Switching hotel software: reconnecting locks and PBX

Part 1: What the PMS connects to — door locks, PBX, call charging, IPTV, central air conditioning

Each connection is tied to a specific job in the hotel. When planning a software switch, list them by that job, not only by device name:

"In live use" here describes the group of connections. It does not mean every model on the market is connected. The exact models and generations need a survey at the hotel before anything is confirmed; that holds for every DiHotel deployment model.

The DiHotel hotel management system page mentions integration with the telephone exchange and IPTV. Here we only discuss reconnecting when changing software.

Why these connections belong in the plan from the start

This equipment is paid for and built into the property, so nobody wants to replace it just because the software changes. But the old connection was built for the old system, so when the PMS changes, the link has to be redone on the new software's side. If that comes to light close to the cut-over, the front desk issues cards in the maker's own software, accounting adds call charges by hand, and departments spend the first shift phoning each other. None of this is the fault of the maker or the old system; the work simply was not in the plan.

Part 2: What the PBX sends, and how call charges reach the invoice

Among these connections, the PBX and call charging tend to come up last in software discussions, yet they touch the guest's money. Typically, the PBX exports call data (which extension, what number, when, how long), call charging uses that data with the hotel's rate table to produce an amount and posts it to the matching room's bill, and at check-out the call charge sits with the other items on the bill.

When you change software, four points are worth checking:

• PBX generation and export method. Ask for a real sample of call data, with guests' numbers masked, so the implementation team sees the actual format.
• Extension-to-room mapping. Hotels that have renovated, merged rooms or renumbered often have a few extensions that no longer match the current room plan. Review this before connecting.
• The rate table. Re-enter it in the new software and have accounting confirm it, including internal calls that are free of charge.
• Reconcile one day of calls. Take a real day and compare call counts and amounts between PBX data and room bills. Wherever they differ, find out why before the cut-over.

One last point for accounting: decide clearly who posts charges that arise right around the cut-over, and on which system, so nothing is missed or posted twice. Splitting bills and issuing invoices to the company and to the guest is covered in group check-out: splitting the company and guest bills.

Part 3: Multi-property chains — several lock makers, several equipment generations

For a chain, "which lock brand do we use?" has no single answer. An acquired property may bring its old brand, and a partly renovated one may have two lock generations in the same building. The same maker with a different encoder generation may need a different answer. The tidy way to handle this is one table for the whole chain, one row per property, one column per connection:

The table shows management three things at once: which lock models already have a connection, which need a new one, and which have no answer on the SDK yet. On cost, DiHotel charges nothing extra for its side of the connection even if the maker has no connection yet. The budget item to work out is anything on the maker's side, such as licences, encoders or the maintenance contractor's labour. Those have to be asked of the maker; this article does not guess.

One difference worth recording in the table is whether a lock is online or offline. Extensions and room changes are both done right in DiHotel: with online locks that completes the task, while with offline locks the guest brings the card to the desk to have it rewritten, so a property using offline locks should let the front desk know in advance so they can tell guests.

When one property is stuck on the SDK

If a property's maker does not provide an SDK, that property's connection cannot be made for now. One property should not hold up the whole chain. Management can move it to the end of the roadmap, keep working with the maker or installer, and treat any equipment option as a separate investment decision for that property, apart from the software decision.

Part 4: Documents to request from makers before building the connection

How fast a connection goes depends a lot on how soon the documents arrive. This article gives no number of days, because the time varies by maker and model; all that can be said is that the sooner the documents are sent, the more control the hotel has. What to request:

From the lock maker or installer

• The SDK and guide for the exact lock model, with the version.
• Conditions for using the SDK, any licence, and any costs on the maker's side.
• Details of the encoder in use, and a written answer: can this encoder be kept?
• A written answer: do in-house guests' cards need redoing on the switch day?
• A technical contact, and whether someone from the maker needs to be present on the day.

From the contractors for the PBX, in-room TV and central air conditioning

• PBX: generation, how it exports call data, a real data sample with guests' numbers masked, the list of extensions by room.
• In-room TV: system model, connection documents, a technical contact.
• Central air conditioning: system model, connection documents, how zones map to rooms, a technical contact.

From the hotel

• The current room plan, with room names and numbers exactly as in operation.
• Equipment maintenance contracts still in force, to see if any clause relates to changing software.
• One person authorised to deal with each contractor on the hotel's behalf.

Part 5: The order of work, property by property

A chain should switch one property at a time. At each property, the connections follow the order below, marked with "done when" milestones and no hour counts:

The connections move once; two systems do not run in parallel against the same device. It works like moving the OTA channel link in switching software for a hotel chain: reconnect OTA channels? Data and balances are covered in the balance sign-off record for chief accountants and the 10-step migration checklist.

Choose a first property with clearly documented equipment and an engineer on site. What it teaches, especially the lock maker's answers, is written down for later properties using that maker. Avoid cut-over dates in busy periods or on days when a large group checks in.

Part 6: A connection assessment table for choosing new software

The table below works with any vendor, DiHotel included. Instead of asking "can it connect?", ask for evidence line by line:

Use this table together with the criteria in vendor due diligence for chains. Owners and GMs can then see which points belong in the contract and which only need to go in the survey record.

Part 7: The Zero-Cost Switch package and connection work

For hotels with 50 rooms or more, or chains with 2 properties or more, running older on-premise software, with contracts signed by 30 June 2027, the Zero-Cost Switch package covers data migration at zero cost, the old system kept read-only for 3–6 months for lookups, no paying twice under the package's conditions, a balance sign-off record, and training by department.

Part 8: What DiHotel does and does not do on connections

• In live use: connections with door locks, the PBX, call charging, IPTV and the central air-conditioning system.
• Door locks: the implementation team reuses the lock maker's SDK to make the connection, and old cards stay in use.
• No connection yet: the maker's SDK is used to build one, with no extra connection fee.
• Central air conditioning: at check-in, the room's air conditioning turns on automatically.
• Moving connections: done once, with no parallel run.

What DiHotel cannot decide for the hotel: whether a maker provides an SDK, and equipment warranty or repair, which sit in the contract between the hotel and the maker or maintenance contractor.

Which hotel systems does DiHotel connect with today?

DiHotel runs these connections in live use: door locks, the PBX, call charging, IPTV and the central air-conditioning system. The exact models and generations at each property need a survey at the hotel before anything is confirmed.

Do old key cards stay in use after switching to DiHotel?

Yes, on condition that the lock maker provides an SDK (its connection toolkit). The implementation team reuses the lock maker's SDK to make the connection, and old cards stay in use.

Is there an extra fee if the lock maker has no connection with DiHotel yet?

The implementation team uses the lock maker's SDK to build the connection, and DiHotel charges no extra connection fee because it is included in the contract price. The condition is that the lock maker provides an SDK. Whether the lock maker charges separately for the SDK or a licence is a question to ask the lock maker.

Does the Zero-Cost Switch package include connecting door locks and the PBX?

No. The Zero-Cost Switch package does not include connecting door locks or the PBX. The package applies to hotels with 50 rooms or more, or chains with 2 properties or more, running older on-premise software, with contracts signed by 30 June 2027.

What does the central air-conditioning connection do?

When the front desk checks a guest in on DiHotel, the air conditioning for that room turns on automatically. The hotel should confirm the central air-conditioning system at each property during the survey.

Do in-house guests need new cards on the switch day?

There is no general answer yet, because it depends on the lock model. The hotel should write down the lock model and encoder generation at each property and ask the lock maker and the implementation team, with a written answer before signing.