Testing for hotels and serviced apartments
Our hotel fire door testing in London checks guest room and corridor doors between check-out and check-in. Each door is tested, fixed if needed and tested again, so no room misses its next guest.
Testing doors in hotels
Guests sleep behind their room doors, often in a building they do not know. If a fire starts in a corridor, that door is what keeps smoke out of the room.
Hotel fire door testing shows whether each door will close and seal on its own. It also finds doors that guests or staff have learned to prop open.
We follow the housekeeping teams. As soon as a room is empty and cleaned, we test the door, fix any small fault and move on.
Corridor and stair doors are tested late at night, when few guests are about. Nothing is closed, and no room comes off sale.
Run other kinds of buildings too? Our London fire door testing brings the same measured checks to each one.
Doors that keep failing tests may be past saving. Our hotel fire door replacement service swaps them a few rooms at a time.
What we test
Guest room doors face different wear from office doors. Luggage, trolleys and tired guests all take their toll, so we test for the faults hotels see most.
The door must close and latch from any position. A door that stops short leaves the room open to smoke.
Too fast and it slams, waking the guests next door. Too slow and it may not latch at all.
The lock must not stop the door latching fully.
Seals are checked for contact and gaps are measured. Damage from luggage often shows up on the lower edge.
Doors held open on corridors must release on the alarm.
Kitchen, laundry and linen store doors are tested too, as they are often wedged open by staff.
How it works
The plan is agreed with your front desk and housekeeping teams before we arrive.
We pick which floors to test each day, based on bookings.
Rooms are tested after check-out, while they are being cleaned.
Small faults are fixed on the spot and the door is tested again before check-in.
Corridor and stair doors are tested when guests are asleep.
Other buildings
We test doors in these buildings using the same method.
Your results
Each floor gets its own sheet. Your duty manager can see at a glance which rooms passed, which were fixed and which need more work.
Common failures
These are the hotel door failures we see most often, and the reasons behind them.
Closers are often turned up to make doors latch, which makes them bang. Guests then complain, and staff turn them down too far.
The latch does not catch the strike plate.
New key card locks fitted slightly out of line can stop the latch going home.
Suitcases and room service trolleys catch the seals at low level and rip them out.
Linen and kitchen doors wedged for staff.
Doors trimmed to clear thicker carpet leave a gap that is too big at the bottom.
Pricing
Testing is priced per door. Corridor hold-opens tested with the alarm have their own rate.
| Work | Guide price |
|---|---|
| On-site fire door testing | £20–£45per door |
| Hold-open device test with alarm | £15–£35per device |
| Minimum testing visit | £300–£550per visit |
| Overhead closer replaced | £120–£250per door |
Guide prices updated October 2026. Your fixed quote follows a visit or survey.
Every guest room door and 6 corridor doors.
£920–£2,070
Tested over four days, floor by floor.
£3,900–£8,800
The rate per door drops for bigger hotels.
Each device needs the alarm sounded to test it.
Corridor testing late at night may add a little to the cost.
Small adjustments can be made as part of the visit.
Areas covered
We test hotel fire doors from Kensington and the West End to Docklands and Heathrow.
Central hotels are full most nights, so we test a few floors at a time. Airport hotels often have quieter days mid-week, which suit larger blocks of rooms.
For hotel groups, every property gets the same test sheets, so results can be compared across the estate.
Central London
North London
East London
South London
West London
Related services
These services work alongside regular testing in a hotel.
Servicing that keeps room doors quiet and closing between tests.
View serviceA full check of each door, including labels and glass.
View serviceNew doors for rooms where damage is beyond repair.
View serviceA full door refit during a room refurbishment.
View serviceFAQ
What hotel managers and owners ask us about door testing.
Door tests usually cost £20–£45 per door before VAT. Corridor hold-open devices tested with the alarm are £15–£35 per device. Smaller hotels have a minimum visit of £300–£550. Larger hotels pay less per door, and small fixes made on the day can be added to the same visit.
No. We test each room after check-out, while housekeeping is cleaning it. The test takes around ten minutes per door. If a door needs a fix, we do it there and then, so the room is ready before the next guest arrives.
Many hotels test every three to six months, because guest room doors take a lot of wear. Doors with hold-open devices should be tested whenever the fire alarm is serviced. Your fire risk assessment may set a different interval, so check it first.
Usually the closer has been set too strong, often to make a sticking door latch. That cures one problem and creates another. We find the real cause, such as a dropped hinge or a lock out of line, then set the closer so the door shuts gently.
It may close and latch, so it can pass the closing test. But slamming doors lead to complaints, and staff often turn closers down until the doors stop latching. We aim for doors that close quietly and still latch every time.
They can. If a lock is fitted slightly out of line, the latch may not catch the strike plate. The door then looks shut but is not latched. We check every lock as part of the test and can adjust or realign it on the day.
Yes. Corridor and stair doors are busy during the day, and hold-open tests need the alarm to sound. Testing late at night means fewer guests are affected. We agree the timing with your night manager and alarm engineer beforehand. We keep noise low and work floor by floor, so guests are not woken by the alarm more than they need to be.
If the fix is quick, such as a closer adjustment, we do it straight away and test again. If it needs parts or a new door, we photograph the fault, mark it on the floor sheet and send you a price.
Yes. Fire officers often ask how the hotel checks its fire doors. Test sheets for each floor, with re-test results, show a clear and regular routine. Keep them with your fire risk assessment so they are easy to find. They also help your own team spot problem rooms, so repairs can be booked before a door fails.
Yes. We use the same test sheets and the same method at every hotel. That makes it easy for head office to compare results and spot hotels that need more attention. We can also stagger visits across the group, so each hotel is tested at its quietest time of year.
Next step
Let us know your room count and floors. We will plan testing around your bookings and housekeeping.
