A new application, Book. Stay. Go., hopes to shake up the travel sector by enabling users to book accommodations, select their preferred hotel room, skip the front desk and leverage their mobile device as a room key, all within a single platform.

Book. Stay. Go. has unveiled what it claims is the hotel industry’s first SaaS-enabled marketplace, including digital room keys and mobile check-in features alongside an inventory of eight million-plus rooms spanning six U.S. cities. Although consumers are already inundated with a plethora of mobile booking apps, Book. Stay. Go.’s foray into the market could prompt its competitors to integrate additional tools into their platforms to facilitate even more seamless experiences.

“The room key completes the entire experience for travelers, which makes it vital for any mobile application,” said Vikas Bhakta, co-founder and CEO of Book. Stay. Go.

A one-stop booking shop
Book. Stay. Go. users can search hotel rooms by best available rates, check in and choose their own desired room prior to arrival on premises. Once they reach the property, guests may bypass long lines at the front desk and walk straight up to their rooms, using their smartphones as a digital room key.

Therefore, the entire hotel stay can be managed directly from the app users’ mobile devices. Book. Stay. Go. customers do not need to join a hotel’s loyalty program or download its app in order to receive access to the slew of features meant to streamline their on-site experiences.

The platform is also angling to appeal to business travelers by leveraging a deep Uber integration that lets users automatically link their hotel address to the ride-sharing service’s app, enabling hassle-free transportation to and from the resort.

Consumers planning to expense their stays to their employer can also take advantage of the Expensify integration, which allows them to submit their invoice directly to the platform any time after their departure.

Other available in-app features include access to corporate room rates and complimentary Wi-Fi.

The Book. Stay. Go. app is only available for iOS users.

Superior mobile experiences
The sheer number of booking apps currently available to travelers means that these platforms must differentiate themselves by way of engaging cross-partnerships, consolidated features and wide-scale room inventories.

Book. Stay. Go. does have plans to add other partnerships to its repertoire of services.

“We have some major announcements coming,” Mr. Bhakta said.

However, the mobile marketplace also faces some stiff competition from stalwarts in the hospitality industry that are rapidly innovating within their digital platforms to give consumers more choice – and control – over their stays.

Hilton Worldwide is boosting the appeal of in-app booking by enabling users to see a hotel’s surroundings and a room’s potential view through a new integration with Google Maps (see story).

Meanwhile, Booking.com is replacing outdated email communication methods with a streamlined mobile chat within its app, allowing users to submit inquiries and book travel accommodations (see story).

Book. Stay. Go.’s biggest distinction is letting users leverage their smartphones as one-stop shops for all of their basic hotel experience needs.

“We differentiate ourselves by providing the only complete native mobile app offering next-gen mobile functionality, not simply booking,” Mr. Bhakta said.