Lodgify Smart Lock Automation: Lodgify's Add-On vs GuestsKey, and the One Setting to Check After You Connect

There are two ways to get a unique door code onto a lock every time a Lodgify booking lands. You can turn on Lodgify's own Smart Locks add-on, or you can connect GuestsKey to Lodgify and let it drive the lock. This is our honest read on Lodgify smart lock automation both ways: what each costs per device, which locks each one covers, what a GuestsKey connection actually imports, and the one property setting we ask every Lodgify host to check after their first sync.

We host too, so we'll say up front where the add-on is the better call.

Option one: Lodgify's Smart Locks add-on

Lodgify launched Smart Locks on February 4, 2025 (their launch post). It automatically generates a unique access code per reservation and can automate sharing that code in your guest messages, all without leaving Lodgify. Nuki is the official partner.

Pricing is $7 USD (£6 / €6) per connected device per month, charged in advance monthly.

We are deliberately not listing the supported lock brands here. Sources disagree, and the list that matters is the one inside your own Lodgify account, in its smart lock settings. We said this in May and it still holds: verify the current brand list and pricing with Lodgify before you buy hardware around it. The product page is at lodgify.com/smart-locks.

Option two: GuestsKey connected to Lodgify

GuestsKey is a direct API integration with Lodgify. It reads your properties and bookings from Lodgify, generates a code per booking, and puts that code on the lock for the stay. The code reaches the guest through GuestsKey's own notifications and guest portal link, not through Lodgify's messaging.

How the two compare

On price, "from $4 or $5" is graduated billing, which means only the devices inside a tier get that tier's rate. SmartThings locks are $4 each for devices 1–10, $3 for 11–30, and $2 from 31 up; Seam locks are $5, $4, and $3 on the same bands. Every account gets every feature. There are no plan tiers and no per-property fees. The full breakdown is on our pricing page.

On coverage, one detail worth noticing: Nuki is on the Seam list too. A Nuki owner isn't choosing between a tool that works and one that doesn't. They're choosing between two tools that can drive the same lock, on price and on what happens beyond guest codes.

And the honest part. If you're brand-new on Lodgify, have one lock on Lodgify's list, and want to stay inside Lodgify, the add-on is workable. We said so in why GuestsKey over PMS-native lock automation and we're not walking it back. The case for GuestsKey starts when you have a cleaner, a second lock, a lock that isn't on Lodgify's list, or a guest who needs their code, WiFi, and house rules in one place.

Setting up GuestsKey with Lodgify

What you need

• A Lodgify account with API access
• Your Lodgify API key
• Properties published in Lodgify

The API key

Your key is on the Public API page in Lodgify settings. Lodgify's own authorization docs are at docs.lodgify.com/docs/authorization, and our walkthrough is in finding your Lodgify API key.

One thing to understand before you copy it: a Lodgify API key carries both read and write access. Treat it like a password. Don't paste it into a support chat or a shared document, and if it is ever exposed, regenerate it in Lodgify.

Connecting

Connecting takes one thing: paste the key when prompted. GuestsKey checks it immediately, so you know straight away if it didn't take.

There is no webhook setup on Lodgify's side. GuestsKey registers for booking updates itself using your key, and unregisters if you disconnect. The full guide is in connect Lodgify.

What imports

Active properties, plus bookings. Every channel connected to Lodgify comes through, whether that's Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Expedia, or direct reservations, because GuestsKey reads Lodgify, not the channels.

Each Lodgify booking status becomes something specific on our side:

• Booked becomes a GuestsKey booking that generates codes.
• Declined is treated as a cancellation.
• Open and Tentative holds are ignored until they firm up.

Guest phone numbers arrive with the booking, which matters because the default code is the last 4 digits of the guest's booking phone number. Guest email addresses fill in as bookings update rather than always arriving with the first import, so a freshly imported reservation may briefly lack one. After the first import, bookings sync automatically in real time.

The one setting to check: property timezone

Here's why this one matters more than it sounds. Everything on the code side is computed in the property's local timezone. By default the code activates 10 minutes before check-in and stops at checkout, with a 0-minute grace period; both grace periods are configurable from 0 to 180 minutes per property. All of that is only as good as the zone it's computed in. This is the one Lodgify-specific gotcha we know of, and closing it is a matter of opening each property once.

The lock side

Connecting Lodgify says nothing about the lock. That's a separate connection, and the model decides the path, not the brand.

• Wi-Fi locks connect through Seam: manufacturer account plus a 2.4 GHz network, no hub.
• Z-Wave locks connect through a SmartThings hub (v2, v3, or Aeotec).
• The Home Assistant path is alpha.

Schlage, Yale, Kwikset and August all make both kinds, so check your model before you decide. Choosing a lock connection walks through it, and the full list is on our supported locks page. Via Seam that's Yale, Schlage, August, Kwikset, Lockly, Nuki, Ultraloq, Wyze, igloohome, Tedee and TTLock; via SmartThings it's Z-Wave locks from Schlage, Yale, Kwikset, August, Baldwin and Weiser. Only locks that can be programmed with codes are listed after connecting.

What GuestsKey adds beyond the guest code

This is where the per-device price stops being the whole comparison.

One PIN per booking, on every lock. The code is applied to every automated lock on the property. If two bookings would collide on a lock, the code is extended one phone digit at a time (up to 7), constrained by the lengths the lock accepts; if nothing is free, you're alerted.

Cleaners. A cleaner's PIN is always-on across every lock in the account. Add a lock or add a cleaner and it fans out automatically. Each cleaner gets a phone-friendly portal link by text. No app.

Guest portal. One link with the door code, WiFi, check-in instructions and house rules. It goes out automatically when the guest's code is confirmed on the lock, not when the booking is created, and it withholds the code until the code activates. The link stops working two hours after checkout.

Emergency backup codes. Opt-in per property and off by default. When on, a lock health check runs 15 minutes before check-in and a code check 5 minutes before; on failure the guest is emailed a backup code and you're notified.

One-time keys. Also included; every account gets every feature.

Stuck codes. If a code sits mid-update for more than about 15 minutes, or mid-removal for more than 30, GuestsKey flags it and watches for the manufacturer to confirm rather than resubmitting. One notification per incident. Don't factory-reset the lock.

Lodgify's add-on is a guest-code feature, which is fine if guest codes are all you need. If you have a cleaner, that is usually the line where the comparison tips.