I’m a huge Hilton fanboy and I’m an even bigger fan of their Hilton Honors mobile app. In addition to keeping track of all of my stays, recent activity, and point balance, my favorite features of the app is the ability to explore my upcoming hotels, view their floor plans and select my favorite room at check-in. I can see which rooms are available on which floors and figure out what my view or layout will look like. This allows me to pick the best room that I’m entitled to. And combine that with the digital key and the conveniences of the Connected Room – the ability to control in-room television, lighting and climate controls, makes the Hilton mobile app one powerful tool!
And starting on September 12, 2018, the Hilton app will get even more powerful. The Hilton app will be rolling out a new feature called, “Hilton Explore,” which will give guests the ability to explore the local neighborhood around their hotel with suggestions on where to eat, shop and things to do. All this, from people who know the area best – the local Hilton Team Members. The new feature will initially be available in 28 markets (New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Rome and more) covering nearly 1,000 properties among all the Hilton brands, with plans to expand to additional markets in the future.
Hilton Explore will be powered by Foursquare and will bring you localized recommendations by local employees. This is great news for people like me. When I’m traveling, I will always seek out the concierge for advice on where to run, eat, shop or things to do. With Hilton Explore, I will be able to do all that from the convenience of my own room. I seriously love this idea. No one knows their city better than the local employees, which is why empowering them to provide the latest local recommendations will enhance all of our travel experiences.
Each recommendation will include photos and tips, including favorite menu items to try, the best times to go, and specific things to see. Suggestions will be tailored to a variety of audiences – from families looking for kid-friendly activities to frequent travelers looking for business dinner recommendations or couples interested in fine dining experiences. And if the advice from the local Team Members isn’t enough for you, Hilton Explore will also provide you with trusted reviews and tips by other Foursquare users.
Users will be able to do all this research in advance and will not have to wait until they arrive to start exploring. The mobile app will give you the ability to favorite your preferred restaurants and activities and even allow you to create daily itineraries. I think this is a great idea and I can’t wait to give it a try. Good job, Hilton!
The Hilton mobile app is available for download for Apple and Android devices.