OpenKey
OpenKey provides BLE and NFC mobile key, mobile check-in, and digital wallet access solutions for hotels and resorts via subscription licensing. Acquired by Canary Technologies in February 2026.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersDallas, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What OpenKey does
OpenKey is a hospitality technology company that provides mobile key and contactless access solutions for hotels, resorts, and lodging properties. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the company built a platform that enables guests to bypass the front desk and unlock rooms via smartphone or smartwatch using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) or Near Field Communication (NFC). Its product suite includes the core Mobile Key product, Wallet Access for Apple Wallet and Google Wallet delivery, Mobile Check-In for remote arrivals, the OpenKey SDK for embedding digital key into a hotel's own branded app, and a BLE Upgrade Module that adds mobile key capability to existing door locks without full replacement. The firm operates a proprietary robotics testing lab that automates reliability validation across lock models and supports 128-bit encryption.
OpenKey monetizes primarily through subscription or licensing arrangements with hotels on annual contracts, with pricing quoted based on property size and feature requirements. The company distributes through direct enterprise sales to hotel owners and management companies, supplemented by a channel of 50+ Property Management System (PMS) provider integrations and lock manufacturer relationships, an Oracle Cloud Marketplace listing, and flagship channel partnerships with Preferred Hotels & Resorts and Worldhotels. End customers include enterprise hotel groups such as Remington Hotels and Ashford Hospitality alongside mid-market independents like Lark Hotels, Hotel Royal Oak, The Lodge at Breckenridge, and White Stallion Ranch, with global presence spanning more than 50 countries.
The company was acquired by Canary Technologies in February 2026 to integrate its mobile key technology, door lock partnerships, and multi-manufacturer coverage into Canary's broader Guest Management Platform. At the time of acquisition, OpenKey held SOC and PCI v4 certifications and operated with a small team, having scaled primarily through partnership accumulation rather than disclosed primary capital raises.
OpenKey firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- OpenKey
- Legal name
- OpenKey
- Website
- https://openkey.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- OpenKey provides BLE and NFC mobile key, mobile check-in, and digital wallet access solutions for hotels and resorts via subscription licensing. Acquired by Canary Technologies in February 2026.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
OpenKey industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Hospitality Mobile Access Software
- NAICS
- Security Systems Services (except Locksmiths) (561621)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Check-in/Check-out & Keyless Entry (THALACAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Authentication (MFA/Passwordless/Biometrics) Platforms (BPAMAEAE)
Keywords
Where OpenKey is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dallas
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
OpenKey business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Software/Subscription Licensing: OpenKey provides its mobile key platform to hotels on a subscription or licensing basis. Hotels pay for access to the digital key infrastructure, app hosting, and integration services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Digital Key Plans - quote-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
OpenKey product offering
Product offeringCore offering
OpenKey provides a mobile key platform that allows hotel guests to use smartphones and smartwatches as room keys through Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and NFC, enabling contactless check-in, room access, and check-out. The platform integrates with 50+ property management systems and works with 75%+ of digital hotel locks globally, and is complemented by Wallet Access, Mobile Check-In, the OpenKey SDK, and a BLE Upgrade Module for retrofitting legacy locks.
Product overview
OpenKey is a mobile access platform for the hospitality industry offering a suite of products centered around digital room keys and mobile check-in. The core offering is Mobile Key, which provides smartphone-based room access via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) or NFC technology. This core product is complemented by Wallet Access (digital keys in smartphone wallets), Mobile Check-In (remote arrival processing), and the OpenKey SDK (for embedding digital key into hotel brand apps). An additional BLE Upgrade Module enables hotels to add mobile key capability to existing locks without full replacement. The company positions itself as the largest independent digital key provider in the hospitality industry, integrating with over 50 PMS providers and numerous lock manufacturers. OpenKey was acquired by Canary Technologies in February 2026.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- OpenKey Mobile Key Platform The core mobile key platform that enables hotel guests to use their smartphones and smartwatches as room keys via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and NFC. Integrates with 50+ PMS providers and works with 75%+ of digital hotel locks globally.
- Wallet Access Wallet Access enables hotel guests to store mobile key credentials in their native iOS or Android wallet, allowing contactless room access without a separate app on supported devices.
- Mobile Check-In Mobile Check-In is a mobile check-in module that allows hotel guests to complete the check-in process on their smartphone, reducing front-desk congestion and enabling a contactless arrival experience.
- OpenKey SDK The OpenKey SDK is a software development kit that allows third-party applications and PMS partners to embed OpenKey's mobile key functionality directly into their own products and workflows.
- BLE Upgrade Module The BLE Upgrade Module is a hardware accessory that retrofits existing hotel locks to support Bluetooth Low Energy mobile key access, allowing hotels to deploy mobile key capabilities without replacing their current lock infrastructure.
- OpenKey Guest App The OpenKey Guest App is a redesigned mobile application launched in November 2022 that provides hotel guests with mobile key access, check-in, and other contactless guest experience features in a single interface.
Quantifiable outcome
- 15-20% of magstripe keycards demagnetize or have issues, eliminated by mobile key
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use OpenKey
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
OpenKey technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration16 records
Feature6 records
OpenKey partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, flagship, minor and regional.
- eviivocorePartnership to streamline guest experience with automated mobile check-in and keyless access. eviivo provides property management solutions for small hotels and B&Bs.
- OnitycoreStrategic partnership to elevate the digital guest experience in hotels worldwide. Onity is a major provider of hotel door lock solutions, and the partnership expands OpenKey's lock compatibility and deployment capabilities.
- Oracle Cloud MarketplacemajorOpenKey's Automated Digital Key became available on Oracle Cloud Marketplace, enabling Oracle PMS customers to easily integrate mobile key capabilities.
- LEGIC Partner NetworkcoreOpenKey joined the LEGIC Partner Network, a global alliance of companies working with LEGIC contactless security solutions for hospitality and other industries.
- Preferred Hotels & ResortsflagshipOpenKey became the recommended digital key provider for Preferred Hotels & Resorts, a global collection of independent luxury hotels.
- OkkamiminorExpanded partnership enabling Okkami to resell OpenKey digital key technology to their hospitality technology customers.
- AcculockcoreIntegration partnership to bring digital key technology to hotels throughout North America using Acculock's lock solutions.
- CloudbedscoreIntegration partnership with Cloudbeds' all-in-one hotel management platform to streamline contactless check-in capabilities.
- SiteMindercorePartnership to bring automated mobile key to the masses through SiteMinder's hotel channel management platform.
- InforcoreIntegration partnership with Infor's hospitality management solutions to deliver seamless check-ins and mobile key access.
- StayNTouchcoreJoint development of Automated Mobile Key Delivery, enabling seamless integration between StayNTouch's Rover PMS and OpenKey's mobile key platform for automated key issuance.
- MiniMax Premier Hotel Shanghai HongqiaoregionalLaunch of OpenKey China with WeChat integration for mobile key access at MiniMax Premier Hotel Shanghai Hongqiao, pioneering keyless entry in China.
- WorldhotelsflagshipExclusive mobile key technology provider for Worldhotels' 350 independent upscale properties across 50+ countries. This partnership significantly expanded OpenKey's global footprint to over 50 countries on 6 continents.
- IBC Hospitality TechnologiesflagshipExclusive mobile key provider partnership enabling independent hotel owners and operators to drive mobile strategies through IBC's technology platform.
- Plug and PlayminorSelected for Plug and Play's Travel & Hospitality Innovation Platform, joining 22 companies from 800+ applicants for a 12-week accelerator program.
- AiRstayzregionalStrategic licensing partnership to roll out OpenKey mobile key across Australia, starting with Birches Serviced Apartments in Melbourne.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
OpenKey competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Canary Technologies: Canary Technologies is an AI-powered guest management platform for hotels that acquired OpenKey in 2026; it overlaps on mobile check-in and guest experience software and now owns OpenKey's mobile key capability.
- ASSA ABLOY Hospitality (VingCard): ASSA ABLOY/VingCard is the dominant hotel lock hardware vendor and bundles its own Mobile Access mobile key software, making it both a partner and a competitor with vertical integration across lock hardware and mobile credentials.
- Shiji Group (Infrasys Cloud / Shiji Distribution): Shiji Group provides enterprise hospitality technology including PMS, POS, and guest experience tools; it overlaps with OpenKey on hotel guest-facing mobile experiences and serves many of the same enterprise hotel brands.
Direct peers
- Intelity: Intelity is a hotel guest experience platform offering mobile check-in, digital key, in-room controls, and guest requests; it competes with OpenKey on mobile key and the broader digital arrival stack at hotels.
- Duve: Duve offers a hotel guest experience platform including mobile check-in, digital key, and upsell journeys, directly overlapping with OpenKey's Mobile Check-In and Mobile Key products for boutique and independent hotels.
- Onity: Onity is a major hotel door lock manufacturer with its own mobile key/credential offerings, partnered with OpenKey for digital guest experience; it competes head-to-head on mobile key while remaining a key lock-side partner.
- Zaplox: Zaplox provides mobile key and digital check-in solutions for hotels using smartphones and smart locks, directly competing with OpenKey on the same mobile key product category for the same hotel customer base.
- ALICE (ALICE & Guest): ALICE is a hotel operations and guest engagement platform with mobile check-in and guest communication features, serving many of the same independent and chain hotels as OpenKey.
- Salto (SaltoKS / Clay): Salto provides electronic locks and mobile credential solutions (SaltoKS/Clay) for hotels and commercial properties, directly competing with OpenKey on mobile key access in hospitality.
Emerging players
- Hotelkit: Hotelkit is a hotel operations and internal communication platform with growing mobile check-in capabilities, targeting independent and chain hotels in Europe in a similar vertical to OpenKey.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
OpenKey social profiles
Digital presenceOpenKey compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
OpenKey financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
OpenKey leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
OpenKey funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
OpenKey M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about OpenKey
What does OpenKey do?
OpenKey provides a mobile key platform that allows hotel guests to use smartphones and smartwatches as room keys through Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and NFC, enabling contactless check-in, room access, and check-out. The platform integrates with 50+ property management systems and works with 75%+ of digital hotel locks globally, and is complemented by Wallet Access, Mobile Check-In, the OpenKey SDK, and a BLE Upgrade Module for retrofitting legacy locks.
Is OpenKey a public or private company?
OpenKey is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was OpenKey founded?
OpenKey was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is OpenKey based?
OpenKey is headquartered in Dallas, United States, in the North America region.
How does OpenKey make money?
One revenue line is on record: software/Subscription Licensing.
Who are OpenKey's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Canary Technologies, ASSA ABLOY Hospitality (VingCard) and Shiji Group (Infrasys Cloud / Shiji Distribution). Direct peers are Intelity, Duve, Onity, Zaplox, ALICE (ALICE & Guest) and Salto (SaltoKS / Clay). Hotelkit is listed as an emerging player.
Does OpenKey have an API?
No public API is recorded for OpenKey.
What industry is OpenKey in?
OpenKey's product category is Hospitality Mobile Access Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THALACAG, Digital Check-in/Check-out & Keyless Entry, with a secondary code of BPAMAEAE, Authentication (MFA/Passwordless/Biometrics) Platforms. Its NAICS code is 561621.