Melia Hotels launches new mobile website

Melia Hotels International has launched a redesign of its melia.com website especially enhanced for mobile devices, as the hotel group reports that 25% of visits to melia.com now come from smartphones and tablets.

Some of the new additions made to melia.com include a search engine designed to find the nearest available hotel, as well as new functionality for its MeliaRewards loyalty programme allowing members to view their account, make bookings or redeem their points directly from their phones.

Melia Hotels International global director of distribution David Wright said: “With this change in consumer preferences, it is essential that we adapt and respond to our customer needs. Mobility refers to the person, not the technology, and this approach is fundamental in designing a product that exceeds user expectations in the mobile environment. Having too many features can be as dangerous as cutting back on them, so the real challenge is to ensure that our user has the same experience across all platforms”.

As well as the new mobile website, Melia has also recently launched a MeliaRewards application for iPhone and Android.

”In this first version, as well as all the searching and booking features, the MeliaRewards app also allows users to store their loyalty card on their phone, just like the passbook app (application to store coupons, boarding passes and other forms of mobile payment) for iPhones,” said Wright.

“Plus, we are also developing applications for individual hotels which will help customers find their way around the hotel, for example find and book a restaurant or the spa, or even find another guest interested in taking part in an activity or sport, such as tennis, aiming to improve our customer service within the hotel itself,” added Wright.

Melia Hotels International was founded in 1956 and is today Spain’s leading hotel chain. It currently operates and distributes more than 350 hotels and 90,000 rooms in 39 countries on 4 continents under its brands: Gran Melia, Melia, ME, Innside, Tryp by Wyndham, Sol and Paradisus.