Hotels often play a much more important role in our lives
than we often realize. We may often think of Hotels as just a home away from
home for the business travel, or simply a place to sleep and leave our stuff
while we’re on vacation. They often play many other roles, whether it is as a
place to stay during family events like, weddings, holiday gatherings, a family
member’s sickness, or even when a loved one has passed. Whether it is a child’s
athletic event or searching for college, your hotel room is often where you go
to relax and feel a little pampered.
The hospitality industry is embracing Mobile Apps as a way
to make their guests stay even more pleasant and memorable.
In the article, Optimizing Hospitality Industry Mobile Apps in HotelExecutive.com, Michael Kasavana, NAMA
Endowed Professor at the Michigan State University School of Hospitality
Business, shared several ways Mobile Apps are being used in the Hospitality
Industry. Mr. Kasavana shared "Forrester Research predicts
by 2015 eighty-two million people will rely on mobile devices as a primary
reference tool. Through the use of a mobile device, consumers are able to
receive timely announcements, alerts, promotions, discounts, and a host of concierge services.
Some of the specific capabilities found in some of the top hospitality industry mobile apps include:
- weather conditions
- navigational/directional mapping, including routing and landmark indexing
- business directory, based on proximity or destination querry
- entertainment activities and venues
- hospitality specific business indicators, with ratings and physical descriptors
- local news, with alerts and warning information
- notification of offers by event, promotion, price, discount, or reward
In the Hotel Executive article "Driving Revenue Through Your Mobil App_, Tom O'Rourke, CEO & President, O'Rourke Hospitality Marketing, made several additional great observations on how the Hospitality Industry is beginning to see the potential of Mobil App marketing to their properties' success.
"In most cases, mobile bookings will be your biggest opportunity
for increasing direct revenue. First and foremost, before you can make money
with your hotel mobile application you need to put it in the palm of your
guests’ hands. Increase app downloads with careful planning and strategic
marketing tools, and you’ll be well on your way to driving revenue through your
mobile app.
Our clients have seen spikes in downloads, mobile bookings and
revenue from effective marketing, As smart phone adoption rates continue to
climb, your app’s downloads and mobile bookings will steadily climb as well.
If your hotel offers room service, how would you like to see an 18
percent increase in orders? A study from buuteeq, a Seattle, Washington-based
digital marketing company, revealed that hotels with a mobile presence have
seen increases of this magnitude in room service orders. Some hotels offer room
service payment options within the app, while others add room service charges
directly onto the room bill; either method provides easy tracking and a
seamless, efficient process for your guests.
Many hotels are also using apps and their on property tablets and
mobile phones for other in room purposes. Hotels are adding convenience to the
guest experience by taking everyday activities and putting an app behind them.
At some properties, it is now possible for guests to bypass the check-in desk
and use a hotel mobile app to unlock the door of their room. Some hotels
provide iPads in rooms with preloaded applications that can regulate the
temperature or change the channel.
Every hotel has something special to offer, and you can utilize
your app to highlight this unique feature. Are you known for your exceptional
weddings? As part of your App, inform you wedding couples about the app as a
wedding planning tool. With features such as custom itineraries, room block
booking capabilities, directions and maps, the bride and groom can easily help
their wedding guests make travel arrangements, book rooms, find local
activities and restaurants, and much more.
If your hotel has a restaurant or spa, you can highlight that you
have them within your app and distinguish yourself from the other area hotels.
A mobile app makes it possible to take an active role in pushing reservations
and can help you dramatically increase reservations and revenue at your spa and
restaurant.
Hospitality is the number two industry for mobile engagement,
second only to retail. This mobile audience carries vast potential to drive
revenue. Your current and future hotel guests are already in the mobile space,
and they are searching there for their favorite brands and new places to
discover. Your hotel could be missing out if you aren’t mobile-friendly and
ready to meet the needs of these tech-savvy guests. If you are at the beginning
stages of contemplating a mobile strategy, instead of thinking of it as an
expense, think of all the lost revenue you are missing out on because you are
lacking a mobile presence. And when you launch a mobile app, you can reach an
untapped audience with limitless potential to drive additional revenue.
On average,
how many rooms are vacant at your hotel every night? By offering special
pricing with push notifications to last minute travelers who use your
application, you can start selling those empty rooms. A slightly discounted
rate offered exclusively to app users has the potential to bring in nearby
guests within a few hours of your hotel. This type of marketing will not only
serve to help you fill empty rooms, but also builds guest loyalty."
Still have yet to build you own hotel a mobile
APP? Snappii’s platform can help you build an App in just days or even hours.
Use one of our two Rich hotel templates and your App can be built even more
quickly. Just edit the template to reflect your property and your client’s
needs.
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