience.

We are now thrilled to announce that we are offering other best-in-class technology leaders the opportunity to partner with us for an integrated and improved customer offering.

Why to become a Salto Technology Partner?

Salto’s Technology Partner program empowers best-in-class technology companies to link into our access control Technology Platforms and integrate and certify their solutions within Salto's smart locking product portfolio.

As such, we are looking for third-party systems to integrate with our smart access technology architecture with the aim of improving any type of facility’s operations in terms of efficiency, flexibility, and security. Our aim is to provide you and your customers with the ultimate smart keyless living experience. 

Technology partners will benefit from these integrations by delivering comprehensive solutions that unite smart access control, security, building automation, software, property management software, operations, and more, in an all-in-one integrated technology platform.

In a nutshell, by partnering with Salto, companies can offer improved access control solutions for their customers and overall operations enhancements for complete building management.

Salto offers a range of solutions to technology partners

Through the SaltoTechnology Program, our partners will have access to the following solutions:  

• Smart access experience, delivering seamless, keyless building experiences to users.
• Wireless technology for electronic locking solutions via an on-premise network or the cloud. 
• Mobile device access and digital key solutions.

• Secure and robust performance across all products. Salto is trusted by industry-leading companies worldwide and offers this peace of mind to potential partners.

Salto’s Two Main Solutions

Salto was the early leader in cloud-based access control technology and has become a major player in keys-as-a-service providers over traditional access control solutions, accelerating digital access transformation projects. The Salto portfolio now includes world-class software management, cloud solutions, and mobile applications for businesses of all types and sizes.

• Salto Space: Technology partners can benefit from Salto’s stand-alone, virtually networked, wired, and wireless online smart access control platform
  
  Salto Space is a fully-integrated, stand-alone wire-free smart-locking platform and web-based software management system that brings seamless access to every door in any building in an efficient, flexible, safe and secure way. 
  
  Our partners are offered a smart access control on-premise platform that’s designed to work in a wire-free environment. 

Click here to learn more. 
 

• Salto KS: For a truly unique offering, Salto’s technology partners can make use of a scalable and flexible cloud-based smart access control solution with best-in-class real-time capabilities.
  
  Salto KS offers proven reliability and recognized stability for our technology partners. This service provides higher functionality and performance than what is possible with a traditional mechanical key access solution. 
  
  Our Salto KS cloud-based access control product range offers a flexible solution that requires no software installation with remote management capabilities and endless integration possibilities for our partners.

Click here to learn more. 

Technology partners: bringing excelence to customers

Technology Partners benefit from a wide product range across numerous industries

Salto Systems offers cutting-edge solutions across a range of industries, including; Commercial, Healthcare, Hospitality, Retail, Coworking, Shared Living Spaces, Corporate Smart Offices, Fitness Centers & Gyms, and Residential.

Our current partnerships include a broad range of integrated systems, such as Property Management Systems, Check-in Solutions, Mobile Apps, CCTV Security Cameras and Video Surveillance, Intercoms, Room Management Systems, Time Attendance, Booking, Management software, Visitor / Identity Management, Elevator / Lift Control, and Point of Sale software.

Technology partners are not limited by their industry by any means. SALTO Systems is confident that we can find a smart access solution for virtually an interested technology leader.
 

Technology Partners have online access to Salto’s customizable smart access technologies

Salto Systems offers an online platform for partners to customize their access solutions. Our technology partners will benefit from our extensive product portfolio for their systems integration, which includes:

• Electronic Locks and cylinders for Doors: We have an extensive range of electronic door locks that make use of wireless, keyless, card access technology, as well as a range that makes use of a keypad with a unique safety code.
• Wall Readers and Controllers: Control access with sleek, easy-to-fit wall readers that offer contactless, keyless access and control.
• Locker Locks: Safely store contents with electronic locker locks that make use of pre-programmed keyless technology to give authorized users access to the locker content.

Become a Technology Partner today

Contact Salto Systems, and we will not only demo how our product works, if you’re interested in becoming a technology partner, we’ll also discuss a truly unique integration solution. 

We are confident that our innovative and customizable technology will be able to support our certified Technology Partners so they may better their service offering. 

Technology Partners can look forward to becoming a SALTO certified technology partner to deliver even more innovation for their brand, bringing their customers so much more in the keyless living experience. 

Learn more about becoming a technology partner and sign up today

Part of our continuous effort to support growth while maintaining performance, reliability, and predictability is defining SLO’s (Service Level Objectives). Those are meant to define the expected service between the provider and the customer. They are specific measurable characteristics such as uptime, operations, and speed. For the cloud-based access control solution SALTO KS we will explain which SLO’s we measure and why.

Uptime

Up to now, our major focal point for measuring our overall Service Level Objective has been to look at the uptime of each individual service in our ecosystem and make sure those are at least adhering to our percentage of 99.9700%. The fact that we are meeting and exceeding that percentage for quite some time now is a great achievement of which we are very proud!

So?

Well, the high uptime percentage doesn't say that much about the customer experience. With a high percentage of platform availability, SALTO KS customers will be able to reach the platform and services, and the platform will do what it is supposed to do, but it does not say anything about the performance of individual functions a typical customer uses. We decided it was time we started looking at other things to measure.

What is important to the customers?

The operations of access control are of utmost importance for our customers. Fluctuations in individual response times of endpoints (i.e. the communication points that external software programs must send a request to in order to communicate with our API) that are used to control access rules like assigning a tag (physical credential), adding or removing a user from an access group, blocking a user, and configuring offline access for a lock have a big impact on the day-to-day experience of a client may have while performing their daily tasks. 

Another important factor is the overall performance of operations that require a direct response from an IQ (Edge device), like activating an IQ in a mobile app, performing a remote opening, or generating a Digital Key. If it takes too long, users might consider it not working or at least bothersome. When changes have been made to access rules, we want to make sure that they are applied to the IQs involved as fast as possible, because only then they will have an actual effect.

Reporting

Last but not least, we want customers to be able to retrieve event information in a performant way. We have two different types of events: entries (basically openings and  rejections from locks, so large volume) and incidents (alerts like doors being left open and lock tampering, so low volume).

We know that other things happen that could make or break customer satisfaction, like installing or restoring IQs, attaching locks, and receiving notifications and we do measure them, but the four categories mentioned above are what we consider most important for the largest number of users.

What do we want to achieve and measure?

For these four types of interactions with our platform, we needed to come up with response times or maximum duration times that would be considered “good” and “natural” from a user perspective, and we should then compare those to what we are actually delivering.

As a general point, we decided that we should be able to achieve our “good” performance goals at least 75% of the time. This would obviously mean we could score less during some peak hours, but overall the customer experience would be good. We decided to measure against that over a period of 7 days to be able to clearly see fluctuations during the week.

We set the following SLO’s for each of the four types:

• Access Control operations: response time should be less than or equal to 0,5 seconds.
• Synchronous IQ operations: response time should be less than or equal to 2,5 seconds.
• Sync performance: the duration should be less than or equal to 30 seconds for Local Access Management sync, PIN sync, and Accessor/Key sync combined, and less than or equal to 5 seconds for Offline Access Key sync.

Reporting: response time should be less than or equal to 3 seconds for entry reporting and less than or equal to 1 second for incident reporting.

These SLO’s aren’t just there to give a nice overview, they’re used in day-to-day monitoring of system performance. The team is on-call 24/7 to ensure the right user experience. The SLO’s, metrics and goals are reviewed by the teams recurrently to guarantee we live up to all expectations. The dashboards are shown in the Clay office where SALTO KS is built and can be viewed “live” from any location, to guarantee each of the team members are well aware of the performance of the platform and show the direct impact of their work.