Does a hotel group need a mobile app?

Mövenpick Hotels and Resorts regional IT guru Roger Macfarlaine explains how mobile apps can enhance brand loyalty and help hotels set themselves apart from the competition

The race is on and many hotels are introducing cool mobile applications that snuggle nicely into your iPhone, iPad and other mobile devices in an effort to bolster potential sales and further enhance brand awareness and loyalty. It is inevitable and ubiquitous that the iPhone and iPads will grow in popularity and increase their client base and we will see more apps being created that are as weird, wonderful and informative as the ones available today. The cost for such applications is small and in some cases free, but the potential market and clientele gives a new perspective on capturing an ever growing market. Can a hotel or hotel group afford not to have such an application?

A hotel group can differentiate itself with a unique app with special functions that lets users locate hotels by city, zip codes or even by airports. Using global positioning systems (GPS), you can find hotels on a map based on your current position or location and make changes to your reservations in the hotel you are booked at. Some hotel apps even provide you with street views and images of the hotel and its facilities.

What about this as a wild idea — why not even have voice directions to your hotel destination? One can even go on the app and pre-select services and/or amenities to have available in their room upon arrival, from feather pillows to extra towels. You could potentially pre-order a room service meal upon arrival. Recently launched apps from some of the bigger hotel chains enable the user to search for room availability, special packages and even check loyalty account information.

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Another example that I love is location based advertising via a local hotel app, which can promote offerings and initiatives to many a traveller based on their physical location e.g. enjoy 25% discount on our seafood lunch or happy hour two for one drinks. A hotel app for the iPhone can register your physical location and then display all the hotels in your vicinity complete with food and beverage happenings. The possibilities are endless and add a new touch to guest preferences and personalised service.

Inevitable evolution

I am sure you will agree that making such transactions or being informed on the fly for many a busy traveller/customer is not only convenient but easy and practical — even my mum wants to get into it. We all know it is only a matter of time until all hotel chains will be fast launching mobile applications with such functionality.

A hotel chain must commit to the development and deployment of mobile apps with the afore mentioned functionality as another vehicle that builds loyalty and adds value for our VIP and repeat guests. For me, it just takes guest recognition to a newer level when offering such immediacy to our hotels and hotel services worldwide.

The ever growing popularity is, and will, drive online travel and hospitality businesses to continue to jump on the ‘band wagon’ to adopt the merging booking services with useful content and functionality. It is evident that many a consumer has leveraged social network sites like Facebook and Twitter before, during and after their travel, and now wants an extension to their mobile device that enhances capabilities within the mobile environment for hotel searches, bookings and happenings.

Intuition tells me that over the next 12 months, hotel apps will further proliferate into the mobile world and research already confirms that 20-30% of people who are exposed to hotel brands via social networking sites or recommendations do further explore that hotel or hotel group to learn more.

Recent dips in the economy slowed many technology initiatives for organisations, however, I believe that the development of inexpensive mobile apps for a hotel chain is a must. A lot of hotel organisations are continuing to develop and strengthen their websites and GDS capabilities, but I am convinced that hoteliers have a lot to gain by enabling and empowering our potential customers by creating mobile social experiences with choice. Hotel mobile apps allow hoteliers to take advantage of a unique marketing and distribution medium that customers feverishly rely on.

The future is here and now for me — it’s the new way or the highway as booking widgets and mobile apps for social networking sites and mobile devices like iPhone and iPads take over the digital mantel.