Promoting services directly to guests during their stays has always been a priority for many hoteliers.
In the past, there was no effective way for hotels to communicate to guests about a last-minute spa deal or an impromptu party happening in the lobby. However, this has all changed that to a new platform called LobbyFriend™, the first-ever social network platform dedicated to the real-time needs of guests in their immediate location.
With LobbyFriend hotels can easily communicate with guests throughout their stays, as well as connect hotel guests and hotel staff together. In addition to discovering where to go and what to do, guests also receive exclusive deals from the hotel and nearby establishments looking for additional business from a steady stream of travelers.
Recently The Bourbon Orleans (pictured) began using LobbyFriend, where guests can now access and post news, information and comments in real-time throughout their stay on a mobile device. A screen in the hotel lobby communicates a live, consolidated social stream to engage and attract guests, integrating existing hotel Facebook, Twitter and RSS social feeds.
LobbyFriend is only accessible by those guests who are currently staying at the hotel. Once the guest checks-out, his or her activity is removed from the social stream. Following this initial implementation, the New Orleans Hotel Collection, owners of the Bourbon Orleans, is looking to introduce LobbyFriend into their six other hotels.
Ideally, these kinds of solutions will integrate into all legacy systems, as well as not create any brand confusion when it comes to creating new eyeballs for the hotels actual mobile app.
We believe that for both the hotelier and the guest, there are numerous benefits to being instantaneously connected to guests and staff. When taking a new Frictionless Guest Experience™ approach to pleasing guests, this is a next-generation tool that can be added to an arsenal of solutions that will change how a brand can interact with guests.