Automating Key Management for Short-Term Rentals with KeyNest

In this episode of the Hospitable Hosts podcast, we are joined by Pierce Hattie, Country Manager for Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) at KeyNest. It’s a global key exchange service that enables short-term rental property managers and Airbnb hosts to securely store and share keys with guests, cleaners, and maintenance teams, and manage access to their properties remotely.

Pierce discusses how KeyNest works for STR hosts and property managers in Australia, helping them streamline the check-in process and making key exchanges safer, simpler, and more reliable for everyone involved. He also discusses the advantages of KeyNest's integration with Hospitable and shares the company’s plans to build a nationwide network in Australia.

Press Play now to find out how automating key management can help you save time, provide an exceptional guest experience, and host with confidence.

Do you prefer to read the highlights? We’ve got a summary of the key takeaways below.

How KeyNest Works

Pierce discusses how KeyNest makes it easy for hosts and property managers to ensure a hassle-free key exchange and manage access to their properties remotely. KeyNest partners with local businesses and has a network of public points where you can securely store your keys and exchange them with your guests and cleaners. Since most of the KeyNest points are open 24/7, it’s easy to exchange keys at a convenient time.

“If you've got a property in Sydney, but you live in Gold Coast, you're able to drop off your keys at that point and then send your guests or your cleaner the collection or drop off code, and they can access the property remotely,” Pierce says.

KeyNest’s head office is in London, so the UK is definitely its main market. The company also operates in France, Spain, Italy, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries.

KeyNest Solution vs. Lockboxes vs. Smart Locks

Pierce explains how the KeyNest solution differs from traditional lockboxes and smart locks that are popular among Airbnb hosts and property managers.

He says that in apartment buildings, the body corporate or the building managers are often opposed to lockboxes, and if you put them outside the building on a railing, you risk a lot of complaints from residents. “We provide a solution where you can secure your keys somewhere close off-site, without affecting the other residents of the building,” Pierce emphasizes.

He also points out that many local councils (e.g., in Melbourne) have banned the installation of lockboxes on public buildings and infrastructure. “Even if you have a smart lock on your door, you still need access to the building itself. KeyNest crosses that problem for a lot of people.”

KeyNest Presence Across Australia and New Zealand

As a key exchange provider, KeyNest is expanding its footprint across Australia because there’s growing demand for its services. “It's grown from 6 stores that we've had in 2022 all the way to over 260 now in three and a half years,” Pierce notes.

“There's a strong demand from local customers, and we have new store requests coming through every week. We have a backlog of new locations that we need to set up.”

Integration with Hospitable

Pierce says that KeyNest's integration with Hospitable was designed to help hosts and property managers save significant time as they scale their businesses.

“Originally, they would have to log into KeyNest and create a single-use code for each guest booking, which is quite a task to undertake once you've got several properties. The integration automates that process on all their OTAs. When a guest books a stay, they'll get the code sent automatically for their keys to collect from the KeyNest point.”

Pierce emphasizes that the integration allows hosts to manage access to all their properties in one place and actually automate the process. The more properties they have, the more sense it makes.

“With the systems before KeyNest, you'd use a lockbox, and you'd probably have to send out staff to go and check that the keys are actually in the lockbox, ready for the next guest. So, KeyNest will send you a notification when the keys are dropped off or collected. That's a game changer for hosts and companies as well.”