If RFID is a technology of the future for locks, what lies in the future for safes? RFID? That is what Elsafe, a subsidiary of Assa Abloy, is banking on. Its upscale Sentinel and Infinity models are now available with an RFID system for an offer that makes a break from the classic code model. “We exhibited a prototype at Equip’Hôtel and the first safes have been on the market for a few weeks. There is a demand – interest – from major international chains,” points out Christian Hénon, president of Assa Abloy Hospitality France. The card reader relieves the hotelier of recurring problems with safes that get blocked because a code is forgotten or wrong.At Dometic, the ProSafe range is also available in drawer (MDD 451) and top open (MDT 401) versions. “We have offered them for two years. Demand is increasingly coming from architects and hoteliers,” declares Isabelle Carbon. The Xtra range from Elsafe is available in several versions that are intended for use outside the closet (Xtra In and On-wall, Xtra Floor). SafePlace also developed external safes to adapt to the needs of the chain Citizen M. On the wall or fitted under the bed, these safes fit into innovative designs.Nonetheless, aside from these new models, revolutions are rare in the safe world. SafePlace continues to commercialize its biometrics safe Impact Finger Print Safe but the market, despite all the prospects offered by biometrics in terms of security, does not seem ready yet for outrageous innovation. But how can one not be conservative when the very function of the safe is to protect the customer’s valuable objects within its walls? “The safe is made for the hotelier who wants to protect himself and his guests. Its purpose is to dissuade theft, to make it as difficult as...