Photo courtesy Virgin Hotels Facebook page
Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Hotels lifestyle brand kicked off today in Chicago, and it's only fitting that a brand that prioritizes technology has also launched its own mobile app, dubbed Lucy.
Lucy is essentially a personal assistant that aims to provide a seamless and customized stay for guests. It responds to requests for services and amenities. You can use it to change the temperature of your room. You can use it to order room service. You can use it to listen to tunes from Virgin Hotels' own music library. You can use it as a remote control for your in-room TV. You can use it to get advice on local hotspots such as restaurants, bars and clubs. Lucy will even connect you to Virgin Hotels' chat board, where you can communicate with fellow guests, meet up and/or give and receive recommendations.
On top of that, if you are a member of Virgin Hotels' new preference program, The Know, Lucy will do more for you. By completing The Know questionnaire, guests will also be able to check in and check out on their smartphone.
Doug Carrillo, vice president of sales and marketing, Virgin Hotels, said, via Breaking Travel News, "Our mobile app Lucy, will put guests in the captain's chair. The technology will be smart and intuitive, and light the way to a more immersive experience within the hotel. We can't wait to build upon the platform as the brand and our guests' needs grow."
The app is an extension of Virgin Hotels' stance on accommodating guests' technological needs: simply put, give them what they want for free. Virgin Hotels is already creating buzz by declaring that it will offer Wi-Fi to guests for free with no bandwidth restrictions. It also has done away with charges for business center transactions.
Branson even promoted Virgin Hotels Chicago with technology, offering free in-flight Wi-Fi to Virgin America passengers traveling to Chicago on Dec. 9. He also planted a Virgin Hotels van next to competing hotels in November that was not only equipped with the words "Free Wi-Fi," but also was equipped with free Wi-Fi service for anyone in the area to use.
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