Head to head

Why operators pick Salto.

We install Salto, so treat this as the Salto case, made honestly. Where staying on your current brand is the smarter move, we say so. Where Salto is genuinely better, here is exactly why.

Salto is trusted by properties including Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Waldorf Astoria Park City, Wynn Palace, and BWH Hotels worldwide.

SaltoSaflokVingCarddormakaba Ambiance
Credential securityModern encrypted (MIFARE DESFire / AES-128)MIFARE Classic (advisory)Legacy formats; 2018 Vision advisoryMIFARE Classic (advisory)
Platform breadthGuest doors, common areas, cylinders, wall readers, multifamily, commercialHospitality lock lineHospitality lock lineHospitality lock line
ArchitectureData-on-card, full offline, no hardwiringOnline + offline, dormakaba-managedOnline + offlineOnline + offline, cloud option
Mobile keysBLE, NFC, Apple WalletYes (newer gen)Modern via VostioYes (Apple Wallet)
PMS integrationHotel PMS + guest-journey platformsYesYesYes
SupportUS-based installer: 4-hr reply, 90-day windowDepends on your dealerDepends on your dealerDepends on your dealer
LifecycleCurrent, full support2024 advisoryClassic = legacy2024 + 2025 advisories

Competitor values reflect each brand’s current public product status and the manufacturer notices cited on our migration pages. Mobile keys and PMS integration are close to parity across modern platforms; we say so. The Support row reflects RevKey’s own service commitment as your installing partner, not the brand, since in every system support is delivered by the partner you choose. We scope either path honestly; this comparison makes the Salto case.

Sources: Unsaflok disclosure, dormakaba security support, and the 2018 VingCard Vision advisory.

Where Salto wins, brand by brand

Each card is honest about when staying put is the right call, and grounded in the same data as our migration pages.

Saflok

Security advisory active
Stay in the family

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 that program and you are happy with your support, completing it in family is a legitimate path.

Where Salto wins
  • Replaces the MIFARE Classic credentials the advisory forges with modern encrypted DESFire.
  • ANSI mortise replacement keeps your existing door prep on most installs.
  • One Salto platform across guest doors, common areas, and back of house, supported by a US-based partner who answers.

Already in dormakaba's remediation program and like your dealer? Finishing it is fair. Many operators replace instead, because once every door is open and every card reissued, a modern platform is the smaller marginal step.

See the Saflok migration path →

VingCard

Legacy
Stay in the family

Classic VingCard's modern equivalent is ASSA ABLOY Vostio. If you have a strong ASSA ABLOY relationship and want minimum operational change, Vostio is the easier upgrade. We are glad to scope it.

Where Salto wins
  • One Salto platform with data-on-card offline operation across guest doors, common areas, and amenities, not just a single hospitality lock line.
  • ANSI mortise compatible, so the swap stays at the door.
  • One stack and a US-based partner, no catalog hand-off between manufacturer and installer.

Love ASSA ABLOY? Vostio is the easy in-family move. Want one platform across door types and a partner who answers? Salto tends to be stronger.

See the VingCard migration path →

dormakaba Ambiance

Security advisory active
Stay in the family

Ambiance is dormakaba's current platform, but it is named in the 2024 Unsaflok and May 2025 Saflok advisories. If your locks, cards, and encoders are fully remediated and your support is good, staying is reasonable. The honest first step is confirming where your fleet actually stands.

Where Salto wins
  • One Salto platform across guest doors, common areas, cylinders, and wall readers when you are consolidating multiple properties.
  • Modern encrypted DESFire credentials and data-on-card offline operation, not a format named in an advisory.
  • A US-based partner who answers when the current dormakaba dealer relationship has not been working.

Fully remediated and happy with your dealer? Staying is reasonable. Not sure, consolidating a portfolio, or opening every door to remediate anyway? That is when Ambiance-to-Salto makes sense.

See the dormakaba Ambiance migration path →

Why us, why Salto, why now

WHY US

Install-only. Salto-flagship. Veteran-led.

RevKey is veteran-owned and a Certified Salto Partner. We do not split attention across four brands or sell hardware out of a catalog. In the Salto model your support comes from the partner you pick, and ours is US-based, with a four-hour reply and a named contact.

WHY SALTO

Data-on-card, one platform, modern credentials.

Salto runs data-on-card, so locks keep working fully offline with no hardwiring; one platform spans guest doors, common areas, cylinders, and wall readers across hospitality, multifamily, and commercial; and it uses modern encrypted DESFire credentials instead of the legacy formats the incumbent advisories exploit.

WHY NOW

The window favors moving early.

Legacy lines are sunsetting and security notices are active across the incumbents. Properties that scope in the next two quarters land before parts dry up and installer calendars fill.

Honest comparison questions

  • You install Salto. Why should I trust your comparison?

    Because we tell you when staying put is the smarter move. If you are on current-generation hardware with good support, we say so on this page and on our migration pages. We make the Salto case where it is genuinely stronger, not everywhere.

  • Is it ever smarter to stay on my current brand?

    Yes. If your dormakaba Ambiance or Saflok fleet is fully remediated against the 2024 and 2025 Saflok advisories and your support is good, completing in family is reasonable. If you have a strong ASSA ABLOY relationship and want minimum change, Vostio can be the right call. We will scope either honestly.

  • Do I have to replace 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.

  • How fast can you scope my property?

    Email submissions get a real-person response within four business hours, with real numbers, not a generic ask-for-more-info reply.

Ready for a real comparison on your property?

Self-Scope Worksheet gives us the most context. Quote wizard is faster. Either way: a real scope back within four business hours, no phone ambush.

Open Self-Scope WorksheetGet a Quote →

Want the honest read for your property?

Tell us your current brand and door count. We respond within four business hours with where Salto helps and where it does not.