A new central London luxury hotel, The Ned, pictured, opened in April 2017. A former Midland Bank, the Grade I listed, II-storey five star Hotel has 252 rooms, nine restaurants, six private events spaces, spa, gym and a members’ club.
Since opening the security staff onsite have manually tracked keys, working at midnight each night to sign in keys from staff members and track and replace any missing items or equipment, with each one accounted for by a handwritten list. After a site visit to Claridges, where Traka is already installed, The Ned decided on an automated key management system initially for up to 300 keys, including for bedroom master keys. Alongside management, the solution offers audit control capability and instant reports, including notifications when keys were not returned.
Nick Mackenzie, Head of Safety and Security at The Ned Hotel, says: “Hotel key management is of critical importance for the smooth running and also safety and security of all who stay and work here. Completing manual audits is not only time consuming, but relies on neat handwriting to ensure awareness of key allocations and traceability. The implementation of Traka’s system has automated the complete process. Not only does it effectively remove the margin for human error, but also means we can make huge labour savings and redirect resources. So impressed, we are already looking to expand our use of Traka for other parts of the Hotel, including management of the Gym and exclusive ‘The Vault’ members’ keys.”
Traka says that its key cabinets in hospitality are designed to offer intelligent replacement of manual key management, which often results in keys going missing and limited records of who has access and when they were taken or returned. Not only does this result in no accountability but also time taken organising replacements.
Jason Cooke, Traka Market Development Manager added: “It is a huge privilege to be involved with the Ned, named as one of the most prestigious hotel openings of the year in London. And we are delighted to have made such an instant impact in helping the security team to operate more efficiently. What the hotel demonstrates is attention to key control, through the use of a key management system, is one of the most effective ways to not only save on costs of replacement keys, but also ensure significant time and resource savings. Staff can instead focus on the provision of luxury comfort and the welcoming atmosphere guests will expect from such an exciting hotel experience.”
