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 Chicago.
RevKey is a Certified Salto Partner and veteran-owned business that plans and installs Salto for Saflok properties in Chicago, migrating you off Saflok floor by floor without pulling rooms out of inventory.
Chicago properties on Saflok are reassessing in the wake of the March 2024 Unsaflok disclosure, where a forged-keycard chain derived from one card could open every room on affected lines. A real fix means firmware or hardware on every lock plus reissuing all keycards and upgrading front-desk software, and Chicago's union install crews and convention-driven cutover windows around McCormick Place (the largest center in North America) make the schedule unforgiving. The city's below-freezing freeze-thaw cycles derate lock batteries, so the hardware decision matters when you are already in every door. With multi-tower complexes like the 2,929-room Hyatt Regency campus phasing renovations through 2027, the coordination is identical whether you patch or re-platform. If every lock is open for remediation anyway, moving to Salto is a legitimate option.
- McCormick Place is the largest convention center in North America with about 2.6 million square feet of exhibit space, anchoring a citywide-event calendar that drives the occupancy windows installs must phase around.
- The McCormick Place campus holds about 2,929 on-site hotel rooms connected by enclosed sky bridges, including the 1,258-room Hyatt Regency McCormick Place undergoing a phased tower renovation through 2027.
- Chicago winters routinely drop below 32F with repeated freeze-thaw cycles along the Lake Michigan lakefront, a cold-cycling regime that mechanically stresses door hardware and exterior access components.
Sources: Wikipedia, Choose Chicago, Wikipedia (Climate of Chicago), Unsaflok
What we plan for in Chicago
Chicago winters run well below freezing for extended stretches, and early-generation keycard locks already show shortened battery life in the cold; exterior and unheated corridor doors are most affected. RevKey specifies Salto hardware with cold-rated battery handling and sets a maintenance baseline so winter does not surprise the property with simultaneous low-battery alerts. We sequence exterior and amenity-entry doors first so the most exposed openings are commissioned and tested under realistic conditions.
The McCormick Place and Loop convention calendar drives near-full occupancy in peak weeks, which compresses the windows available for floor-by-floor cutover. RevKey schedules migration around the property's booking pace and works the building in phases so no floor is taken fully offline. We target lower-demand weeks for the heaviest cutover blocks and keep guest-facing doors operational throughout.
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 Chicago 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 Chicago
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.
How long does a Salto migration take for a large Chicago convention hotel?
For a multi-tower property in the 300 to 700 key band, plan on a phased rollout measured in weeks rather than days, with the exact range driven by tower count, door conditions, and the convention calendar. We work floor by floor and tower by tower so no floor is ever fully closed, and we time the heaviest cutover blocks for lower-occupancy weeks. You get a firm phase schedule before mobilization.
Next step: scope your Chicago migration
Tell us about your Chicago property currently running Saflok hardware. We respond within four business hours with a real, phased migration scope.