Chicago & Northern Illinois
Planning a hotel access-control upgrade in Chicago or Northern Illinois? Umbrella Security installs and upgrades commercial access control, adds doors to existing systems, and provides testing, training and local support.
Start with the doors you need to manage
One card or phone may work across several doors without those doors sharing the same system. Ask for a door schedule that identifies the lock, credential and system responsible for each opening.
Guest rooms
Record the current lock model, key type, lock-management software and PMS. Include the versions and any interface already in use.
Ask for a demonstration: Move a test guest to another room. Check the new room, the old room and the shared areas that credential can open.
Exterior doors and shared amenities
List the entrances, gym, pool and other shared areas included in the project. Agree who should enter and at what times.
Ask for a demonstration: Change a test stay or permission and check what happens at each affected door. Identify any separate staff action.
Staff and service areas
Define access for housekeeping, maintenance, management and temporary contractors. Identify who can issue or remove those permissions.
Decide which staff can manage access remotely. Have the installer show how permission changes reach online doors and locks that operate offline, and when those changes take effect.
Ask for a demonstration: Check the permitted and restricted doors for a test staff role, then carry out the agreed removal process.
Parking and elevators
Confirm which parking or elevator controls are in scope. Identify the equipment and the provider responsible for each interface.
Ask for a demonstration: Test the agreed floor or entry permissions with the people responsible for those systems present.
Check the connection between your keys and PMS
A compatible system can connect door access to your Property Management System (PMS), energy controls or security cameras. Before you commit, have the installer confirm the interface, licenses and equipment each connection needs.
Check-in, checkout and key expiry are separate checks
A supported PMS connection can save staff from entering the same guest information twice. Check-in, key expiry and early checkout still need to be checked separately. Have the installer list the PMS and lock-system versions, interface, licenses and encoders included in the proposal.
In Salto Space, for example, recording a checkout does not necessarily stop the existing key from working. Depending on the settings, access may continue until the key expires or a new check-in occurs. An optional setting removes access data when a checked-out key is presented to an online lock or reader.
Before signing off, have your providers demonstrate an early checkout, a lost key, a room change and an extended stay. Test the guest room and the shared areas that key can open. Make sure staff know whom to call if the PMS connection fails and which cancellation steps they must handle manually.
What happens to a lost card?
Cancel a lost or stolen card promptly. How soon it stops opening doors depends on the lock’s connection, key settings and cancellation method. Have the installer walk your staff through the lost-card procedure at both guest-room and shared-area doors.
Details for the compatibility review
Record the lock and reader models, lock-management software, PMS name and version, key types, interfaces and licenses. Share what you know with Umbrella and the relevant system providers. Mark unknown details for review; a site assessment, if needed, is arranged separately.
Five scenarios to test before handover
Agree the expected result with your hotel team and providers first. Use an approved test credential and agreed test doors. Record what happens at the door, not only what changes on a screen.
Write the lock, software and interface versions on the record. Test cards and mobile keys separately where both are included. Use an agreed test plan for unavailable connections; do not disconnect operating systems without coordination.
Download the acceptance worksheet (PDF, 5 pages)
You can print the worksheet using your browser’s Print command.
01 — A guest moves rooms
Demonstrate: Issue access for the new room and complete the room-change process.
Record: Which credential opens the new room; what happens to the previous credential at the old room; and whether shared-area access needs another update.
Record for this scenario
- Door / area
- Credential type
- Lock / software / interface version
- Expected behavior
- Observed result and timing
- Follow-up action
- Responsible provider
- Retest date
02 — A key is reported lost
Staff can cancel a lost card or mobile key and issue a replacement. They also need to know when the old key stops working at each door. Have the installer explain the steps and timing for the cards, mobile keys and locks your hotel uses.
Demonstrate: Follow the documented cancellation or replacement procedure for the test credential.
Record: Required staff or lock action, when the old credential stops working, and the result at the guest room and affected shared areas.
Record for this scenario
- Door / area
- Credential type
- Lock / software / interface version
- Expected behavior
- Observed result and timing
- Follow-up action
- Responsible provider
- Retest date
03 — A guest leaves early or extends a stay
Demonstrate: Run both an early checkout and an extension with the test reservation.
Record: How the departure change reaches each system, which permissions expire or continue, and any manual step. Record the early-checkout and extension results separately.
Record for this scenario
- Door / area
- Credential type
- Lock / software / interface version
- Expected behavior
- Observed result and timing
- Follow-up action
- Responsible provider
- Retest date
04 — A connection is unavailable
Demonstrate: Review the documented condition and use the provider’s agreed test method.
Record: What continues to work, which changes wait, how staff issue or cancel access, and how they confirm the systems have caught up when the connection returns.
Record for this scenario
- Door / area
- Credential type
- Lock / software / interface version
- Expected behavior
- Observed result and timing
- Follow-up action
- Responsible provider
- Retest date
05 — The system is handed over
Demonstrate: Have the designated hotel administrator carry out the agreed operating tasks and locate the support instructions.
Record: Administrator responsibility, configuration/version record, operating instructions, unresolved items and the contact responsible for each system.
Record for this scenario
- Door / area
- Credential type
- Lock / software / interface version
- Expected behavior
- Observed result and timing
- Follow-up action
- Responsible provider
- Retest date
Compare the roles before comparing brands
A product name does not settle the whole design. Your proposal should identify the equipment and who is responsible for the connections between systems.
Hotel locks and mobile access — Vingcard
Vingcard’s hospitality offering includes electronic locks and mobile access. Use its current product information to identify the proposed lock and management system, then confirm the exact PMS and credential arrangement for your property.
Manufacturer reference: [1].
Hotel access software and hardware — dormakaba
dormakaba’s hospitality range includes hotel locks, access-management software and mobile credentials. Its hospitality page identifies Ambiance as an on-premise access-management product. Ask which products and interfaces are actually included in your proposal.
Manufacturer reference: [2].
Platform and credential limits — Salto Space
How quickly a Salto access change takes effect depends on the platform, key type and connection. The Space Hospitality API can immediately cancel Apple Wallet guest-room keys at checkout on compatible online devices. That API does not cover physical cards or staff keys.
Staff and shared-area access
Identify whether these doors use the guest-room platform, a separate commercial access system or a documented connection between them. Name the person responsible for credential changes at each system.
The PMS interface and project team
Have the hotel, lock supplier, PMS provider and installer agree the interface, licenses, configuration and acceptance tests. Assign responsibility for faults that cross between systems before the project begins.
Manufacturer reference: [5].
These examples explain different roles and documented limits. They are not a ranking or a claim that every listed product will work together.
Plan the changeover around an operating hotel
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Survey what can stay
Record the existing doors, lock preparation, hardware, cabling and power arrangements. Have the appropriate project specialists confirm which parts can be retained and which need replacement. Include the operating requirements of each door in that review.
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Prove the proposed arrangement
Choose representative doors with the hotel team. Confirm the agreed credential, PMS and shared-area behavior before repeating the work across the property. Decide how staff will provide access while each opening is being changed.
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Agree the work sequence
Plan room access, guest-facing work, noise and service routes with operations staff. Define the work areas and the point at which each can return to normal use. Put the fallback and escalation contacts in writing.
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Test before retiring the old arrangement
Complete the acceptance record, train the people who will run the system and resolve outstanding items. Agree what must pass before old equipment or credentials are retired. Agree how each affected door will operate during the work and who handles delays.
Ask for a quote you can check
Doors and hardware
Show the openings included, retained and replaced equipment, door preparation and any work by another trade.
Software, credentials and interfaces
List the licenses, key/card or mobile-credential costs, PMS interface and recurring charges. State any assumptions that still need confirmation.
Installation and room access
Include the survey, work sequence, coordination with hotel operations, agreed fallback and the conditions that could change the schedule.
Testing and training
Include the five-scenario demonstration, staff instruction and written acceptance record. Name who signs off the relevant parts.
Support after handover
Separate ongoing support from the installation price. Identify contacts, response arrangements, maintenance tasks and responsibility for future software or interface changes.
Costs and timing depend on the confirmed scope. A room count alone does not tell you the condition of the doors, the work involved or the interfaces needed.
Common questions at the front desk
Is a lost phone's key always quicker to cancel than a card?
If a phone is lost or stolen, follow your system’s cancellation procedure and check when the mobile key stops working at each affected door. A mobile key is not automatically faster to cancel than a card; that depends on the platform and connection.
What should we check when the PMS records a checkout?
A supported PMS connection can save your front desk staff from entering reservation and key information twice. Ask the supplier to show what happens when a guest checks out early, which access permissions expire automatically, and whether cards and mobile keys behave differently. Staff also need clear steps to follow when the PMS connection or a door is offline. Check that the old key no longer opens the guest room or shared areas; the checkout record alone does not confirm that.
Do all the existing doors and locks need replacing?
Have the installer inspect the current hardware and identify the exact parts proposed for reuse. Ask what the retained equipment can support, what it cannot support and what the proposal assumes about its condition.
What if the internet or another connection fails?
Ask for the documented behavior of your particular lock and management system. The ability to open a door, issue a new key, cancel an old one and retrieve an event may depend on different parts of the setup. Include those tasks in the agreed test plan.
Plan your hotel upgrade with Umbrella
For a hotel project in Chicago or Northern Illinois, tell Umbrella which doors and operating problems need attention. Include your current equipment and who manages access at the property. If the project involves guest-room keys or PMS connections, identify the lock and software providers who will need to participate.
Umbrella’s team reviews your request and contacts you about next steps. If a site assessment is appropriate, it is arranged separately.
Manufacturer source references
These documents support the product roles and configuration limits described above. The proposed equipment and interfaces still need to be checked for your property.
- Vingcard hospitality products — electronic hotel locks and mobile-access offering.
- dormakaba hospitality products — hotel hardware, software and mobile access; Ambiance product role.
- Salto Space hotel options — checkout, key expiry and configured online-reader behavior.
- Space Hospitality API — compatible online Apple Wallet guest-room workflow and exclusions.
- Salto Space PMS requirements — interface, licensing and configuration requirements.