How to Manage Lock Codes for Guests and Cleaners

Written by Punn Kam, ex-Google AI engineer and Y Combinator repeat founder. He is the co-founder of Conduit, an AI agent platform built for hospitality, serving 300+ hospitality brands in 140+ languages. Last updated October 7, 2026.

To manage smart lock codes for guests, cleaners, and contractors, give every person their own code, scope each code to a time window (the stay for a guest, the job for staff), set codes automatically from reservations and tasks, and confirm the lock accepted a code before anyone receives it. Retire shared master codes, except as a documented emergency fallback.

Why shouldn't guests and staff share one code?

Guests and staff shouldn't share one smart lock code because a shared code can't be revoked for one person without locking out everyone else, and it tells you nothing about who opened the door. If the cleaner, the plumber, and last month's guest all know 4821, your lock history shows 4821 at 2:14pm and nothing more.

Per-person codes fix both problems. A guest's code stops working at checkout. A cleaner's code works for the turnover window and not on Saturday night. When something goes missing or a door is left open, the lock's log shows which code was used. That record also helps when you have to settle a damage claim.

How should guest codes be scoped?

Guest codes should be scoped to the stay: active at check-in, expired at checkout, and created automatically from the reservation so nobody types a code by hand. In Conduit, a door code is generated for each reservation on a connected lock, timed to the arrival and departure, and published to the guest portal.

Then decide how codes are chosen. Conduit can use the last four digits of the guest's phone number, which guests remember, or random digits, which are harder to guess. If the phone number is missing or its last four digits are already live on that lock, Conduit falls back to a random code. Hospitable makes a similar choice: its help center says codes are based on the guest's phone number by default, with random codes as an option.

What changed for Booking.com guests?

Booking.com guests may now arrive without a phone number on the reservation. Hospitable's help center says that since September 28, 2026, Booking.com no longer shares guest phone numbers with Hospitable through its connection. If your Booking.com reservations arrive in Conduit without a phone number, those guests get a random code even when your workspace is set to phone digits.

Plan for that in your guest messages. A guest who expects "the last four digits of your phone" and receives 7302 will call you from the doorstep. Send the code itself in the check-in message or the guest portal, and don't describe how it was chosen.

How should cleaner and contractor codes be scoped?

Cleaner and contractor codes should be scoped to the task: active a little before the job starts, expired at its expected end, and tied to the task so a reschedule moves the code with it. In Conduit, when a turnover or inspection task is scheduled from a reservation on a property with a connected lock, a code is set for that task from 30 minutes before the start time until the expected end. If someone reschedules the task or changes its estimated duration, the code's window moves to match.

Inspector codes are one-time-use. When a crew needs a building door and a unit door, Conduit issues one code across every lock mapped to that property, so the cleaner isn't juggling two numbers. For jobs that aren't scheduled from a reservation, such as a repair a guest reported mid-stay, an agent or your team can create a time-bound code for the visit.

Other tools tie staff codes to tasks too. Breezeway's smart lock page says it generates a unique code when a task is created, with access that expires after the day of the task. Hospitable's operations codes are generated when a task is created or assigned, with a one-hour buffer on either side.

How do you make sure a code works before you send it?

Make sure a smart lock code works by waiting until the lock reports it as set, and only then sharing it. Smart locks receive codes over Wi-Fi, a hub, or a bridge, and that step can fail when the lock is offline, the keypad is full, or the bridge dropped. A code that was generated but never landed on the lock is how a guest ends up standing outside at 11pm.

Conduit treats a new code as not ready until the lock confirms it, and its agents don't share a code the lock hasn't confirmed. Device events can start workflows, and Conduit can open a maintenance task when a lock goes offline or reports a low battery (a setting you turn on), so someone fixes it before the next arrival instead of after the guest calls.

Which locks can you connect?

The smart locks you can connect depend on the software you use to manage codes. Conduit's devices documentation lists more than 30 brands, including August, Yale, Schlage, and SALTO, and notes that available actions vary by model, since some locks need a bridge or keypad before they can accept remote codes. Breezeway's smart lock page lists eight brands, including Schlage, Yale, Igloohome, and August.

Before you buy locks for a new property, check the exact model against your software's list, whether it needs a hub or bridge, and whether it supports time-bound codes, because a lock limited to permanent codes means deleting codes by hand.

How do staff and guests receive their codes?

Guests and staff should receive smart lock codes through a channel you control and can update, such as a guest portal or the task record, and any code that lands in a text thread should expire on its own. For guests, Conduit publishes the door code to the guest portal, and agents can give a guest their confirmed code in the conversation, limited to that guest's own codes during their stay. Breezeway shares guest codes by SMS, WhatsApp, or its Guide app, according to its smart lock page.

For staff, the options differ more. Breezeway shares access details on the task itself. Hospitable inserts the operations code into teammate notifications with a shortcode. Conduit's text work orders carry the job, the property, the window, and accept and decline links, and don't include the door code today, so your team shares it from the lock's code list. Because the code expires with the task window, a code left in a text thread stops working after the job.

What goes wrong with smart lock codes?

Smart lock codes go wrong in a handful of ways that show up as lockouts, unexplained entries, or codes that outlive their purpose. Most lock code failures come from codes created or removed by hand, outside the reservation and task records that should drive them.

• A permanent code shared with every cleaner, never changed after someone leaves.
• A guest code that was generated but never confirmed on an offline lock.
• A reservation that moved dates while the code kept the old window.
• A rescheduled turnover with a code that expired before the cleaner arrived.
• A building entrance shared by several units, mapped to one property and missing from the rest.

Conduit maps a lock to one or several properties, including shared building entrances, which covers the last case. The others become rare once reservations and tasks create the codes and set their windows.

How do the main tools compare on lock codes?

The table below compares how four tools handle smart lock codes for guests and for staff. Each cell comes from the vendor's own page, help center, or developer docs, opened October 2026. "Not published" means I couldn't find it on their pages; the feature may still exist.

Breezeway and Hospitable both handle staff codes well, and if you already run tasks there, their lock features are worth turning on. In Conduit, the agent that answers the guest, dispatches the cleaner, and sees the lock status works from one record, so a lockout or a late turnover is handled in one conversation. For more on that setup, see guest messaging and operations in one system and how to dispatch cleaners and contractors by text.

What does smart lock code management cost in Conduit?

Smart lock code management in Conduit starts with the Guest + Devices package at $36 per unit per month, which includes smart home integration, access codes for guests and team, and device management workflows. Codes tied to tasks need the task module, which is in the Full Suite package at $48 per unit per month (see pricing). Those are starting rates, and pricing scales beyond 50 listings.

FAQ

Property managers and hotel teams setting up smart lock codes for guests, cleaners, and contractors usually ask the questions below, including how long a crew code should last and what changed for Booking.com guests. Each answer stands alone, so you can read the one that matches your setup.

Should cleaners have their own smart lock codes?

Yes. Each cleaner should have a code scoped to the job's time window, so it can be revoked without affecting anyone else and the lock log shows who entered. Conduit, Breezeway, and Hospitable all generate staff codes tied to tasks.

How long should a cleaner's door code stay active?

A cleaner's code should cover the scheduled job with a small buffer. Conduit opens crew codes 30 minutes before the task's start and closes them at the expected end, Hospitable uses a one-hour buffer on each side, and Breezeway expires staff access after the day of the task.

Can I still use the last four digits of the guest's phone number as the code?

Yes, for reservations that include a phone number. Hospitable's help center says Booking.com stopped sharing guest phone numbers with Hospitable on September 28, 2026, and any Booking.com stay that reaches Conduit without a phone number gets a random code instead.

What happens to the code if a turnover is rescheduled?

In Conduit, the code's window moves with the task. When someone changes the task's start time or estimated duration, the crew code on the lock is updated to the new window.

How do I stop a guest from getting a code that doesn't work?

Share a code only after the lock confirms it's set. Conduit treats a new code as not ready until the lock reports it, and its agents don't give guests unconfirmed codes.

Do I need the Full Suite package for smart lock codes?

No. Guest codes and team codes come with the Guest + Devices package at $36 per unit per month. Codes created automatically from scheduled tasks need the task module in Full Suite, at $48 per unit per month.