Features of the new mobile campaign include hotel menus, local weather, information on local attractions and events in or around the Miami Beach hotel. Users will also receive special offers and have the ability to book rooms right from their iPhone and Android devices.

“Fontainebleau chose to launch this app to enhance the overall customer experience while giving them insight on the resort as well as the surrounding Miami Beach area,” said Philip Goldfarb, president and chief operating officer of Fontainebleau Miami Beach, Miami. “It is an extension of the brand’s commitment to providing its guests with the latest advances in the mobile marketplace.”

Launching the campaign
To emphasize the new campaign, Fontainebleau is hosting a contest on their Facebook and Twitter pages with prizes that include a weekend getaway, dinner at a signature restaurant or access to LIV and Arkadia, the hotel’s famed nightspots.

To enter, consumers simply “like” the page on Facebook and fill out an additional form. They can also sign up when they download the app on their iPhone or Android phones.

Optimized site

There will be a second marketing phase that will include augmented reality tools and tours, per Mr. Goldfarb.

The new apps, designed by Macroview Labs, offer hundreds of different content pages as well as interactive benefits.

Once you download the iPhone app or visit the mobile site the services are separated into five categories, “stay, play, dine, meet and discovered,” marked by icons at the bottom of the page.

Part of the Fontainebleau app

Guests staying at the hotel can use the app or mobile site to make spa appointments, reserve pool cabanas, make dinner reservations and access detailed maps. Consumers can even mark where they left their beach towel.

Users can also check out sales at the hotel’s signature shops, see what DJs will be at the hotel’s nightclubs and make itineraries for vacations via smartphones.

The apps and site are also useful for people who are thinking about staying at the hotel. The app gives users access to exclusive offers and packages, and lets them browse through guest rooms and suites.

The mobile strategy will be used internally as well.

“We are able to use the tool in various operating roles such as the mobile concierge in the lobby, with this app we are able to make guests reservations and show them Fontainebleau through our handheld iPads,” Mr. Goldfarb said.

Luxury Hotel Mobile Marketing
Since its reopening in the fall of 2008, the Fontainebleau has been a favorite among celebrities and trendy world travelers alike. Jennifer Lopez is a frequent guest.

Fontainebleau isn’t the only hotel to utilize the travel app-craze (see story).

For example, in October the trendy Mandarin Oriental hotels launched free, interactive iPhone app, “the MO.” (see story).

The MO app allows its users to select a city/hotel, and then provides city maps, local attractions, sight-seeing guides, immediate spa and dining bookings, as well as special packages and offers.

Also, the Four Seasons launched its iPhone app in October 2009. While less interactive, the app allows users to check room availability, book spa services, and take a video tour of each hotel.

Recently ranked ninth in L2’s Digital IQ Index, the Four Seasons is no rookie when it comes to new technology (see story).

“We feel that by adding this app guests will have a truly enhanced experience,” Mr. Goldfarb said. “It will give them the opportunity to be a bit more connected to the property and offer them an insider feel that not all usually have the chance to experience.”

Most experts believe that a well-rounded mobile strategy includes both a mobile site and apps. Brand loyalists may opt for downloading an app, but a cross-platform site allows consumers from different types of smartphones to access the content as well.