Those who find themselves spending a lot of time in hotel rooms and feeling lonely due to business can now rejoice as the days of loneliness are finally over. Enter LobbyFriend, a brand new smartphone app that can help users enjoy their stay at a hotel even more.
LobbyFriend acts on a temporary basis to allow users to receive information about local events around the hotel as well as to connect and send messages to other guests staying at the same establishment. Guests can connect to one another either via the lobby screens in the hotels, through the in-room television screens or their own smartphones.
According to its website, “LobbyFriend is the first ever temporary social network which connects your guests, your staff, and your brand to one another during their stay!”
LobbyFriend is currently available in around 40 hotels including the Tryp Times Square South in Manhattan. For those worrying about safety, you do have the option of blocking messages and other users if you wish to do so. Users can also remain anonymous if they are not sure about using the app and can even create their own avatar if they just want to talk to others through the app. Once you have checked out, your message feed is then deleted too. It costs around $100 (approximately £65) a month for hotels to utilise LobbyFriend and guests will use the WiFi to connect to it. Douglas Rice, chief executive officer (CEO) of Hotel Technology Next Generation, told USA Today that the app was perfect as “guests can find someone with common interests to find a meal, watch a game, have a drink”.
For those wondering whether or not LobbyFriend will be used by many as a way to meet potential love interests, Mr Rice said: “Yes, a temporary social network can be used to form a temporary dating relationship, which is certainly going to appeal to some people as well.”
