Mandarin Anticipates New iPhone App to Follow Success of Mobile Site

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group's new mobile application is now live and available for download via the on iTunes App Store. Designed for iPhone/iPod touch and compatible with iPad, the complimentary app offers travelers the ability to book, modify, and cancel "real-time" reservations, browse detailed Mandarin Oriental hotel information, explore destination guides and much more. Launched earlier this year, TripCraft LLC has developed an enterprise platform and consumer application for the delivery of rich hotel content, real-time reservations, on-property services and local destination information via smart phones.

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group iPhone application "MO Hotels" is found in the Travel category of the iTunes App Store.

"Mandarin Oriental is at the top of the luxury segment within the hospitality industry and we realize how valuable it is to offer additional touch points to build an interactive relationship with our guests, even when they are not at one of our properties," says Christoph Oberli, vice president of e-commerce at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. "Through its stylish design, rich media content, speed of functionality, customization capabilities, and the efficiency of a 'real-time' in-app booking tool, this application delivers the premium user experience that guests expect from our luxury brand. Our mobile site which went live in February, has been incredibly successful, and we expect similar success with the first generation of our new app, which we believe is already far superior to any other hotel reservations mobile application currently available," adds Oberli.

"The app's back-end capabilities, which are seamlessly integrated with our content management system, central reservation system and destination information systems, are without a doubt, state-of-the-art," says Oberli. "I might also note that maintaining and leveraging TripCraft's enterprise-level app is requiring minimal effort and staff on our part because of the fact that it is integrated with our existing technology tools and applications."

Notable benefits and features of the "MO Hotels" app include:

• Comprehensive Property Details: Guests tour Mandarin Oriental's 26 hotels and resorts around the world with details on room offerings, services and amenities, accompanied by an extensive image gallery for each property. Importantly, the app caches, or makes available offline, a host of this dynamic content, resulting in an app that works seamlessly without network signal coverage. As an added feature, users can view the locations of all Mandarin Oriental hotels from an interactive 3D globe, and simply tap to launch the associated hotel information.
• Real-time Reservations: With direct connections to secure content servers and reservations systems, guests can find rate information and room availability in real-time directly from their iPhones. Travelers can make safe and secure bookings, access existing reservations or change upcoming reservations through user-friendly functions in the program. Hotel and international toll-free contact details are also offered for guests who wish to speak directly with a Mandarin Oriental representative.
• "Tempting Offers:" The latest special offers available at all Mandarin Oriental hotels worldwide are showcased and dynamically updated within the app, ensuring users can take advantage of the most up-to-date information and best available rates as they make travel planning decisions.
• "Cities by MO:" "Cities by MO" is a wide-ranging destination guide that includes recommendations from Mandarin Oriental's legendary concierge teams. From area attractions, restaurants, shopping and nightlife sections, travelers can search for specific areas of interest, such as 'Museums & Galleries' under Area Attractions, or 'Italian cuisine' under Restaurants, all yielding quality results. A special point-to-point mapping function is also included, taking advantage of the iPhone's iOS GPS functionality to make finding any destination that much faster.