Starwood Hotel group invests in Google Glass app for travellers
Starwood Hotels & Resorts has developed an app for Goggle Glass which allows wearers to explore and book a room at any of the company’s 1,200 hotels worldwide.
The new SPG app, which is available to members of the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) program, will enable guests to review their SPG account and ‘immerse themselves’ in any of Starwood’s nine, design-led brands, which include St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W, Westin, Le Méridien, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, Aloft and Element.
Designed and built by Starwood’s internal team the app is designed to assist travellers in each stage of their journey – from destination exploration to practical logistics planning. It uses a personalised interface with voice command search and geo location, allowing users to get hotel directions and explore and share images of hotel amenities.
“Travelers are more tech-savvy than ever before, and wearable technology is the newest platform that provides information in an easy to access way to support the needs of our guests and enhance their travel experience,” said Chris Holdren, SVP SPG and digital for Starwood Hotels & Resorts.
“Our goal is to explore these new technologies and learn from our guests’ interactions with them so we can continue to deliver the best experiences at every point in their journey – from when our guests are dreaming about their next destination to when they walk in our front door and beyond.”
Starwood said it would continue to develop other wearable technology products that “best respond to the desires of the SPG community” and cement its reputation as “a leader in digital innovation”.