Although plastic key cards are now everywhere, some hotels are sticking with the old-fashioned key.
Plastic cards have a security advantage over keys, since the card code can be changed for every new guest. Locks, on the other hand, just aren't changed for every booking. Magnetized cards do discourage the low-tech evil key thief from vandalizing rooms.
But plastic has its drawbacks. They can become demagnetized, which you don't find out until you are standing in front of the door with six suitcases.
They are also still a security risk, since the cards are connected and coded online. Hackers have been able to take over entire hotels, holding them for ransom.
Metal keys, attached to creative and sometimes bulky key fobs can offer more peace of mind as well as a bit of charming flair to add to the hotel experience.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.
