Mobile for the Hotel Industry

You don’t have to be an expert in mobile to recognize the dramatic changes that took place in the mobile arena this past year, both in the U.S. and worldwide. There has been a plethora of new mobile devices on the market, many with advanced features, and mobile has taken on a whole new form with the introduction of tablets such as the iPad. The shift from PC to mobile is happening right before our eyes and is changing the way people pay their bills, make bank transactions, shop, communicate, and travel.

The dramatic consumer shift to mobile affects all industries, especially the hospitality industry, as travel and mobile go hand-in-hand. With the increasing demand for mobile devices including smartphones, iPods, and tablets, comes the demand for apps that are useful for the end-user and can turn the mobile device into a conduit that performs the functions of the app. Travel apps are particularly popular and can turn a smartphone into a trip planner, an interactive map, a guide book, a digital concierge, a weather channel, a social network, a camera, and a source of real-time news.

The travel and hospitality industry in particular needs to take a world-wide view of mobile, as travelers come from all over the globe with various devices, unique expectations, and different levels of technical knowledge. According to a recent study by comScore, “While Europe was ‘in the lead’ in the mobile race with their early and widespread adoption of text messaging and higher smartphone penetration compared to the U.S., the U.S. has eclipsed Europe in terms of the penetration of mobile media with 47 percent of the American mobile audiences using connected media, compared to 34% of Europeans.” ¹ Mobile media can refer to browsing the mobile web, accessing applications, or downloading content. One main reason the U.S. may have surpassed Europe in mobile media usage is the adoption of unlimited data plans. Read all »

O’Rourke Hospitality Marketing will exhibit at the 2011 New Hampshire Travel Council Governor’s Conference on Tourism at the Attitash Grand Summit Hotel in Bartlett, NH on May 5^th and 6^th.

O’Rourke will present Smartstay 2, the latest version of the leading mobile app for hotels. Smartstay 2 includes significant upgrades including a customized welcome page to reflect the hotel brand, the ability to add completely new tabs, the integration of Google analytics, external RSS feeds, and multilingual functionality. Smartstay 2 is now available for the Galaxy Tab, which can be placed in each room of the hotel. An in-room tablet eliminates the need for printed material, allows guests to access important information about the hotel and surrounding area, and displays real-time information about events or last minute deals. Read all »

A DAY LONG THINK TANK & EXPO DESIGNED TO:

• Share new web based developments, as embraced by the marketplace

• Explore breakthrough service concepts for the hospitality industry.

Modeled on TEDx, the gathering should be rich in ideas, visuals and interactions.

PLANNED TOPICS & INVITES THEME LEADERS:

• IPad for Guest service – O’Rourke Hospitality – Tom O’Rourke, CEO

• Apps + Augmented Reality – Impact on Luxury Experience

• Sense Personalized WebAds – http://www.avvio.com/ – Yannis Anastasakis, VP

Business Development EMEA

• Hotel Reviews – Digital Reputation Management Apps (ReviewPro) – RJ Friedlander, CEO

• App for Service Innovation – contest winner

• 2D code – Mobile, multilingual services

Download the Think Tank Poster >>

EAC
Rue de la Boétie, 75008
Paris, France

By now, most hoteliers are aware of the fact that a large percentage of their guests are shifting from their desktop PC’s and using their mobile devices to make travel plans. This percentage continues to grow at a rapid rate. Some larger hotel chains recognized this years ago, for example Choice Hotels, who created its hotel app as far back as April 2009. In the past year, many global hotel chains, luxury resorts, and five star hotels rushed to catch up, and created hotel apps and mobile websites for their own properties. Larger hotel brands are often quicker to embrace new technology given their higher marketing budgets and resources. Smaller independent hotels, however, tend to think that a mobile app is only useful for larger brands, and they often ask a common question, “I have under 150 rooms, why would my hotel need an app?” Read all »

With so many smartphones available on the market today – and the number of smartphone users worldwide expected to exceed one billion by 2013¹– there has never been a better a time for hotels to embrace the mobile marketing revolution. In the countries known collectively as the EU5 – the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain – 2010 saw notable increases in smartphone adoption. While the UK market experienced the fastest growth (up 21% from 2009), Spain lead all markets with a smartphone adoption rate of 37.6%, up 10.3% from 2009.²

So how can hotels affordably tap into this expansive market and promote their brand to guests worldwide? Say hello to the Smartstay^SM app for hotels.

Smartstay is a leading mobile application developed exclusively for the hospitality industry. Designed for iPhone and Android,^* this easy-to-use mobile platform allows hotels to create their own hotel apps by adding property-specific logos, special offers, images, videos, hotel information, and even an interactive map of nearby tourist attractions. Guests can use your hotel app to make a reservation at your hotel, find their way around your city, and receive updated news posts. Hotels can easily control their own content and send real-time messages to guests, alerting them of events at the hotel, or last-minute deals at the restaurant or spa.

The Smartstay hotel app is equipped with advanced mobile features to meet the needs of the hotel and its guests. The multilingual functionality allows hotels to provide their content in multiple languages. Hotels can opt to install Google Analytics to help them monitor user behavior. The hotel booking integration allows guests to make a reservation from their phones. Other features include virtual postcards, high-quality images and videos, one-touch dialing, integration of Yelp reviews, integration of Twitter and other RSS feeds, an interactive map of area attractions, and fully customizable tabs.

Read all »

Smartstay^SM is pleased to announce the release of five new hotel apps for London’s luxury Cheval Residences. The apps, which allow guests to receive exclusive offers, explore the surrounding city using an interactive map, and easily view and share photos and video, are now available for Cheval Calico House, Cheval Knightsbridge, Cheval Thorney Court, Cheval Hyde Park Gate and Cheval Gloucester Park. Each app can be downloaded for free at the Apple App store or Android Market.

The Cheval Phoenix House was the first of the Cheval Residences to test the Smartstay app platform in early 2010. General Manager Fergel Twomey reported that the app generated 19 bookings in just one month, the equivalent of €7,000. As a result of the app’s success, Cheval Residences decided to move forward with the creation of Smartstay apps for five of its additional properties.

“Cheval Residences recognizes the importance of mobile as more than a lifestyle, but a lifeline,” said Liz Craig of OneGlobe Network, a digital agency specializing in luxury hospitality properties that has been contracted by Cheval Residences. “Mobile services will continue to evolve based on customers’ expectations. Those expectations are being accelerated by increasingly sophisticated apps, across industry and entertainment spectrums. Cheval selected the Smartstay app because the flexibility of the platform will permit Cheval to continuously enhance mobile services and exclusive benefits and therefore remain a leader in the London luxury markeplace.”

Read all »

With so many smartphones available on the market today – and the number of smartphone users worldwide expected to exceed one billion by 2013¹– there has never been a better a time for hotels to embrace the mobile marketing revolution. In China alone, the number of mobile subscribers skyrocketed to 833.1 million in November 2010, earning China the title of world’s largest mobile market.² In the Philippines, mobile penetration has grown rapidly, and the country is the global leader in SMS usage.³ And in Japan, a recent study by comScore revealed that 75% of residents regularly connect with mobile media.⁴

So how can hotels affordably tap into this expansive market and promote their brand to guests worldwide? Say hello to the Smartstay^SM app for hotels.

Smartstay is a leading mobile application developed exclusively for the hospitality industry. Designed for iPhone and Android,* this easy-to-use mobile platform allows hotels to create their own hotel apps by adding property-specific logos, special offers, images, videos, hotel information, and even an interactive map of nearby tourist attractions. Guests can use your hotel app to make a reservation at your hotel, find their way around your city, and receive updated news posts. Hotels can easily control their own content and send real-time messages to guests, alerting them of events at the hotel, or last-minute deals at the restaurant or spa.

The Smartstay hotel app is equipped with advanced features to meet the needs of the hotel and its guests. The multilingual functionality allows hotels to provide their content in multiple languages. Hotels can opt to install Google Analytics to help them monitor user behavior. The hotel booking integration allows guests to make a reservation from their phones. Other features include virtual postcards, high-quality images and videos, one-touch dialing, integration of Yelp reviews, integration of Twitter and other RSS feeds, an interactive map of area attractions, and fully-customizable tabs.

To date, the Smartstay app has been adopted by hotels in 9 countries across 4 continents, including Japan, The Philippines, Israel, Australia, Ireland, England, Denmark, Canada and the United States. Through this dynamic mobile marketing channel, these hotels can now effortlessly connect with guests before, during, and after their stay. What’s more, Smartstay’s multilingual functionality enables hotels to provide mobile content in a variety of languages, allowing guests from across the globe to benefit from Smartstay’s unique technology. International travelers are now more likely to share the app with their friends and family, helping to spread the word about your hotel.

Read all »

Smartstay, the leading mobile app for iPhone and AndroidTM designed exclusively for the hospitality industry, has been revamped to include more advanced features that give hotels greater command over the content, look and feel of their mobile app. Working with development partner DeCare Systems Ireland, Ltd., O’Rourke Hospitality Marketing has redesigned their successful Smartstay mobile platform in direct response to customer feedback. Among the benefits of these exciting new upgrades is the possibility for hotels worldwide to reach more guests than ever before by utilizing Smartstay’s new multilingual functionality. By offering an app that can switch between multiple languages, guests of your hotel from any country can reap the rewards of your hotel’s mobile app, even if English is not their primary language.

In all, Smartstay 2 includes the following new features:

• Multilingual functionality to easily connect with guests across the globe
• Google Analytics tracking to see who is using your app, and how
• Custom-designed landing pages to showcase your hotel’s distinct brand
• Custom navigation tabs for complete control of your app content
• RSS feeds for real-time weather forecasts, local news and more

Smartstay 2 can enhance your hotel’s mobile marketing strategy by providing a more flexible framework for content creation and expanding your hotel’s reach into the global marketplace. To see how this is possible, let’s explore these new features in greater detail.

Read all »

To Our Valued Smartstay Customers:

To thank you for your business, we are offering you a 25% discount on a website banner ad or any of our services to help you promote your app to your guests. This offer is available to all current Smartstay clients now through March 25, 2011. To learn more about our app promotional services, please download our App Promotion Kit.


To take advantage of this offer, please send us an e-mail .

2011 is predicted to be “the year of the mobile,” and you will see an increase in the number of guests who download your app and use it to research your hotel, make a reservation, and read your news section while on-property.

To keep up with your guests’ increased expectations and allow your hotel greater opportunities to customize, we will be releasing some exciting new features at the end of January. These features include multilingual functionality, mobile analytics, customizable landing pages, the ability to add extra tabs, and the integration of RSS feeds. Stay tuned for more details about these features in future blog posts.

Thank you once again for your support. We are proud to help you become a leader in hotel mobile strategies!

We are pleased to announce that the Smartstay hotel app is now available for Android! Simply search “Smartstay” in the Android Market of your mobile device to download a free demo. For more information, please call us at 888-965-5966 or e-mail info@smartstayapp.com.