Overview
Doors in Portal represent physical access points such as rooms, shared areas, lifts, or lockers.
This article explains how to import doors from your PMS, manage door details, configure lock settings, and monitor door activity.
Before You Start
Before managing doors, make sure:
Your property is connected to a PMS (if importing doors)
You have permission to manage doors and devices
Locks are installed using the Portal Staff App
Key Concepts
Door: A physical access point in your property.
PMS Mapping: Linking doors in Portal to rooms or spaces in your PMS.
Lock: The physical device installed on a door.
Passage Mode: Keeps a lock unlocked during a scheduled time range.
How to Import Doors from Your PMS
If your property is new and has no doors, start by connecting your PMS.
Go to App Integrations.
Connect your PMS.
Open the Doors tab.
Click Import from PMS.
All rooms created in your PMS are imported and mapped automatically. No manual setup is required.
Manual Door Creation
You can also create doors manually.
Click Add Door in the Portal dashboard or Portal app.
Manually created doors must be mapped to PMS spaces individually.
Door Details Overview
Each door includes multiple tabs that provide detailed configuration and status.
Info
Displays general door information.
Includes:
Door name
Door type
Default check-in and check-out time (can be enabled or disabled per door)
Door location
Linked Doors
Use this tab to link additional doors that should grant access together.
Examples:
Common areas
Lifts
Shared services
Lockers
Capsule
NOTE: Open each main room one by one and add the related common areas to the main room. Do not link all main rooms to the Common area itself.
Mapping
Defines how a door connects to PMS spaces.
Open the Mapping tab.
Select the connected PMS.
Choose the space to map by typing/searching the name.
Click Add.
Click Save Changes or Revert.
A door can have multiple mappings depending on the property setup.
Syncing Room Changes from Your PMS
Once rooms are mapped, changes you make in your PMS (renames, new rooms, deletions, type changes) don't always appear in Portal right away. Keeping mappings in sync is currently supported for Cloudbeds and Mews. For all other PMS integrations, contact the support team to have new or changed rooms pulled in for you.
Cloudbeds
Cloudbeds properties have a Sync spaces option on the Cloudbeds app page that keeps room mappings up to date. Behavior depends on the type of change:
A new room with a booking on it appears in Portal automatically, without running Sync spaces.
A new room with no booking only appears in Portal after running Sync spaces.
Renaming a room in Cloudbeds: run Sync spaces to bring in the new name. The existing mapping is kept.
Changing a room's type in Cloudbeds: run Sync spaces. The mapping and any booking key already on that door stay in place.
Deleting a mapped room in Cloudbeds: after Sync spaces, the mapping shows as Broken and the room disappears from Portal.
Deleting a room and creating a new one with a booking on it: the new room appears automatically, without needing Sync spaces.
Blocking a room in Cloudbeds: Sync spaces leaves the mapping unchanged.
Running Sync spaces when nothing has changed in Cloudbeds completes normally with no effect on existing mappings.
Renaming a dorm keeps its abbreviation (e.g. DK) and its existing mapping.
Once a reservation is checked in, it appears in Portal and its key is generated.
Who can use Sync spaces
Owner and General Manager can open the Cloudbeds integration page and run Sync spaces.
Team cannot open the Cloudbeds integration page and sees a permission message instead.
Installer and Housekeeping cannot use Sync spaces.
A property that isn't connected to Cloudbeds doesn't show the Sync spaces option.
Sync spaces limit
Owner and General Manager get 3 syncs; a 4th attempt within the same window is blocked, with a message and countdown shown in the confirmation modal until Sync spaces becomes available again.
Mews
Mews rooms sync into Portal's mapping dropdown in near real time for most changes; only removals wait for a sync.
A room added in Mews is offered in the mapping dropdown within seconds — no sync needed.
A room renamed in Mews shows its new name in the dropdown within seconds.
A room deactivated or deleted in Mews stays in the dropdown until the next scheduled sync (the 7th and 22nd of the month) or a manual Sync spaces — then it's removed.
If a mapped room's Mews category changes to one Portal doesn't model (for example, an add-on), the door mapping is kept.
On Doors → Import from PMS for a fresh property: changing a Room to a Dorm in Mews imports as a shared room, and a Dorm changed to a Room imports as a private room. Site, Tent, CaravanOrRV, and UnequippedCampsite import as private rooms; ParkingSpot and Desk import as service areas.
A reservation created in Mews on a room Portal has never seen: the room is offered in the mapping dropdown right away, without a sync. Once it's mapped to a door, the reservation's keychain picks up that door on its next update.
Reservations otherwise sync as expected: a new reservation gets a keychain within about a minute; moving it to another room or extending it updates the keychain to follow; canceling it revokes the keychain; creating several reservations in quick succession produces a separate keychain for each, with no duplicates.
Who sees Sync spaces
Owner or General Manager: the Mews integration page shows a note that Portal follows your Mews rooms, along with a Sync spaces link.
Team, Installer, or Housekeeping: neither the note nor the link is shown.
A property not connected to Mews shows no Sync spaces link for anyone.
Using Sync spaces
Clicking Sync spaces opens a "Sync spaces from Mews?" modal, which notes in bold that it can only be used a few times a day. Cancel closes the modal without syncing.
How often it can be used
Usage is counted per property, not per user.
Owner or General Manager: 3 syncs within 10 minutes, and 4 syncs within 24 hours. A 4th press within 10 minutes, or a 5th press within 24 hours, is refused inside the modal with: "Spaces were synced recently. Each property can sync only a few times a day, so please try again later." Nothing else changes.
This allowance is shared by everyone on the property — for example, two managers syncing twice each will hit the 10-minute limit on the 4th press between them.
The 10-minute limit clears after 10 minutes.
Syncing one property doesn't count against another property's allowance.
Locks
Shows lock status and hardware details.
If no lock is installed, you will see No lock installed.
After installation, this tab displays:
Lock type
Connectivity status (Online / Offline)
Lock time
MAC address
Hardware version
Firmware version
Supported credential types
When a lock is connected, a Settings tab becomes available.
Key Tab
Use the Keys tab in Door Details to review all keys associated with a specific door.
Go to Doors
Select a door to open the Door Details page.
Click the Keys tab.
What you should see
The Keys tab opens inside the Door Details page (you stay on the same page).
A table shows all keys linked to the selected door.
Each key appears only once (no duplicates).
The table layout matches the main Keys page (same columns and structure).
Search works the same way as on the Keys page.
All filters from the Keys page are available and work correctly.
Filters work together, including Status + other filters.
Open a key from the list and click a key in the table. The key opens in a new browser tab, and the key details appear in the right panel.
Lock Settings
Lock settings can be updated only when the lock is online.
Master Door Code
Configure a master access code for the lock.
The master code should not be shared.
This code is critical for security.
Configuration is available only when the lock is online.
Lock Sound
Control audible feedback from the lock.
Enable: Sound plays when locking or unlocking.
Disable: Lock operates silently.
Passage Mode
Passage Mode keeps a door unlocked for a scheduled period.
Common use cases:
Guest arrivals
Events
High-traffic time windows
Enable Passage Mode
Go to Doors.
Select a door.
Open the Settings tab.
Enable Passage Mode.
Select weekdays.
Set start and end times.
Click Save Changes.
Test during the scheduled time.
Then unlock the door once (with a PIN or key) to activate the "stay open" behavior. The door will remain unlocked until the window ends.
All fields must be filled in — days, start time, and end time. If any field is left empty the save will fail or the settings will not apply correctly.
Passage Mode can be configured only when the lock is online.
This action can also be performed from the Portal Staff App.
Audit Logs
Audit Logs record all door-related events.
Open the Audit Logs tab.
Click Event Filter.
Select one or more event types.
Door Management Options
Each door includes an Actions menu that can be opened by clicking on the pencil icon beside the Door name.
Available actions:
Rename the door
Change door type
Supported door types:
Private Room
Shared Room
Service Area
Lift
Common Area
Locker
Capsule
Doors List Tools
The Doors list includes tools to help manage large properties.
Search
Search by door name
Filters
Has Lock
Low Battery
Has Pending Updates
Sorting
Door name (A–Z / Z–A)
Battery level (High → Low or Low → High)
Additional Notes
If a staff key exists, an Unlock button appears for online locks.
Staff can unlock doors remotely when online.
If no lock is installed, a Remove button is available.
To delete a door with a lock installed:
Uninstall the lock using the Portal Staff App first
Then remove the door by typing its name to confirm
Permissions & Access
Role | Door Management Access |
Owner | Full door and lock control |
General Manager | Full door and lock control |
Installer | Lock installation and removal |
Team | View doors and manage keys |
Housekeeping | No door management access |
Tips / Best Practices
Import doors from PMS whenever possible
Verify mappings after PMS sync
Avoid sharing master door codes
Monitor battery and firmware regularly
Troubleshooting / FAQs
Portal: Why can't I enable Passage Mode?
The lock must be online.
Portal: Why can't I delete a door?
Uninstall the lock first using the Portal Staff App.
Portal: Why is a door not mapped correctly?
Check the Mapping tab and verify PMS connection.
Portal: I created a new room in my PMS but I can't find it in Portal. Why?
For Cloudbeds and Mews, see the Syncing Room Changes from Your PMS section above — new rooms sync automatically or via Sync spaces, depending on the PMS and whether the room has a booking.
For all other PMS integrations, new spaces added after the initial connection don't sync to Portal automatically. Please contact the support team so they can pull in the new space for you.
Portal: After syncing and mapping a newly added space, the reservation or key doesn't show up on that room. Why?
After a new space has been synced and mapped, an existing reservation tied to that room may not immediately show its assigned key.
To push the data through, check in the reservation — either action forces the reservation and key data to sync correctly.
This only affects reservations that existed before the new space was mapped. Reservations created and assigned to the new space after mapping work as expected, with no extra steps needed.
Portal: Guests book the whole room ; they only get a code for the main room door, but not for the child rooms. Why?
If you'd like the child rooms to be automatically included in keys when a parent room is booked, you'll need to configure all child rooms as linked doors to the door associated with the parent room.
With this setup:
When a reservation is made for the parent room (e.g., room X), the key will grant access to all X-1, X-2, and X-3, since they are linked to that room.
When a reservation is made for a specific child room, e.g., X-1, the key will grant access only to that child, along with its directly linked doors (including the parent room door), but not to other child rooms, e.g., X-2 or X-3. Linked to the parent room, as secondary (nested) linked doors are not included.
Portal: What is Passage Mode?
Passage Mode keeps a door physically unlocked for a scheduled time window after someone has opened it once. Once active, the door stays open for the entire period — no PIN, no smart key, no app is required. Anyone who approaches the door can open it freely.
It is designed for common areas where you want free movement during set hours — for example a lobby door that you want accessible to everyone from 8am to 8pm without needing a code each time.
It is not an access restriction feature. It removes access control entirely during the active window.
Portal: Can I use Passage Mode to make a code work only between certain hours?
No. Passage Mode does the opposite — it removes the need for a code altogether during the time window. Once the door is unlocked the first time, anyone can open it freely until the window closes, whether they have a code or not.
If you want a code or key to work only during specific hours, use the default check-in/out time feature on a common area instead.
Portal: Is Passage Mode suitable for elevators?
No. Do not use Passage Mode on elevators or any access point where you need to control who enters.
When Passage Mode is active, the elevator becomes accessible to anyone — no PIN, no smart key, no app required. This defeats the purpose of access control entirely.
For elevators, use the default check-in/out time on a common area door, which keeps the lock active at all times but restricts which hours the code or key is accepted.
Portal: I want a code to work only between certain hours (e.g. 6pm to 6am). How do I do this in Portal?
Use the default checkin/out time on a common area door. This keeps the door locked at all times — a valid code or key is always required — but restricts when that code or key is accepted.
Steps:
Go to Door and tab info
Toggle on Default checkin/out time
When enabled, this door will use its default check-in and check-out times when added as a linked door. Access will be provisioned at these times even if the guest has not checked in or out yet.
⚠️ Overnight time windows are not currently supported. If you need a window that crosses midnight (e.g. 18:00 to 06:00), this cannot be configured in Portal at this time. The system does not correctly handle end times that are earlier than start times. As a workaround, contact support to discuss alternative access configurations for your use case. This feature is on the roadmap for a future update.
Portal: I set up Passage Mode with a time window but it "saves as something different," or the hours change on their own. Why?
There are two possible causes:
1. Overnight window not supported If you are trying to set a window that crosses midnight (e.g. 18:00 to 06:00), Portal currently does not support this. The system may save it incorrectly or flip it to the opposite daytime window (06:00 to 18:00). This is a known limitation — overnight windows are not yet available and are planned for a future release.
2. Timezone mismatch Portal uses your property's timezone for all time pickers. If your property timezone is set incorrectly, the hours you select may appear shifted when saved.
To check: go to Settings → Customization → Timezone and confirm it matches your property's actual location.
⚠️ The timezone cannot be changed by you directly in Portal. Contact support to update it.
Portal: When does Passage Mode actually make sense to use?
Passage Mode is useful when you want a door to stay open freely for a period of time — within the same day, not crossing midnight — for example:
A front entrance that staff want open during reception hours without needing to buzz everyone in
A common room door that should be freely accessible in the morning
A shared facility where free movement is acceptable during set hours
In all these cases, the expectation is that anyone can access the space — there is no individual access control during the window.
⚠️ Overnight windows (e.g. 10pm to 6am) are not currently supported in Passage Mode.