Photo courtesy of Porter24
To complement the rise in demand of digital concierges in the travel industry, Porter24, a digital advertising company that provides hospitality solutions, announced on Thursday that it would be providing touchscreen concierges to hotels nationwide at no cost.
The touchscreen concierges provide guests with a variety of real-time information during their stay, including hotel information, directions, weather updates, flight status, local business deals, tourist attractions and local services. There are also recommendations on the destination's top restaurants and nightlife.
Guests can even take a selfie via the concierges and share it on social media.
Information can also be sent directly to guests' phones in hotel-branded emails.
The touchscreens range from 50 to 65 inches and can be custom built.
Daniel Ramirez, vice president of Porter24, said that the touchscreen concierges have become popular with local retailers that have been trying to find an effective way to get in front of guests inside hotels. Their interest and advertising spend on the touchscreens is the main reason why Porter24 can now offer the digital concierges to hotels for free.
Via cloud-based software, Porter24 is able to offer hotels a content management system (CMS) that can easily be updated and customized in real time. The real-time aspect is critical, as hotels are constantly improving their on-site features and developing new strategies to engage guests and enhance their stay.
One feature of the touchscreen concierges that was added later in the development process is the ability for guests to take selfies. Ramirez said that the addition of the selfie was not only looked at independently by Porter24 as a worthy investment, but it also coincides with the global selfie trend in the travel industry.
Ramirez also added that smartphone charging outlets have been installed on the touchscreen concierges, offering more convenience to travelers on the go who don't want to have to go back to their hotel room to charge their phones.
And while the digital touchscreens are an obvious draw for hotels and local businesses, they are also beneficial on a larger scale in that they highlight the local destination, Ramirez said. Porter24's digital concierges have the ability to showcase the destination in general, which can lead to a more satisfying and immersive experience for travelers. This, in turn, can naturally boost the destination in the public's eye and lead to stronger tourism numbers for the destination, whether it's via word of mouth or better hotel/destination reviews.
Hilton San Diego and four other hotels in the San Diego area, which showcased the concierges during a three-month testing period, have already jumped on board with Porter24's solution after positive reviews. Porter24 is also thinking about entering the meeting and convention space, as well as tapping into commercial real estate.
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