Saving Time and Sleep: How The Poppy Georgetown Reclaimed Operations with Goki

OPERATIONS

Located in the heart of Washington, D.C., The Poppy Georgetown is a boutique guesthouse known for its warm design aesthetic, personalised hospitality, and effortless guest experience.

Why it matters: When management sought to simplify daily operations while maintaining their signature charm, they turned to Goki to modernise access control and relieve the strain of manual processes.

By adopting Goki’s smart‑access technology, The Poppy Georgetown eliminated late‑night lockout issues and streamlined its entire check‑in process - saving time for staff and improving every guest’s arrival experience

Top 3 Core Objectives: The Poppy Georgetown aimed to modernise guest access, simplify operations through remote management, and strengthen security with transparent oversight - all while preserving its boutique, guest‑focused charm.

Enable Remote Guest Management: Managing access used to require physical keycards and emergency visits in the middle of the night. With Goki, staff can now issue, change, or revoke digital PINs instantly from anywhere - via laptop or mobile - without returning to the property. This remote capability has eliminated after‑hours callouts and allows smaller teams to operate efficiently across multiple sites.
Simplify the Check-in Experience: Previous check‑ins relied on physical keycards stored in lockboxes. Guests often faced confusion retrieving keys, especially at night or in poor lighting. By replacing that process with digital access codes tied to each guest’s phone number, The Poppy Georgetown now offers a smoother arrival with less friction and no manual handovers. Guests consistently praise the simplicity - “it’s my phone number, so it’s easy to remember”.
Strengthen Security and Oversight: Goki’s digital access system provides detailed logs for guest and staff entries, ensuring complete traceability. Staff can now confirm exact access times and quickly resolve any disputes. This transparency has built greater accountability without additional hardware or staffing. The system’s time‑bound PINs also prevent early access or late returns, enhancing security and peace of mind.

"We’re a small property, so we’re not always on site. Before Goki, I’d have to drive out in the middle of the night every couple of weeks to help guests with lost keys. Now we can fix everything remotely - it saves us time and, honestly, a lot of sleep."

Nico Vroom

General Manager

Innovators Mentioned

The Poppy Georgetown Guesthouse and Gardens

Goki

Nico Vroom

General Manager

The Poppy Georgetown Guesthouse and Gardens

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👍 General Manager Nico Vroom said that Goki eliminated the need for late‑night on‑site interventions by allowing staff to manage guest access remotely, saving time and preventing after‑hours disruptions:

"We’re a small property, so we’re not always on site. Before Goki, I’d have to drive out in the middle of the night every couple of weeks to help guests with lost keys. Now we can fix everything remotely - it saves us time and, honestly, a lot of sleep."

⚖️ The selection process: During their research process, Nico Vroom evaluated Goki's product differentiators, customer support, and holistic value as a strategic partner and ultimately decided that Goki was the best fit solution:

General Manager Nico Vroom said, about their decision: "If somebody says, ‘I didn’t go into that room,’ we can say, ‘No, you did.’ You can’t hide anymore — the system will tell you."

📈 The results: Goki Smart Locks were installed across the property, giving each guest a unique access PIN linked to their mobile number. The system integrates seamlessly with the property operations platform, allowing instant lock updates and remote management - whether staff are on‑site or off‑duty.

Eliminated after-hours callouts: Staff no longer need to drive to the property late at night or early morning due to lost keys or guest lockouts, significantly saving personal time and avoiding sleep disruption. As one manager said, "It saved me a lot of sleep’’.
Significant time savings: Automated PIN management replaced manual keycard duplication, lockbox resets, and physical handover logistics, freeing up staff hours weekly for more guest-focused activities.
Cost-effective operations: While there was an upfront hardware cost for new locks, operational savings from reduced travel and time spent on access management outweigh these costs, especially for small, lean teams.

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