How to choose a hotel RFID room card? Don't let the "little card" hinder service!

Have you ever encountered these embarrassing situations when staying in a hotel: the room card in your bag gets demagnetized by your phone "accidentally" (actually, it's the RFID card being interfered with), the card prompts "invalid" when you try to use it to get back to the hotel in the middle of the night, or the card surface gets scratched and fades after a few uses... In fact, all these problems are related to the material, chip performance, and security level of the RFID room card! As a frequently used "service entry point" in hotels, how should one choose a reliable RFID room card? Zhanfeng Smart Card will tell you the answer with 18 years of hotel service experience.

1. Core Requirements of Hotel RFID Room Cards: Not Just "Able to Open Doors"

Many people think that an RFID room card only needs to "be able to unlock the door". However, for hotels, it is even more the first touchpoint of the guest experience - from check-in to check-out, the room card undergoes multiple uses (inserting the card to get electricity, elevator floor control, locker linkage), different environments (friction in pockets,挤压 in bags, occasional water exposure), and may even be casually placed by guests next to wallets or mobile phones (susceptible to signal interference). Therefore, a good RFID room card must meet the following requirements:

✅ Stable card reading (no mis-swiping, no failure); 

✅ Durable and robust (wear-resistant, bend-resistant, temperature and humidity resistant); 

✅ Safe and reliable (anti-copying, anti-information leakage); 

✅ Good-looking (clear card surface, proper brand display).

2. Breakdown of Key Indicators: How to Choose a Hotel RFID Room Card?

- Chip: Stability is the key principle, and high frequency is more reliable.

The core of an RFID room card is the chip. Currently, the mainstream chips used in hotels are high-frequency 13.56MHz chips (such as Mifare Classic 1K, S50/S70, Desfire EV1, etc.). Compared with low-frequency chips (which are susceptible to metal interference and have a short reading distance), high-frequency chips: 

·  Stable reading distance (usually 3-10cm, enabling accurate identification for elevator floor control and card insertion for power supply); 

·  Large data storage capacity (can store room numbers, check-in times, permission information, and even interface with PMS systems); 

·  Strong anti-interference ability (not easily "accidentally affected" by other RFID devices such as mobile phones and bank cards). 

⚠️ Note: Avoid using old Mifare Classic 1K chips (high risk of being cracked). It is recommended to use encrypted chips such as Desfire EV1 (more secure and compliant with international standards).

- Base material: Only with wear resistance and durability can it withstand rough use/constant wear and tear

Hotel room cards are repeatedly inserted, removed, and stuffed into pockets or bags every day, so their base material must be sufficiently "tough":

· PET material (high-end option): Stiffer and more bend-resistant, suitable for scenarios requiring frequent card insertion for power supply (e.g., the door card slots of old-style hotels are relatively tight). It also allows clearer surface printing, ensuring that the card face logo is not easy to wear.

· Special processes: Surface lamination (scratch-resistant), UV printing (vibrant and long-lasting colors), and matte/glossy finishing (enhancing texture)

- Security: Preventing duplication and information leakage, making guests more assured

High-end hotels particularly value guests' privacy, and RFID room cards need to have:

· Encryption chips (such as Desfire EV1, which supports dynamic keys and is almost impossible to copy); 

· Permission management (real-time control of the validity period and floor permissions of room cards through the PMS system, which automatically becomes invalid after check-out); 

· Data isolation (only storing necessary information to avoid leakage of guests' privacy).

3. in different hotel scenarios, how to adapt RFID room cards?

Economy hotels: priority to cost performance

· Chip: Basic high-frequency chip (such as S50), meeting the needs of door opening and power taking; 

·  Substrate: Regular PVC, low cost, durable and sufficient; 

·  Design: Simply print the hotel logo, highlighting practicality.

Mid-to-high-end hotels: Experience upgrade

· Chip: Encrypted high-frequency chip (Desfire EV1) for security assurance; 

· Substrate: High-density PVC or PET, which is wear-resistant, durable, and ensures smooth card insertion; 

· Design: Matte texture + exquisite printing (brand logos can be gold-stamped/UV embossed), and it can even be linked with room service (such as automatically switching to "check-in mode" when the room card is inserted).

Resort/Family-friendly Hotel: Fun Interactions

· Customizable cartoon patterns (to attract children), luminous effect (facilitating finding the card at night);

· The chip supports multiple permissions (such as the parent-child room being associated with the children's playground permission).

4. Zhanfeng Smart Card: Customizing "Worry-free Room Cards" for Hotels

Zhanfeng has been specializing in hotel RFID room cards for 18 years, serving many hotel customers, and our solutions cover：

▸ Basic model: High-density PVC + stable high-frequency chip, the king of cost performance (suitable for chain economy hotels); 

▸ Upgrade model: PET base material + encrypted chip + film coating process, durable and safe (suitable for mid-to-high-end hotels); 

▸ Customized model: Supports personalized card face patterns, materials and functions (such as linkage with smart speakers, membership points systems).

From chip selection to card face design, we customize according to the actual needs of the hotel (customer groups, budget, facilities) to ensure that every room card is a service bonus that is "easy to use, durable, and prestigious"!

Conclusion: A good room card is an invisible business card for hotel services.

Although hotel RFID room cards are small, they are a key detail in the guest check-in experience. Stable card reading, durable materials, secure protection, and even exquisite card face design can all make guests feel the hotel's thoughtfulness. Zhanfeng Smart Cards, with professionalism, provides hotels with "worry-free, reassuring, and intimate" room card solutions, allowing your service to excel in details from the "first card"!