A recent survey by Software Advice revealed the features that travelers look for in hotel mobile apps. The survey found that 60 percent of travelers will download a new app for an upcoming trip. About 2,000 randomly selected U.S. travelers were surveyed to see what mobile app features they would most likely use, as well as preferred local-discount and room-service features.
Travelers were asked which of the most common types of hotel mobile app features they were most likely to use. The survey found that the majority of travelers would use interactive maps most often.
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The majority of those surveyed (36 percent) said they would use interactive maps to help them get around the area. While 27 percent said local coupons or discounts would be used more often. Followed by 23 percent who said they would use a hotel mobile app’s room service function most often. Finally, 14 percent of respondents said they would use a loyalty program dashboard.
According to Alex Zaltsman, CEO of applications development company, InnoviMobile, says maps should be specific to certain travel segments, such as business travelers or families. This means hotels must collect some sort of intelligence on what kinds of travelers their most frequent guests are.
While creating a system of maps for multiple hotel locations could be a costly task for many hotel brands, Zaltsman explains that by using a collaborative mapping system that can be customized by location and used across multiple hotel brands the investment would be less for hotels, while still delivering the service to guests.