84% of business travelers indicated they would welcome the ability to select their own room. And given the popularity of selecting your own seat at the movies, airplane and concerts it's hardly a surprise that added control is in high demand. That's why HIlton has decided to make this the focus of their new service innovation, trying to stay ahead of the competition.
Mobile App is perfect for service innovation
The mobile app is the perfect tool for such product innovation in the service industry, and this is also what Hilton is using to roll out the new service.
Guests who are a part of the frequent guest programme can use the HHonors app to select their room on the day of their arrival.
In the recent Google Maps update a hard-to-spot new feature was included, which is in fact a huge step for the location-based vertical - commerce has come to maps!
The new version allows users to "Book Uber" (this is a taxi from the american taxi corp. of same name), from inside the navigations menu. This little button is a huge milestone, because it marks another shift in location-based technology.
The recent coup in Thailand has brought a question to many travel companies minds; how to we prepare for crisis management when an emergency effects a country we've got customers currently in.
Whether you're a hotel group, DMO or travel agency, you've got a duty to help people who happen to be in countries hit by natural disaster or political instability. But how do you do that? Mobile can help.
Speed of communication is of essence
Mobile is an important tool in crisis management. When you're trying to help customers left in a unsafe environment where they may feel stressed or even scared the speed of communication is important, that makes mobile communication the superior choice, because they will have their phones on them, whereas they may not access the internet, or check for messages at the front desk.
Direct notifications is most reliable form of communication
Six years into the race for your attention on mobile, apps are winning. A recent report by Flurry, who sits on the world’s most detailed mobile analytics, show that Americans are spending 6 minutes in apps, for every 1 they spend on mobile web.
Apps were considered a fad by some, but statistics clearly show the opposite trend
It has been widely speculated that consumers were getting tired of apps, and that mobile web was the future, however the stats show the opposite.
A report about branded app usage helps digital marketing managers understand how consumers use branded apps. The report is full of good news for marketeers.
Most people use branded apps
More than half of smart phone users say they regularly use a store, brand or product app, says a February 2013 study conducted by Ipsos OTX and Ipsos Global Advisor, this demonstrates that it can be worthwhile producing apps for engagement.
Most popular for More info, then Deals
The good news for marketeers is that most people use the apps because they want to engage with the brand. In earlier years, many brands made games and gimmicky apps to create contact, but now utility apps are becoming more popular.
By Rachele, Founding Editor of NoBordersMagazine.org
You know how they say that print is dead? This story is the living proof that printed & online content can work together, if you have the right partner. Here’s how we worked with Triptale to easily create a mobile guide for our customers.
NoBordersMagazine.org is an Italian online travel magazine with a passion for analog content: photos, vintage maps, old-fashioned postcards, and Guide Piccole (literally “small guides”); free, printable & foldable city guides written and illustrated with photos and words by locals. We published them for Milan, Venice, Madrid, New York, Bergamo and Naples (and more to come).
People were asking for a digital version
But then people started asking for an online version of our city guides: They wanted to use them on their mobile phones or read them on their laptops, no printing, no folding.
This post was also published as a popular guest post on travel tech site news site Tnooz.
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In the recent month Triptale went to two traditional consumer travel shows, Herning Travel Show and ITB in Berlin, to see how travel companies promote their destinations. The shows were massive and included all the major destinations, airlines and travel companies in Northern Europe.
Many had used small fortunes on their stands, which did look impressive. But when it came to thinking creatively about marketing, we were disappointed, there was practically no digital touch to any of the marketing materials.
The goal for having a stand is to meet people, look them in the eyes, build a connection and get them to select you when they finally book their next travel in some months time. A highly competitive situation, so it I was surprised everyone opted for same traditional paper brochures, since they are notoriously ineffective for long term effect.