Dive Brief:
- Hilton has partnered with travel management company Travel and Transport to integrate their mobile applications and make them more seamless for travelers. The app for the hotel chain’s Hilton Honors loyalty program, which has 60 million members, now can be accessed directly from Travel and Transport’s Dash Mobile app, a statement said.
- The connected app lets Hilton Honors members get access to information about hotel check-in times and locations, choose a room and access a digital room key for more than 1,700 hotels. Travelers can also use the app to view previous trips and invoices, and export the data into expense-management tools.
- Travel and Transport and Hilton are planning future updates for the Dash Mobile app, including a feature to let travelers see how many points they need for higher Hilton Honors status. The Dash Mobile app is available at Apple’s App Store and Google Play.
Dive Insight:
Hilton’s efforts to make its mobile app more seamless with Travel and Transport’s Dash Mobile app comes as smartphone technology revolutionizes the travel industry. The integration with Travel and Transport, a big player in travel management for companies, is the latest sign that mobile's influence on how individuals travel is increasingly extending to the business sector. For example, Airbnb recently added a booking tool for business travelers.
Research shows that many business travelers prefer using self-service technology to manage their travel. For managed travel programs, one way travel buyers can help drive compliance is to recommend apps for their travelers. The opportunity is there for managed travel platforms to integrate technologies that will help business travelers throughout their entire trip.
Hilton is ramping up its presence on digital booking platforms, having integrated with TripAdvisor for instant booking earlier this year.
Mobile travel sales in the U.S. will grow about 17% this year from 2016 to about $76 billion, comprising 40% of all digital travel sales, according to an eMarketer study released in June. Total digital travel sales in the U.S. will reach $189.6 billion, including airline, car rental, cruise, hotel and transportation.
The vast majority of travelers believe airline apps improve the travel experience, according to a study by Helpshift, a developer of in-app customer service software. The study found that 83% of American travelers and 95% of airline loyalty members appreciate airline apps, MediaPost reported.
