How to Connect a KeyNest Key Locker

What is the KeyNest integration?

KeyNest lockers store the physical keys to your property in a secure, code-operated locker. The KeyNest integration connects your locker to Nowistay so that a unique collection code is generated automatically for every guest booking. The guest enters the code on the locker, takes the key, and lets themselves in.

It is the option to pick when your door cannot take a smart lock: a listed building, a shared entrance, a landlord who will not allow hardware changes, or simply a door you would rather not touch.

Each code only works during the guest stay and is revoked automatically after check-out, exactly like a smart lock code.

Important: only one device can be assigned per property. If you mix brands across your portfolio (KeyNest, August, Yale, Schlage, Nuki, igloohome, TTLock, Tedee), you pick one device per property.

Prerequisites

Before connecting KeyNest to Nowistay, make sure you have:

• A KeyNest account with at least one locker installed and online. Seam supports the Small, Medium, Large and Extended Large locker models.
• The property keys physically deposited in the locker compartment. Nowistay generates the code that opens the compartment, it does not manage what is inside it.
• Your properties must be configured with Nowistay PMS (channel manager). Only properties using the Nowistay PMS integration appear in the configuration panel. Properties connected through a direct OTA integration or a third-party PMS are not displayed. If you currently use another PMS, see how to migrate to Nowistay PMS.

Good to know: a KeyNest locker is a key handover point, not a door lock. Your guest opens the locker once on arrival to collect the key, then uses the physical key for the rest of the stay. Remind them in your check-out message to put the key back in the locker.

Step 1: Open the Premium smart locks panel

From your Nowistay dashboard, go to Integrations. Under the Smart locks section, find the Premium - Schlage / Yale / August / KeyNest card and click Connect.

About the screenshots: the captures below were taken with a Yale account, because the connection flow is shared by all Premium brands. The screens are identical for KeyNest. The only difference is the brand you pick in the connection window.

The Premium smart locks drawer opens. Click Connect Yale, Schlage, August or KeyNest.

Step 2: Sign in to your KeyNest account

A secure connection window opens. Nowistay never sees or stores your KeyNest password. Your credentials go straight from your browser to KeyNest.

Click Continue, then pick KeyNest from the list of brands. The capture below shows Yale selected, but KeyNest sits in the same list.

Sign in with your KeyNest credentials and approve the connection. The window closes and you are back in the Premium smart locks drawer, with the account listed under Connected account.

Step 3: Assign lockers to your properties

Once your account is connected, the panel lists your KeyNest lockers under Lock assignments, with one row per property.

For each property you want to equip:

1. Find the property in the list (use the Filter properties... search box at the top).
2. Click the Select a device dropdown next to the property.
3. Pick the KeyNest locker that holds the keys for that property.

As soon as you select a locker, Nowistay marks it Active and starts billing the $6/month fee for that device. Lockers that are not assigned to any property stay Inactive and are not billed.

Important: each property can only have one device assigned at a time, whatever the brand. If the property already has a smart lock assigned, remove it first.

To change the assigned locker later, pick a different one from the dropdown. To remove the assignment entirely, use the Remove button. The locker becomes Inactive and is no longer billed from the following month onward.

If a locker does not appear in the dropdown

The dropdown only shows KeyNest devices that can receive online codes. If one of your lockers is missing:

• Make sure the locker is powered on and online in your KeyNest account.
• Confirm the locker is one of the supported models (Small, Medium, Large, Extended Large).
• If you see a Some locks are hidden notice at the top of the panel, the listed devices cannot receive online codes and cannot be used with Nowistay.

Pricing: how the integration is billed

The Premium smart locks integration uses a per-device monthly fee on top of your Nowistay subscription. The rules are simple:

• Connecting your account is free. You can browse all your lockers before deciding which ones to use with Nowistay.
• A locker is only billed once it is assigned to a property. Connected but unassigned lockers stay inactive and free.
• As soon as you assign a locker to a property, Nowistay activates it and charges $6 for the full month for that device, even if you remove the assignment later in the same month.
• Only the lockers actually mapped to a property are billed, not every device visible in your account.

Example: if you have 3 lockers in your account and assign 2 of them to your properties on March 5, you will be billed $12 for March. The third one stays free until you assign it.

Connecting multiple accounts

If your lockers are spread across several accounts (for example, one account per building, per co-host, or per region), you can connect all of them to Nowistay. Each account contributes its own devices to the Premium smart locks panel.

To add another account, open the Premium smart locks drawer from Integrations and click Add next to Connected account. The same secure connection window opens and you can sign in with a different account.

Billing rules are unchanged: only devices you actually assign to a property are charged $6/month, whatever account they come from.

How automatic passcodes work

Once a locker is assigned to a property, Nowistay handles everything automatically:

1. A booking is created for your property, from any platform (Airbnb, Booking.com, VRBO, Expedia, direct booking, manual entry).
2. Before the guest arrives, Nowistay generates a unique keypad code. By default the code is created 5 days before check-in, and you can set this from 1 to 14 days per device.
3. The code is active during the stay only. It starts working before the scheduled check-in time and stops working after the scheduled check-out time, based on the access margin you configured (default: 30 minutes, maximum: 240 minutes).
4. After checkout, the code is automatically revoked and removed from the device.

Configuring the code generation timing

For each device, you can choose how many days before check-in Nowistay should push the code. The setting appears below the device selector, labeled Generate codes X days before arrival. Allowed values are 1 to 14 days, with a default of 5 days.

• A guest checks in on March 20 and the setting is 5 days, so the code is created on March 15.
• A guest checks in on March 20 and the setting is 1 day, so the code is created on March 19.

If the code cannot be created on the scheduled day (for example, if the device is temporarily offline), Nowistay retries every hour until it succeeds, up to midnight on the check-in day in the property's local timezone.

Configuring the access margin

The access margin controls how much extra time the code stays valid before check-in and after check-out. The setting appears below the code generation timing. Allowed values are 0 to 240 minutes (4 hours), with a default of 30 minutes. The margin is applied symmetrically, so the same duration is added before check-in and after check-out.

Example: with a 3:00 PM check-in, an 11:00 AM check-out and a 30-minute margin, the code works from 2:30 PM on the arrival day to 11:30 AM on the departure day.

Which check-in and check-out times are used?

The validity window is based on the check-in and check-out times of each booking, in the property's timezone:

• The negotiated check-in and check-out times if they are set on the specific booking.
• Otherwise, the default check-in and check-out times configured on the property.
• If neither is set, Nowistay falls back to 3:00 PM check-in and 11:00 AM check-out.

If code generation fails

If Nowistay cannot create a code (for example, if the device is offline), the system keeps retrying every hour:

• The evening before check-in (6:00 PM local time): if the code still has not been created, you receive an email alert so you can investigate.
• Midnight on the check-in day (local time): the system stops retrying.

Sending the code to your guests automatically

The generated code is available in your automated guest messages through the {{smartlock_code}} variable. The legacy {{nuki_code}} variable also works, for backward compatibility.

Create an automated message triggered before check-in and include something like:

Your key collection code is {{smartlock_code}}. Enter it on the KeyNest locker to open the compartment and take the key. Please put the key back in the locker when you leave.

Your guests receive their code automatically, with no manual handoff. See how to set up automated guest messages for the full walkthrough.

Choosing how the code is generated

By default, Nowistay generates a random code for each booking. You can also use the last digits of your guest's phone number, which makes the code easier to remember. Open the smart lock settings for the property and pick from the Code source dropdown:

• Random code (default): Nowistay generates a unique random code for every booking.
• Last digits of guest phone: the code is derived from the guest's phone number.

If the guest phone mode is selected but the number is missing, too short, already in use, or refused by the device, Nowistay automatically falls back to a random code, so your guests always get a working access code.

Disconnecting an account

To disconnect an account, open the Premium smart locks drawer from Integrations and click Disconnect next to the account name. Disconnecting will:

• Revoke active codes for current and upcoming guests of the devices linked to that account.
• Remove all property assignments tied to that account's devices.
• Stop all future code generation for those devices.

If you have several accounts connected, disconnecting one only affects its own devices. Your other accounts keep working normally.