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Will Hilton's iPhone App Really Be as Functional as They Promise?

November 9, 2009 at 9:32 AM | by | Comments (0)

Hilton Hotels announced today that they would be unveiling not just one or two but seven iPhone apps in the next week or so for hotel guests to use. The apps will be brand-specific, i.e. Doubletree will have its own app, Conrad Hotels will have its own app and so will Embassy Suites. It's an app-travaganza! (Word is that an app for the Waldorf-Astoria collection is in the works as well.)

Now, you already know how we feel about iPhone apps. A few weeks ago, we rounded up all of the hotel iPhone apps that were currently available in the iTunes store. Most of these have little to add to the already popular app of sitting at your computer and booking a room online. But Hilton told USA Today that their apps will be different and will have more functions than just booking a room.

Apparently, a few of the apps will have a "Request Upon Arrival" function that will allow guests to order things to their room before they even get there, like room service. Guests will even be able to check-in up to 48 hours before their arrival and can request a specific bed type. The apps will also let you find GPS directions to the hotel after you've landed in the city, check your HHonors loyalty points and the standard iPhone hotel app functions of book/change/cancel your reservations.

So, are we excited for the Hilton apps? Well, we think it's smart to unveil one for each brand although that could get confusing down the road, not to mention it will clutter up your iPhone's home screen. And we do like the "Request Upon Arrival" function but we'll have to test the apps out so we can see exactly how well they work.

Yet if Hilton is going to try and one-up competitors by moving beyond the "book, change, cancel, check loyalty points" usage, why don't they just go into a fully blown, iPhone concierge service too? We tried this out at the Malibu Beach Inn and their program allows you to order room service from your phone, make dinner reservations in town, have your car pulled to the front of the hotel and even request toiletries from housekeeping that you may have forgotten to bring with you.

Of course, even if Hilton does move into this field of iPhone concierge, we suspect there are still a few of you out there who like to request things at hotels the old school way--by interacting with a fellow human.

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