Summer is just around the corner and among the markets ready to explode there we find that of holiday homes, non-hotels accommodation facilities, whether apartments or furnished houses, that are temporarily rented to tourists. As a valid alternative to hotels, holiday homes represent an opportunity to discover new places by diving into the territory’s atmosphere and, on the other side, they represent the main or an extra revenue source for many people.

On the left D. Gregoretti

A study carried out on tourists between the ages of 18 and 56 years old by HomeAway, a global expert on holiday homes, and Ciset, showed that 37% of holiday homes customers are younger and older couples, 35% are families and 13% are groups (families with relatives, groups of friends). The most important information is that these are “digital tourists” who, first and foremost, are looking for comfort that then becomes a reason for judgement on social media or other portals after the holidays.

Donatella Gregoretti, owner of the travel agency Travel Trade Academy – www.traveltradeacademy.it – highlights how ease of access to the facility is one of the main aspects customers consider, and how they appreciate when access takes place autonomously so that it’s easier to manage check-ins and check-outs at their preferred times.

«We are in contact with many holiday home owners» Donatella tells us «and managing keys is one of the greatest difficulties. Many still use the traditional method of handing the keys over to the customer upon their arrival. As a consequence, they need to travel from one place to another, wasting precious time and money. Or, even, there are people who hide the keys under the doormat, under the flower vase or give them to the nerby cafe owner, increasing the risk of the keys being stolen or lost. Not to mention those customers that leave but forget to return the keys to the owner.»

How to give to your customers the comfort of a fast check-in experience, the safety for their personal belongings for the whole holidays, the practicality of multiple accesses by avoiding the unmanaged distribution of keys? With few and simple solutions available to any tourist and protecting the host’s wallet:

• External key box with electronical lock: it’s economical and easy to install and allows to safely store the keys that guests can then collect upon their arrival by simply entering a code received by text message, email or on whatsapp. When needed, the guests themselves can store the keys in the key box allowing friends or relatives to always have them at hand throughout the holiday.
• Motorised knob: can be installed on any european profile cylinder and allows the remote opening of the lock (or even more than one) through the guest’s smartphone for a specific period or time slot and always having an eye on door’s openings and closings.