HotelChatter

In the past few months alone, we've tried out new apps by hotels like Conrad, InterContinental, Ritz-Carlton and SLS, plus new hotel booking features by Hotwire and Jetsetter, and, of course, that pioneer of the hotel-booking app world, HotelTonight.

As the technology develops, the competition will only heat up among hotels all trying to come out with the best and most original hotel app. (Over a year later, W's app remains one of our favorites).

And the fun doesn't stop with hotel-branded apps. We've seen plenty of third party apps emerge this year, each offering a slightly different service: LodgeNet (TV remote), Sivi (upscale concierge), LobbyFriend (social media) and Sweetbeam (digital announcement board). Yet whether you're using these apps to make friends or just make dinner reservations, the fact remains that these days, much of the physical experience of a hotel revolves around digital platforms.

Like it or not, the more a hotel (or brand) can step up its app technology, the better chance it has of competing in the tech-obsessed world we live in. And maybe that's not such a bad thing after all!

[Photo: HotelChatter]