Why We Built GuestsKey: A Vacation Rental Host's Frustration

The Night That Changed Everything

I remember the exact moment I decided to build GuestsKey.

It was a Friday night in October 2023. I was managing three vacation rental properties in Arizona—a cabin in Flagstaff, a casita in Scottsdale, and a desert retreat near Sedona. My wife and I had just sat down to dinner when my phone buzzed.

"Hi, we're at the property but the code isn't working. We've tried it 5 times. Please help!"

My stomach dropped. I checked my notes. The code should have been active. I opened the SmartThings app on my phone—and saw the problem immediately. I had programmed the code for the wrong property. The Scottsdale code was on the Flagstaff lock.

For the next 45 minutes, I fumbled through three different apps trying to fix it remotely. My guests—a couple celebrating their anniversary—stood outside in the cold October desert air while I apologized profusely via text.

"The moment I got them inside, I knew: there had to be a better way. I shouldn't be the single point of failure for my guests' first impression."

The Manual Code Management Nightmare

Before that night, I thought I had a system. For each new booking, I would:

1. 1Check OwnerRez for the booking details
2. 2Generate a random 6-digit code
3. 3Open the SmartThings app
4. 4Navigate to the correct property's lock
5. 5Program the code with check-in/checkout dates
6. 6Copy the code to my guest messaging template
7. 7Send the check-in instructions

Seven steps per booking. At 15-20 bookings per month across three properties, that's over 100 manual steps—each one an opportunity for error.

And the errors added up:

• Wrong property (my October nightmare)
• Wrong dates (code expired before checkout)
• Typos in the code I sent to guests
• Forgetting to delete old codes (security risk)
• Cleaners without access during turnovers

I Tried Everything Else First

Trust me, I didn't want to build my own software. I spent months trying existing solutions.

RBoy Apps (RIP)

RBoy's Rental Lock Automater was the gold standard—until SmartThings killed the Groovy platform in late 2022. Like thousands of other hosts, I watched my perfectly working automation die overnight. RBoy's new Edge Drivers don't support calendar automation.

RemoteLock

Professional-grade, but the pricing was brutal. At $0.99/device/month plus setup fees, my three properties with backup locks would cost nearly $100/month. And it required specific hardware—my existing Yale and Schlage locks wouldn't work.

Hospitable / Hostfully

Great guest communication platforms, but their lock integrations felt like afterthoughts. Limited lock support, iCal-based sync (with all its delays), and no support for my SmartThings setup.

Manual Spreadsheets + Reminders

I even tried the "low-tech" approach—a Google Sheet with all upcoming codes and calendar reminders to program them. It worked until it didn't. One missed reminder, one vacation where I didn't check my phone, and I was back to midnight scrambles.

The Decision to Build

By early 2024, I'd had enough. I'm a software engineer by trade—I build things for a living. Why was I tolerating a broken process that stressed me out every week?

I sketched out what I actually needed:

• OwnerRez integration that actually understood bookings (not iCal feeds)
• SmartThings control that worked with my existing locks
• Automatic code generation the moment a booking was confirmed
• Memorable codes guests wouldn't forget (phone number-based)
• Cleaner access that just worked during turnovers
• Zero daily maintenance—set it and forget it

Six months later, GuestsKey was running on all three of my properties.

The difference was immediate. No more Friday night panics. No more "did I remember to program that code?" anxiety. My cleaners always had access. My guests always got in.

More importantly, I got my weekends back. Vacation rentals are supposed to be semi-passive income, but manual code management had turned them into a second job.

Why We're Sharing It

I could have kept GuestsKey as my personal tool forever. But every time I talked to other OwnerRez users in Facebook groups and forums, I heard the same frustrations:

There are thousands of hosts in the same situation I was in—managing properties with SmartThings locks, using OwnerRez for bookings, and manually programming codes because they have no other option.

GuestsKey is the tool I wish existed when I started hosting. Now it does.

Our Philosophy

If you're still manually programming codes, I get it. It's easy to think "it's fine, it only takes a few minutes." But those minutes add up. The stress adds up. And eventually, you'll have your own 11 PM nightmare.

GuestsKey exists so you don't have to.

— The GuestsKey Team