Latest SPG app for iPhone® employs state-aware technology to provide personalized customer service, recommendations, bookings and travel information for a seamless, guest-centric experience across the company’s nine distinct brands
Meeting the Needs of Today’s Mobile Traveler
A still-growing trend in the hospitality industry, Starwood’s mobile revenue has increased by more than 300 percent year-over-year, and the company has found that the patterns of travelers using mobile devices to book rooms are markedly different from those of more traditional web bookers. For instance, two-thirds of mobile bookings are within 24 hours of the stay, triple that of web bookings.
“Mobile is a vital part of our business’s future, and it’s fast becoming
the preferred way to book travel in both established and emerging
markets around the world, such as
Following guest feedback and member focus groups, SPG integrated key features into the app instead of directing to an outside mobile browser, creating a faster, more user-friendly experience. New options include the ability to find hotels by airport code or map and a streamlined home screen with “tiles” that are easily tapped or swiped to access frequent requests, such as account information, upcoming stays, customer support and special offers.
State-Aware Interface
The SPG app is the first in the travel industry—and one of the first
apps ever—to utilize state-aware technology, creating an interface that
unites all nine of Starwood’s distinct lifestyle brands and its nearly
1,100 hotels and resorts; and adjusts the app’s look, feel and content
depending on whether the user is planning, en route or already checked
in to a specific hotel. Starting 48-hours before a guest is scheduled to
arrive at a Starwood hotel or resort, the app sends a push notification;
and the “My Stay” interface becomes reflective of the specific brand and
property, with home-screen access to key information such as hotel
address in both English and the local language, weather, directions and
hotel amenities. Once at the hotel, the guest’s stay is enhanced with
integrated content such as their room number, on- and off-property
dining and activity suggestions, and in-app access to social media
channels such as FourSquare and
The app also offers an “Explore” tab for discovery when users don’t have a specific destination in mind. Explore provides customized hotel recommendations based on individual preferences such as trip type (e.g., beach, city, wedding), brand, SPG category and interests.
Personalized, Guest-Centric Interface
As part of Starwood’s continued dedication to personalized guest
service, the new app includes extensive content that’s easily filtered
and customized. Members can use the app to store all relevant
information about their SPG profile and upcoming and past stays, as well
as send hotel confirmation or other details to anyone via text or email.
And, it incorporates location-based services to connect users, as
needed, to the closest customer care center, in addition to a live
“The new SPG app will help us build even deeper relationships with our
loyal guests and provide them with relevant content not only while
on-property but also before and after they stay with us,” said
Starwood’s mobile team partnered with Bottle Rocket to design and
develop the SPG app—resulting in smart, intuitive navigation that
seamlessly integrates SPG and hotel-specific branding into the iPhone’s
famously user-friendly interface. The app, currently available for free
from the
About Starwood Preferred Guest
The SPG program’s breakthrough policy of No Blackout Dates at the world’s most sought after collection of hotels reinvented the hospitality loyalty program when it launched in 1999. By creating a program centered on its members, SPG has developed the most passionate and knowledgeable membership base in the hotel loyalty space. Through its use of new technologies and innovative channels such as SPG.com, SPG.com/stayconnected, SPG.com/flights and others, SPG continues to innovate and lead the industry. By offering No Blackouts on standard rooms at 1,090 hotels and resorts in nearly 100 countries, No Blackouts on hundreds of airlines, the introduction of Your24 and SPG Lifetime, and once in a lifetime experiences available through SPG Moments at spg.com/moments, the program has proven to be a big draw for the world’s most frequent travelers, and a significant competitive advantage for Starwood. For more information about Starwood Preferred Guest please visit SPG.com.
About
About Bottle Rocket Apps
Bottle Rocket Apps (www.bottlerocketapps.com)
is a full-service mobile app development firm, focused on creating
hand-crafted apps for the world's most discriminating brands. Since its
founding in early 2008, Bottle Rocket has completed more than 60 iPhone,
iPad and Android apps for leading brands such as
Source:
Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Trey Sarten, +1-212-380-4010
Trey.Sarten@starwoodhotels.com