ASSA ABLOY Hospitality, parent company of lock manufacturer VingCard and safe manufacturer Elsafe, unveiled European technology designed for U.S. hotels at the recent Hospitality Information Technology Exposition & Conference in Minneapolis. Now being tested in Europe and Singapore, the new technology is expected to reach the U.S. in the fall.

According to Marc Freundlich, president and CEO of VingCard North America, Signature RFID by VingCard contactless electronic locks featuring radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is open-platform, so it meets all the differing standards that have made selecting RFID-powered locks challenging for some hotels. He called Signature RFID design-centric and guest-friendly and said it also meets a new cell phone platform called near-field communication (NFC).

VingCard sister company TimeLox demonstrated a new radio-frequency (RF) online electronic locking system. TimeLox's new, infrared technology-based lock enables broad-based deployment of wireless networks and limits the number of devices needed to communicate with electronic locks, says TimeLox executive Paul Zimmerman.

Another entry in the radio-frequency sweepstakes was SAFLOK's new Quantum proximity lock. The company calls the system “the only stand-alone sectional trim lock that enables access through the application of proximity radio frequency technology.”

In other HITEC debuts, Onity unveiled ADVANCE by Onity, a two-piece design that minimizes hardware on the guestroom door and offers a range of flexibility in aesthetic and operational features. Also, KABA, in conjunction with Northwind and cStar Technologies, showed a cashless vending solution enabling guests to use their keycards to buy goods. Meanwhile, Hospitality Safe Corporation rolled out its new Challenger series safe, the M-17, designed to accommodate the newest 17-inch wide-screen laptops.

For related information, check out these companies and their circle numbers: Hospitality Safe (57); INNCOM International (38); KABA Ilco (42); MIWA Locks (26); Security Innovations (46); VingCard (37).