How RFID Readers Can Perfect the Vacation Experience

Overview: 

A major ski resort installed large RFID-enabled gates at each mountain access point, allowing guests wearing an RFID ski pass to ski through the gates while RFID readers collected the ID number and sent it to a database tied to the guest’s profile. The profile was immediately displayed on a weatherproof computer monitored by a staff member stationed at the lift, providing the guest’s photo, name, age, and product purchased. The new, streamlined process reduced the time guests waited in line to reach the top of the mountain and start their day on the slopes. The system worked so well, that the IT department decided to extend the usage of the RFID ski passes to allow guests to use them at the resort’s restaurants.

“We wanted to give our guests the convenience of locking their wallets and credit cards in their guest room and using the ski pass for more than just mountain access.”

The idea seemed perfect except for one giant obstacle.

Challenge: 

The existing readers were around $450 each, which put the project over budget. In addition, the readers were serial devices that would not work with the MICROS  POS terminals located in the restaurants. Although RFID was the right approach, the level of technical sophistication provided by the ski-pass RFID readers was overkill for the resort’s restaurants and the team began researching less expensive options. 

Solution:

They found the perfect solution with RF IDeas pcProx card readers:
“The RF IDeas readers were compatible with the specs of the existing RFID media that we already had in place but the price would be significantly less than the readers used in the resort.”

Wearing their lift pass, guests could purchase meals at any of the resort’s restaurants and on the way out, would simply either tap the pass on the pcProx reader mounted near the cash register or keep it on their jacket and stand next to the reader.

The resort initially purchased about 30 pcProx readers to test the concept. Today, they have an installed base of over 100 pcProx 13.56 MHz (RDR-7581AKU) readers and 80 pcProx Plus (RDR-80581AKU) readers.

And the benefits only continue to provide excellence in guest service and satisfaction:

“RF IDeas has been a good asset to our company. The readers have been a great addition and we were definitely happy to find it. In fact, we’ve had a number of ski resorts get in touch with us and ask about them and we’re happy to oblige.”

Solid technology, unsurpassed quality, and partnering with the best integrators in the industry allow ADVANTIDGE to provide solutions that add quantifiable value to its customers. 

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At ADVANTIDGE, we work with our security integration partners and government contractors to be the experts on hand for complex applications for identity management, visitor management, prox upgrades, mobile ID, and more. By conducting thorough technical assessments, we support your clients as an extension of your company. For specific information please contact us for more information.