What comes through my mind after reading this article is that technology is developing so fast that hoteliers should be prepared for this growing demand of the digital world and especially be ready for the mobile age.
Nowadays people are no longer using only computer to access the Internet but they are now looking for more ideas like traveling, purchasing, making hotel reservations through their phone …
But still, do the hotels need mobile apps?
First of all, these apps would be pretty expensive for the independent hotels and only famous hotel brands can benefit from this service. On the other hand, those hotels have already loyalty programs with million members and these apps could be only an additional marketing tool. And also not many people have a smartphone despite of the developing technology. If even they have it, according to the Emarketer survey, many people still prefer using the mobile apps for social networks, music and game, and not really for hotels.
For these reasons, in my opinion, smaller hotels should better improve their mobile website and make it easily accessible from users’ mobile phones rather than creating mobile apps. It can attract more customers, and at the same time promote the hotel without spending too much for a limited impact on their revenue.
It makes no doubt that in the future mobile devices will become computers in their own rights. The possibilities to reach potential clients and deliver more service to existing guests are infinite…
To me, hotel applications may target a specific type of customer :
ReplyDeleteto access the apps, the users must be equipped with a smartphone, and even if this type of phone is more and more used, they are more commonly used by businessmen/women. But the apps but be availabe to any kind of smartphone ( Iphone, Blackberry, ...). Then this target is likely to often go to the hotel, and may use it more often than leisure clients.
It can be a way to fidelize them : it can make their life easier when they have to travel they can quicly go on the app to book a room.
The apps gives acces to one hotel or to the hotels of a group, and people may have one or two apps of this type on their phone but not too many, which may make them come back regularly to the same hotel group.
Yet, as Nodira said, it can be very expensive, and apps may be more profitable either for a big hotel or for hotel groups. In the case of single-property, independent, and small hotels they should better focus on their website, because it will be more diffucult to get clients use this apps, and less profitable.
In order to be profitable the apps must be well advertised. If there is no willingness to advertise, the hotel should better improve its SEO, in order to improve its website visibility.
In my opinion the apps can be a useful marketing tool, but only for targeted guests, and for big hotels or groups.