The Hotel Indigo brand has turned the idea of the traditional concierge role into a full-scale experience through its touchscreen display in the lobby that connects guests to each other, the local neighborhood and to Hotel Indigo locations around the world.
The Neighborhood Guide, a proprietary offering found only at Hotel Indigo hotels, offers guests an overview of each hotel's unique neighbourhood story, a roundup of the local hotel team's favourite attractions and restaurants and the technology to share what they've discovered through a photo sharing tool linked to Facebook. With 55 Hotel Indigo properties worldwide, guests can explore and discover the brand's global community through an interactive map, prompting some to plan future travel as they discover new hotels and locales around the world.
"Our guests want to experience something unique and different when they travel. For them, it's not about doing what's trendy or popular. They want to be with interesting people and make a meaningful connection to the neighborhood," said Mary Winslow, director, Americas Brand Management, Hotel Indigo. "Every person who works in a Hotel Indigo hotel is an expert on their local neighborhood. They learn what intrigues our guests and what they're passionate about, and they make recommendations based on their personal knowledge. At our hotels, it's everyone's role to connect guests to the neighborhood."
Piloted in eight test markets in 2012, including Atlanta, San Diego and Chicago, the Neighborhood Guide was immediately well-received by guests, generating more than a quarter of a million guest interactions and the sharing of more than 12,000 pictures.
"The Neighborhood Guide serves as a visual way for our hotel team to engage with guests and to bring our neighborhood story to life in a way that inspires curious travelers to get out and explore," said Barbara Kulwiec, general manager at the Hotel Indigo Asheville hotel in North Carolina. "People can't get enough of the platform's photo feature. Some even include their pets in the pictures! It's wonderful to see how excited guests are about the Neighborhood Guide, and it gives our lobby space a fun, social element."
The Neighborhood Guide information is also available on the Hotel Indigo mobile website, enabling travelers to explore any Hotel Indigo neighborhood they're visiting, even if they don't step foot in a hotel.
"You don't have to be a guest in one of our hotels to discover our neighborhoods," added Winslow. "Anyone can access our recommendations directly from the palm of their hand."
The Neighborhood Guides are now available in all Hotel Indigo properties across the Americas – it's rolling out to hotels in Latin America and Mexico in spring 2014 – and will eventually be in all Hotel Indigo properties worldwide.
Click here for a demo video of the Neighborhood Guide.
With our new Nice Touch series, we’ll highlight the things that show a hotel endeavouring to provide guests that extra something to make their stay a bit easier or more memorable. Have you seen something that you think qualifies as a Nice Touch? Send it to us at news@ehotelier.net.
