key has no room information?
 

So I was asked for ID after going to the lobby to get my key redone for 4pm checkout (full service Marriott), after I had called At Your Service to request it and they told me to swing by to get my keys re-keyed.
They asked for ID, saying it is for security. Which I do not understand.
In explaining they said the key has no room information so telling them my name and room number means nothing. Someone could have that information.
So I said just send it up to my room and they said they would still need ID.

Are they just making this up or is it true? From a key the staff have no idea what room it is associated with?

I sure hope it's true. I prefer that the front desk ask for ID if they were giving someone a key to my room!

I did a fair amount of reading on this a long time ago. From what I can recall....

The keys (regardless of whether magnetic stripe of RFID) usually work based on a randomly generated code, which is assigned simultaneously to the lock on your door. So, yes, there is no info about you coded into the key.

This potentially depends on the exact system in use, but...

Generally the keys do have information about the room number, check-out date, and some additional information that the lock can use to lock-out other keys. The locks themselves are generally NOT linked to a central system, so have no way of validating information, or of receiving any information about which keys are in use. The better systems (especially those using RFID) will include a mechanism for "signing" the information so that the lock can confirm it's legitimate.

The fact that information is there doesn't mean that the front-desk staff can actually read it, nor that they should use it over an ID check when issuing a new key...

Of course you need an ID when getting a new room key. Gosh - otherwise you can sit next to someone at the bar - see the name/room number - and go up and ask for a key.

Yes, of course.


Are you sure about that? If the card contains the room number and checkout date, what's to prevent someone who finds a dropped keycard from just reading it and accessing the room, or changing the checkout date on the card? Or even making a bunch of cards for different rooms and using them during the day when most hotel guests are out of their rooms, particularly in properties/locations with a large percentage of business guests?

Wouldn’t allowing anyone to be able to read the room number from an active keycard be a simple and obvious security flaw ?

Which is why I...

1. never carry around the key envelope showing the room number, in case I lose it or get pickpocketed
2. sometimes stumble to the front desk a bit tipsy to say I've forgotten my room number. :D

I don't have inside knowledge but I am sure glad that is the case. It is not difficult to read information off a key card picked up randomly, especially the magnetic strip ones.

When something goes wrong, people complain that the security was flawed. When it is done right, they complain that they had to engage in a minimal security effort, e.g., take out their wallet, pull out their DL, show it and receive it back along with a key card.

Even if the FD clerk did have access to information he does not need, that does not suggest that new cards ought to be issued without ID. But, in this case, I cannot imagine why the FD has a need to know anything about the guest from his keycard.

I would presume someone on FT would actually know.

I couldn't just "grab my wallet" as I didn't have it. I would have to go back to the room. Which would be a hassle. I love the convenience of hotels and not having to walk around with a wallet or keys, except in this case.

In terms of security, if the key I am presenting has information I would not call it getting a "new key" but rather just getting my key updated. In fact, all I wanted is to get the checkout time changed from noon to 4pm. Which shouldn't be much to ask, and I'm not sure what risk one can make up in terms of security for that anyway.

You may call it that. But, self-evidently the property does not.

There is a reason for having security protocols which low-level employees do not have the authority to vary. Pretty common, if not universal, in the US for FD people to ask for ID before issuing a new key, whether that happens to be an update, a replacement for a lost card or a replacement for a malfunctioning key.

If your wallet is locked in your room when this happens, most properties will issue the key to an employee who accompanies the guest, opens the door, and stays until the ID is produced.

Security is a hassle. Would be great to be in a time when one did not need to lock one's door at all. But, we don't.

Just another data point. I had the pleasure of showing up at a property just after a long power outage. The FDC was not able to issue new keys until maintenance was able to make the rounds and reset the doors. It sounded like the master unit that tracked the current codes and calculated the next code did not have a UPS or CMOS memory to survive a long outage. I wasn't feeling well and asked if maintenance could "break in" to give me access and I would come back down later to get a working key. I don't know if it was being polite or a few shades of green, but they radioed one of their guys me meet me at the door.

From what I have gleaned over the years is the lock (no connection to a central system) has a current code and when a key is used that matches, fine door opens. This is why they ask if you lost your key or not. The lock is also capable of moving to the "next code" thus locking out all previous keys. I've heard some even invalidate all codes if a wrong key is used multiple times (someone at the wrong door). It's a simple process, but seems to work. If someone really wanted to break in, then they could go through the hassle, but then that's true for just about any lock, key card or not.