Hilton partners with Foursquare to launch new app feature

Hilton has teamed up with San Francisco-based location technology Foursquare to launch a new feature on the Hilton Honors App called Explore. The app gives Hilton Honors members the opportunity to explore the neighbourhood surrounding their hotel with suggestions from the local staff at the hotel.

The feature, which kick-started on September 12, 2018, is now available in 28 markets covering nearly 1,000 global properties among all Hilton brands and plans to expand it to other markets in the future. The current markets include New York City, Chicago, Atlanta, Orlando, Washington, D.C., Seattle, London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Istanbul, Berlin, Munich, Barcelona, and Rome.

Through Explore, guests will have the opportunity to experience food, nightlife, shopping and activity destinations picked by Hilton team members who reside and have first-hand experience. Each recommendation includes photos and tips directly from local team members, including tasty menu items to try, the best times to go, and specific things to see. Suggestions are curated to appeal to a variety of audiences – from families looking for kid-friendly museums to frequent travellers looking for business dinner recommendations or couples interested in fine dining experiences, a statement from Hilton said.

Hilton senior vice president of digital Joshua Sloser said: “In listening to our guests, there is a real desire for more personalized travel advice and access to local perspectives surrounding best restaurants, attractions and neighbourhoods to explore.”

“No one knows their city better than local Team Members, which is why we’re empowering them, through Hilton Explore, to provide the latest local recommendations to enhance our guests’ experiences,” he added.

Foursquare’s Places API, comprised of venue content for more than 105 million places globally will serve as the primary source for real-time venue information, which includes ratings, features, photos and hours. Guests will see recommendations relevant to their current hotel reservation and can “favourite” the recommendations provided in advance of their travel to create an in-app guide for their upcoming trip.

However, in order to use the feature, guests have to join the Hilton’s loyalty programme to be able to download the app. There’s no fees to join to the programme.