The 2024 Unsaflok advisory affects Saflok MT, Quantum, RT, Saffire, and Confidant locks. There is a clear, planned path off it, on your schedule.
Replace Saflok locks in Charleston.
RevKey is a Certified Salto Partner and veteran-owned business that plans and installs Salto for Saflok properties in Charleston, migrating you off Saflok floor by floor without pulling rooms out of inventory.
Charleston's boutique and historic-restoration properties carry legacy Saflok and keycard estates that the March 2024 Unsaflok disclosure put squarely in scope for its forged-keycard risk. Because a real fix means touching every lock, reissuing all keycards, and upgrading encoders, the historic-district preservation review extends the timeline on the peninsula's roughly 5,167 rooms. Humid coastal corrosion already drives hardware choice, so upgrading once while every door is open beats patching and revisiting. With tourism setting a record $14.03B impact in 2024 and the Accommodations Overlay Ordinance shaping what can be built, the legacy stock is ripe for migration. If you are remediating anyway, re-platforming to Salto is a legitimate option.
- Charleston has a humid subtropical climate with summer relative humidity around 75-79% and direct coastal salt-air exposure, conditions that generally accelerate corrosion of exposed metal hardware.
- As of recent city planning data the Charleston peninsula has roughly 5,167 hotel rooms in operation, a constrained downtown supply shaped by the Accommodations Overlay.
- As of 2024, Charleston-area tourism generated a record $14.03 billion economic impact with about 7.89 million visitors and roughly 4.94 million hotel room-nights sold at 70.6% average occupancy.
Sources: Wikipedia, Historic Charleston Foundation, Charleston City Paper, Unsaflok
What we plan for in Charleston
Charleston's Board of Architectural Review and historic-district oversight governs visible hardware changes on many peninsula and restored properties, so escutcheon profiles, finishes, and any drilling on protected door assemblies need sign-off before work begins. RevKey scopes these doors early, selects Salto trims that preserve the existing look where required, and sequences install so that approval-pending openings do not stall the rest of the floor.
Older boutique properties here commonly run Saflok MT, with legacy keycard hardware in some select-service stock, so a cutover has to keep guests on working keys throughout. RevKey migrates wing by wing off Saflok and legacy keycard systems, validating the Salto credential at each opening before retiring the old reader so no occupied room loses access during the transition.
The Saflok migration, in brief
2024 Unsaflok advisory affects Saflok MT, Quantum, RT, Saffire, and Confidant locks. Manufacturer-recommended action: software update or replacement, plus reissuing all keycards.
The Wide Body trim covers the existing Saflok door prep, so most doors take the new lock without new millwork. Runs modern encrypted MIFARE DESFire credentials, closing the MIFARE Classic exposure the advisory exploits.
Full Saflok playbook: every Salto option, door prep, and timeline ranges →
How a Charleston project runs
The same disciplined sequence on every property, scaled to your door count.
Site assessment and door-by-door survey
We walk the property (or review your survey worksheet), confirm door prep and brand requirements, and identify what each opening needs. No guesswork before the quote.
Scope and migration plan
A real scoped quote: hardware, credential plan, PMS integration, and a phased schedule built around your occupancy, not a placeholder estimate.
Phased install
Floor-by-floor cutover coordinated with housekeeping, so rooms stay sellable. No property-wide shutdown.
PMS and mobile-key validation
PMS integration and brand mobile keys configured and tested before guests touch them, so the front desk is live on day one.
Train and support
Front-desk training and a fixed post-install support window so the team is confident before we hand off.
Common questions about Saflok migrations in Charleston
Do I have to replace my Saflok locks, or can I upgrade them?
Either can be valid. The 2024 Unsaflok advisory affects the Saflok MT, Quantum, RT, Saffire, and Confidant lines, and dormakaba's fix is a software update or replacement on every affected lock, plus reissuing all keycards and upgrading encoders. If your fleet is already in dormakaba's remediation program, finishing it in family is a legitimate path. We will tell you honestly which makes sense before you commit to anything.
What does a Saflok-to-Salto migration actually change at the door?
On most Saflok MT installs, Salto XS4 One drops into the existing ANSI mortise prep, so the door itself does not change. You move from the MIFARE Classic credentials the advisory forges to modern encrypted DESFire with BLE, NFC, and Apple Wallet mobile keys, so that exposure goes away entirely.
Do I have to convert every door at once?
No. We install door by door during normal operating hours, typically thirty to forty doors per day, with a first-door sign-off before mass install. Larger properties run phased over weeks against your access windows.
How long does a Saflok migration take?
Scoping plus phased install runs roughly 3 to 5 weeks under 100 doors, 6 to 10 weeks for 100 to 250 doors, and longer for larger phased properties. Actual timing depends on access windows, brand-standard review, and materials procurement, which we date for you when we quote.
Will Salto meet my brand mobile-key standard?
Yes. Salto installs to brand mobile-key spec and integrates directly with the major hotel PMS platforms. We validate brand compliance as part of the install, not as an afterthought.
Will we have to close floors or rooms during the Salto install?
No. RevKey works the property in phases, typically wing by wing or floor by floor, and brings a new opening fully online before moving on, so occupied rooms keep working keys throughout. For a 50 to 200 key Charleston property the deployment generally runs a small number of weeks depending on door count, historic-review timing, and how many openings need custom hardware.
Next step: scope your Charleston migration
Tell us about your Charleston property currently running Saflok hardware. We respond within four business hours with a real, phased migration scope.