iPhone webapp for hotels begins rollout

Bookassist is now beginning the rollout of the iPhone and Android webapp for hotels in the coming days following successful testing over recent weeks. The webapp has been demonstrated to a number of key clients including the ARCOTEL group of hotels in Austria, Germany and Croatia and to a number of clients in Ireland and Spain. Bookassist CEO Dr Des O'Mahony commented: "We are very pleased with the positive and enthusiastic response from hoteliers. Most recognize that this is the fastest growing market right now, and to have a fully functional presence there is not just important, it is increasingly critical."

"What hotels need is to get the thing in front of people on mobile devices quickly and without effort. We will be able to provide a downloadable app at the AppStore, but our research in the last 6 months indicates that very few people are going to go and download such an app for a specific hotel. That constitutes a barrier to them accessing the hotel on mobile devices", according to O'Mahony.

Crucially, the webapp can be used by hotels regardless of the booking technology on their own websites. Using Bookassist's booking engine technology is not a requirement.

Instead, Bookassist's preferred delivery mechanism is to automatically and seamlessly direct users from the hotel website to the webapp if they type the hotel's URL on a mobile device. In that way, hotels are putting the full functionality of their mobile platform right in front of the user without the user having to do anything. It is just 'there'. Plus users can easily add the webapp to their home screen for future use.

"Hotels can advertise that they are iPhone or mobile capable, but all they really need to advertise is their existing web address. They don't have to convince people to download the app. But it is there if people want it."

Bookassist CEO Dr Des O'Mahony (left) demonstrates the new ARCOTEL group application on iPhone to ARCOTEL CEO Mr Manfred Mayer at ITB Berlin

Bookassist's mobile webapp is highly capable for hotel groups in particular, allowing all hotels in a group to be viewed according to location, price, or alphabetically.

The mobile webapp for hotels offers full booking functionality, a photo gallery, a reviews section, room and hotel description, a map locator and the capability to use your current location to route you to the hotel. The webapp is multilingual and at all stages allows users to toggle between the webapp and the full website for the hotel or group. For hotel groups, corporate functionality will also feature.



The ARCOTEL group webapp will launch simultaneously with the soon-to-be released new ARCOTEL group website.

For further details see Bookassist Mobile Hotel App.