Keycafe Continues to Expand Property Access Services in Vancouver

After starting up in 2012, Keycafe has been providing property access management and key exchange services in Vancouver and across the rest of the world for more than six years. While Keycafe has been steadily launching in new cities like Melbourne, Taipei, and Florence, Vancouver has remained Keycafe’s headquarters and first city with dozens of locations for residents to exchange keys. As Keycafe continues to install SmartBoxes in places like Malone’s Social House, property managers, Airbnb hosts, and residents across the city can easily manage property access.  

Looking Back at Keycafe’s Beginnings 

Keycafe began when CEO and co-founder Clayton Brown couldn’t find a convenient and reliable way to exchange his apartment keys with his Airbnb guests. While Brown tried a variety of inventive key exchange methods, he quickly realised that a more comprehensive service to manage property access and share keys was needed. While Keycafe started in its early days with a completely manual key exchange system, the company has evolved and employs fully automated key exchange SmartBoxes today. 

Keycafe first launched in Vancouver’s Waves coffee on Howe Street in 2012, working with baristas to help people store and exchange their keys. In 2015, Keycafe partnered with 7-Eleven, providing SmartBoxes in a variety of 24/7 locations in Vancouver, New York City, and Taiwan. Today, Keycafe is still adding new locations in its hometown, with new SmartBoxes recently installed at Megabite Pizza at 1005 Granville street, and Pizza Garden at 675 Smithe street.

About Keycafe’s Smartbox

Keycafe’s SmartBoxes are built in-house at the company’s headquarters in downtown Vancouver, and are a result of continuous research and development over the past six years. Powered by internet of things technology, Keycafe’s SmartBoxes enable anyone to store and access their keys, fobs, or keycards, while being able to give access through anyone’s email address or mobile phone number. Once someone has received access, all they need to do is enter the unique code they received by text message or email and pick up their keys. 

Keycafe’s new one-click guest check-in link simplifies the key exchange process by providing guests with a step-by-step guide on accessing their keys, complete with maps, the guest access code, and a direct line to Keycafe’s support team. Whether you’re sharing your keys with an Airbnb guest or need to give access to a cleaning or dog-walking service while you’re away from home, Keycafe makes managing property access easy.

Keycafe’s SmartBoxes can also be purchased by enterprises and businesses for private use, allowing them to store and manage keys and accesses privately. Keycafe’s API integrations and key management app make it easy to manage a large volume of keys and accesses through your own software systems and workflows. You can find more information about SmartBox features and pricing on our SmartBox and Enterprise pages.

Keycafe’s Location Partners in Vancouver

Keycafe has partnered with various businesses across Vancouver to provide a large network of key exchange locations across the city. Our partners provide safe and friendly locations to pick up and drop off your keys, connecting their surrounding communities to the sharing economy. You can see our locations in Vancouver and around the rest of the world by visiting the Keycafe locations map.

If you don’t have a SmartBox near you, let us know by filling out the form at the bottom of the locations page so we know where to expand next.