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VirtualHotel Boosts Mobile App Engagement with Mobile Key

8/5/2013
Cardola and OpenWays have joined forces following HITEC in an effort to ensure that hotels' guest-facing mobile apps are being used and subsequent revenues are being realized. With Mobile Key by OpenWays now part of the VirtualHotel by Cardola mobile concierge toolkit, guests will have even more reasons to engage with the hotel via their smartphone. Not only does this alliance give guests instant and secure access to their rooms, but it provides a way to further streamline service delivery, remove language barriers and enhance the overall guest experience. For the hotel, more exposure to services and amenities via its app increases revenues, improves satisfaction, heightens loyalty, and establishes brand differentiation.
 
Created by Cardola USA Inc., VirtualHotel serves as a reliable and robust mobile concierge designed to enhance communication and revenue channels by facilitating multilingual service ordering and delivery. OpenWays is the hospitality leader in mobile-based access-management and security solutions. Mobile Key by OpenWays streamlines the hotel arrival process by enabling hotel guests to zip past the front desk and open their room doors using any of the nearly 7 billion cell phones in the world -- any make, any mobile network -- as their room key. With Mobile Key by OpenWays embedded into VirtualHotel, guests can enjoy the convenience of one-touch, secure room access in the same way they can order room service, purchase an in-room movie, examine a map of conference facilities, schedule a spa service, book a tour or a tee time.
 
According to the GSMA, a global mobile industry trade group, by 2020 there will be approximately 20 billion mobile devices and 24 billion connected devices worldwide. Today, roughly 72% of global users access the mobile web daily, and by 2020, that number will grow exponentially. Perhaps that's why hotels are willing to invest $30,000 to $300,000 to develop custom mobile apps that provide daily offers, mobile check in, customer support, loyalty programs, hotel wayfinding, area maps and more.
 
Benefits of VirtualHotel with Mobile Key by OpenWays Integration
VirtualHotel with Mobile Key by OpenWays puts guests in control of their stay without any explanation or tutorials required. Room service orders, secure room access, restaurant reservations, spa treatments, concierge services, housekeeping requests, local information, weather forecasts, and future reservations can all be accessed with just the touch of an icon. Because the system is multilingual, guests can easily interact with all touch points in their preferred language, thereby increasing engagement.
 
VirtualHotel with Mobile Key by OpenWays enhances a hotel's sustainability program. Because Mobile Key is made only of secure data, it is the greenest room key on the plant. The cost to purchase harmful plastic keycards is removed. Likewise, because the VirtualHotel app is digital, all costs related to printing in-room collateral is removed. Updating content contained within the app can be done at a moment's notice to keep guests apprised of the latest information at all times. Changes to app design, products, options, languages and prices also can be done in real-time without impacting the guests’ use of the service. This not only drives onsite revenues, but it enhances the ability for travelers to purchase items long after they have left the property.
 
VirtualHotel with Mobile Key by OpenWays resolves service delivery issues. Since all requests are tracked from the moment they are placed, VirtualHotel's intelligent service-delivery tool ensures that all guest requests are delivered to the correct department immediately and alerts management if there are any delivery delays. VirtualHotel with Mobile Key by OpenWays can then notify guests when a request has been fulfilled, their rooms are ready, or an upgrade be been issued, etc.
 
VirtualHotel with Mobile Key by OpenWays inspires guests to make the most of their stay by uploading useful information about the area, its history and nearby attractions with the option for guests to place reservations or purchase services offsite while still being on premises. Affiliate partnerships with local businesses drive revenues as both parties can enjoy revenue shares.
 
VirtualHotel with Mobile Key by OpenWays is fully customizable and all content can be designed to reflect the hotel's personality while maintaining brand values and protecting the brand's reputation.
 
VirtualHotel with MobileKey by OpenWays is available for guests to download prior to arrival via the Apple App Store, iTunes, and Google Play so they can engage with the hotel immediately. A proprietary app will also be present on the hotel's website offering more personalized functionality. Hoteliers can easily make changes to the design, products, options, languages and prices in real-time without impacting the guests’ use of the service.
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