With the increasing number of mobile users these days, it is important for hotels to provide user-friendly mobile apps to guests to connect with the hotel’s customer service, make bookings, check-in to rooms, get directions on GPS and look for local attractions and restaurants close by.
Mobile applications are no longer a luxury but a necessity that hotels should not ignore. Travelers, especially, Millennials and corporates, use mobile for travel planning and hotel research. Mobile apps are convenient for business travelers who often make bookings at the last minute. Hotels must cash in on this growing demand and provide mobile solutions that will help them reach out to potential guests, enhance the hotel-guest intimacy, improve brand visibility and above all, be with the guest during the entire lifecycle. Hotels can also increase revenues by upselling their services like spa reservations, restaurant deals, special events and more.
Keeping a small and mid-sized hotelier in mind, we list 4 such mobile apps that wouldn’t cost you a fortune:
1. InHotelApp starts as low as $3.97 and is an innovative app designed for hoteliers to equip their guests with useful and practical information during their stay. Guests can browse through the hotel functions and information without the internet connection. The app is split in two categories. First category includes information such as facilities, offers, link to web booking engine, social media links, GPS services and more. The second category is like a travel guide that offers information such as local attractions, emergency phone numbers, list of restaurants, events and close by stations. All the information is present in your guest’s smart phone to enhance usability and functionality of your hotel mobile application.
Moreover, the content of the app is fully dynamic i.e. hoteliers can choose the information they would like to display to their guests. The content manager feature lets you manage content, add events, categories and create interactive maps.
2. M-Hospitality, a leading mobile application development company designs apps only for hoteliers. The company uses cost effective methods to develop mobile apps and has created apps for more than 100 hotels around the globe. The app has helped these hotels increase their revenues by offering services such as guest feedback in real time, social media integrations, integration with booking engine, personalized guest services, unique tracking and prediction of guest spending patterns, concierge services and more. Hoteliers can boost their sales, mobile bookings, enhance their brand visibility, organize their staff duties and connect with guests. Hoteliers can build the loyalty before, during and after the guests check-in with their unique, handcrafted mobile applications.
3. SmartStay is an app that works on iBeacon technology and has been specifically designed for both guests and hoteliers to communicate. The app gets integrated with the hotel’s reservation system and guests get all the information, connect with the staff in real-time, get their issues resolved instantly, receive timely notifications about the hotel offerings like complimentary breakfast or free hours and review the hotel services. The app doesn’t send redundant data to the guests and the information is always contextual. Furthermore, SmartStay works on cloud technology and stores all the interactions between hotel and guests.
4. HotelCloud offers an app to guests to explore and utilize the hotel services. The solution replaces the traditional in-room directory and provides information to the guests before and during the stay. Your guests are informed about the happenings in the city like the events, exhibitions and new restaurants. The app gives the guests direct access to services such as transportation, entertainment, wellness, restaurants, tours and also enables direct booking and payment.
A mobile app can be a great addition to your hotel’s marketing strategy this year. It can help generate revenues and provide a competitive edge over other hoteliers. Remember that your mobile app must be highly effective, engaging, user-friendly and should reach out to potential guests.