InterContinental Launches Concierge App for the IPad

Summary

This article about InterContinental Hotels & Resorts describes a new technology for travelers and guests. They are the first hotel to offer destination specific videos and websites and have now created a Concierge Insider app exclusively for iPad. This is an app specifically for iPad that can provide you with all the services of a Concierge. The app can give videos with sightseeing destinations, interactive maps that can tell you where the best restaurants and shops are located, suggested itineraries with day and night time activities, and insider tips that cannot be found in a guidebook. In 2010 InterContinental Hotels & Resorts provided all of the Concierge teams with iPads to improve their knowledge and skills and to improve guest interaction.  The app also allows online booking for InterContinental Hotels and detailed information about their properties. Once the app is downloaded guests, future guests, or travelers can access all of this information, Concierge help as well as hotel information, without a wireless connection. InterContinental Hotels is the first major chain to provide this technology and it is predicted that other big names will soon follow.

Reflection

I think this new technology for iPad is a really good idea for InterContinental Hotels & Resorts. It is a recent trend that people are using laptops, cell phones, and now iPads when traveling. Guests want to know the hot spots for sightseeing, shopping, and eating and are using technology, instead of a Concierge to find these things. This app just makes that process easier. Instead of using a search engine like Google to find this information it can be all in one place with the Concierge Insider app. I think people like the idea of being able to use their technology to make traveling easier. I also think it was smart to include booking and hotel information with this app. I know when I’m researching to book a trip I like everything to be in one place. I use sites like Expedia for that reason. With an app like this, all of the information you need is in one place. You can research a hotel and its surrounding restaurants, shopping, and activities and if you like what you see you can also book right there. This app makes pre-trip research easy and convenient and for that reason I would absolutely use it.

InterContinental Launches Concierge App for the IPad . ehotelier.com. http://ehotelier.com/hospitality-news/item.php?id=A20050_0_11_0_M