InterContinental Hotels Group is using an Android application to reward loyal customers with points for future deals.

The Priority Club Rewards application contains booking and reservation management features for Priority Club Rewards members. The application is also available for iPhone users.

“As an early entrant into mobile travel, IHG has always aimed to provide solutions to improve the guest experience – whether it be searching, booking, arrival planning or staying in one of our properties,” said Bill Keen, director of product management-branded Web and mobile solutions at IHG, Atlanta.

“Mobile as a channel allows us to stay engaged with customers throughout the entire guest experience as it is always on and always tethered,” he said. “We are pursuing solutions that are device and platform appropriate and provide guest convenience – inclusive of regional and local languages – in the core markets we serve.”

IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns, through various subsidiaries, over 4,400 hotels and more than 650,000 guest rooms in 100 countries around the world.

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Using the application, consumers can check rates and view or cancel reservations for all seven of IHG’s brands including, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites.

Loyalty members can find and book a room, view photos and amenities for each hotel, click-to-call the front desk for each hotel and use Priority Club Rewards account information to facilitate bookings.  

In addition, consumers can view Priority Club Rewards member details, including the number, level and points balance.

Members can manage their account profile, redeem points for Priority Club Reward Nights, use Corporate IDs to get corporate rates and view special offers.

“Our Android and iPhone applications are targeted at our most loyal customers whose expectations are convenient service and recognition of their loyalty,” Mr. Keen said. “Also, because our target market indexes towards busy business professionals, we wanted to make sure we used functionality inherent in the devices such location aware search, voice search and map integration. 

“We have a multichannel marketing plan aimed a driving awareness but also inclusive of promotional incentive aimed at driving consumer usage,” he said. “We are merchandising across all of our electronic channels via landing pages that make consumers aware of our mobile options whether they be mobile applications for the iPhone and Droid or our multilanguage mobile Web sites. 

“We will also be sending emails and continue efforts in both mobile search and mobile display advertising. 

Mobile priority
IHG is offering 1,000 Priority Club Rewards bonus points to members for each qualifying stay up to Sept. 30.

There is also an enhanced version of the iPhone application that includes two new features that let consumers use corporate IDs to get corporate rates and to redeem Priority Club Reward Nights.

“We currently support multiple device and platform types through our mobile Web and downloads – regardless of feature phone or smartphone, we have an option available,” Mr. Keen said.  “Also, as a global company we are looking at solutions to support solutions in key international markets such as Japan, China, Britain and Germany. 

“We are currently working on several initiatives that extend into new markets and new mediums,” he said. “We will be extending our mobile Web language support beyond our currently available languages of English, Spanish, German, Chinese and Japanese.

“We will be enhancing our downloadable apps to include branded versions as well as translated versions.”

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