There is no doubt that mobile apps are such an important part of any hotel marketing campaign. More and more people are using mobile devices to search for and book hotel rooms.
In recent survey found that out of the thousands of hotels it studied, 10 per cent of bookings came through mobile phone devices. While this may not be the majority, it is a significant percentage of a hotel’s clientele and the amount of revenue that it will have brought is of course noteworthy. With this in mind, it is even more imperative that hotels look to creating their own smartphone apps. Even if you have paid for your website to be mobile optimized, an app is an even quicker and useful way for customers to be able to contact you and engage. Having a mobile phone app means you are always present and visible on a customer’s phone screen and with the amount of time people are spending on their smartphones, this can only be a good thing!
Apps also put you ahead of the competition, especially if you are a small business as it is still somewhat rare for smaller ones to invest in such a feature. This gives you the perfect opportunity to get ahead and reach customers in such a way, impressing them while doing so.
There are different types of apps you can create, and it is worth having a think about which one is more suitable for what you want.
Bookings
You can go down the more straightforward, old school route of developing a simple bookings app, which just allows users to search for the dates available and choose a room type to book through. While this is absolutely fine to have, it may not be the most engaging, although depending on your customers it could work well. Especially if the booking is then saved on the app it means that you are making the user experience much more friendly for your customers. You can also take it further and add on the option to book a table at your restaurant, and even give guests the option to order food if you wish to do so. It’s a fun little quirk that we can guarantee will be appreciated.
Holiday guides
Now, this is a bit more in-depth than a simple booking app and it can really put you in an authoritative position. This kind of app is especially worth looking into if you have a variety of hotels spread across locations. You can offer information on local events that may be coming up, as well as news updates on the hotels so that guests feel constantly connected. Think of these kinds of apps as an almost holiday companion and consider what guests may want to know when visiting your hotel and the local area. Keep them informed and engaged by making the content as colourful, and easy to read as possible. From local taxi numbers to reviews on local eateries and attractions, offer as much information and advice as possible to show your authoritative position.
Snap happy
The best way to really engage customers is to be visual, and what better way is there of doing this than letting actual guests share their own photos and experiences with others?Looking to develop an app that has an in-built camera feature is a really great idea and the Bed Head Hotel app utilised this feature, finding it to be successful for their event which allowed users to see how they would look with a variety of hairsyles. Taking this idea and making it relevant to your own hotel can encourage many to download the app as it is basically really fun. From here you could even create competitions for the best pictures taken – the options are endless!
Rewards sceheme
Add some value to your mobile app for your customers to really appreciate. If your hotel has a rewards scheme, then including this in an app makes it all so much easier for them, especially if before you were using stamps on cards. The chances are that if you implement such a feature, you will see more downloads of the app and, in turn, more customers. This can also help to improve customer loyalty, and as you develop your app further, you can add a bit more personalisation if you wish to each returning customer. Don’t be afraid to ask for reviews as well as part of your rewards scheme as the chances are they will all be positive if they are looking to visit again. Any content you receive from guests can be shared onto your social media platforms too to create even more interest into your app and, ultimately, your services.
