GuestDriven and Estimote Deliver iBeacon Technology to Hotel Industry

Personalized guest offerings create new revenue for hotels

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Dec 04, 2014, 09:00 ET

MONTREAL, Dec. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- GuestDriven, a leading hospitality mobile solution provider, today announced a partnership with Estimote, developer of Beacon sensors, to deliver iBeacon technology to the hotel industry. Growth forecasts put beacon installs across all industries at 5 million within the next four years, for a 287 percent increase. GuestDriven and Estimote are the first mobile technology providers to deliver iBeacon technology to independent hoteliers throughout North America. Guests opting in to the Beacon push notifications can access these messages from both iOS and Android devices.

GuestDriven and Estimote Team Up to Deliver Beacon Technology to Hotel Brands in North America

"The iBeacon technology has been extremely well received by our hotel partners in our global deployment, said Anthony Zebrowski-Rubin, CEO of GuestDriven. "While the retail, transportation and sports industries have been using Beacons to direct fans, navigate and improve traffic patterns for travelers and deliver special offers with product ratings and comparative pricing for shoppers, the hotel industry now has the ability to personalize and deliver richer guest experiences with real-time promotions that drive new revenue and engagement, deepen customer loyalty and elevate their brand."

Estimote Beacons are small, intricately designed sensors that can be strategically placed virtually anywhere in a building or the outside grounds. Through the tiny radio signals broadcasted by the Beacons, guests can receive a variety of push notifications such as welcoming, promotional and informative messages regarding their hotel stay direct to their mobile phones as they walk through the property.

"Partnering with Estimote opens new opportunities for our hotel clients to differentiate their brands and create memorable experiences for their guests," added Anthony Zebrowski-Rubin, CEO of GuestDriven. "Whether guests receive a welcome message when they walk through the doors, a special offer to upgrade to a suite upon arrival or a message with in-room food options for guests checking-in past dinner time, Beacons provide a way to market, engage and upsell customers, while driving repeat business. We plan to announce several new hotel deployments in the coming weeks as we aggressively expand Estimote's iBeacon technology into more of our clients' sites throughout North America."

The baton has been passed to a new generation of hotel guest. Nearly half of all hotel guests are under the age of 36 and 94% of them carry a smartphone, according to Atmosphere Research Group. "Hotels must be mobile-centric in how they sell, serve and support guests," said Henry H. Harteveldt, Founder/Travel Industry Analyst, Atmosphere Research Group. "Smartphones are as essential to guests as the air they breathe. Mobile-centric guests may view a mobile-focused hotel as more convenient, and may be willing to consider paying a higher rate for that convenience. This new generation of guests will pay as much attention to hotel mobile services as they will its bedding."

GuestDriven is helping hotels capitalize on this shift in the market by providing a Mobile Guest Engagement Platform that allows hotels to engage with guests via mobile devices in order to create stronger customer relationships, build brand advocacy and drive revenue. Last month, GuestDriven launched GuestDriven Express which equips hotels with Mobile Check-in and Upgrade capabilities and adds new revenues while engaging guests at the pre-arrival stage.

"GuestDriven is closing the gap when it comes to the guest experience," said Jakub Krzych, CEO and Co-founder of Estimote. "They continue to launch innovative and affordable mobile turnkey solutions to give hotels the opportunity to engage with guests on a deeper, more intimate level. We are very excited to align our technology with their offering to further improve the customer experience, while creating new revenue channels for hoteliers."

Benefits of iBeacon Technology for Guests

Heightened personalized service
Recognition for loyalty and repeat business
Upgrades and perks for engagement including discounts on rooms, restaurants, in-room dining, spa and other amenities
Tailored offerings connected to your profile
Educational messages about hotel services, artwork and specials
Directions to various property locations

Benefits of iBeacon Technology for Hotels

Provides onsite personalization
Connecting guests and hotel for heightened experiences
Added value tools to retain customers and build engagement
Opens new revenue channel for upselling amenities
Merchandising of add-ons during guest stay
Capturing CRM data to better serve guests
Fast and easy installation and maintenance

About Estimote
Estimote is a technology startup that creates a hardware and software platform using Bluetooth Smart technology – one that will change how people run offline businesses and how consumers interact with real world products and venues.

Estimote's small wireless sensors, called beacons, communicate with applications on your mobile device to trigger contextually relevant actions, from personalized micro-location notifications and indoor navigation to in-store analytics. They are currently deploying with partners across industries and support over 30,000 developers – inside Fortune 500's and startups alike. Estimote Beacons are certified iBeacon™ compatible and being deployed at scale worldwide. Estimote's software abstracts away the difficulty of building new contextually-powered mobile experiences in verticals as diverse as retail, healthcare, hospitality and smart enterprise, and transportation.

About GuestDriven
GuestDriven is a Mobile Guest Engagement platform that enables hotels to interact directly with guests via their mobile devices. Valuable marketing data, including guest preferences and behaviors and social media profiles, is passed to hoteliers, which can be leveraged to elevate guest experience and increase revenues by offering personalized perks, promotions and rewards. An integrated suite of specialized tools for targeting, campaigning and interacting with guests at every stage of travel assists hospitality brands in enablement of customer advocacy, allowing hotels to reward loyalty in real-time. GuestDriven was named a Top 20 Company by the Canadian Innovation Exchange. Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Montreal, Canada, GuestDriven has implementations in over 60 cities and more than 215 properties worldwide.

For more information contact: www.guestdriven.com

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SOURCE GuestDriven