How can travel firms maximize the impact of Apple Watch?
It’s only a matter of time until Apple Watches are as ubiquitous as iPhones and with an app store all of it’s own, the Apple Watch is going to impact on a number of sectors as thousands of brands establish a presence.
Perhaps aware that they missed a beat with initial opportunities in mobile, the travel industry has been quick to embrace the Apple Watch.
Companies including American Airlines, Air New Zealand, Expedia, Uber, Trip Advisor and Starwood Hotels have already produced offerings for the smartwatch.
Travel companies are now more aware of the technology their customers use and are developing a strategy to make sure they’re playing an effective role across a number of different channels.
Numerous travel companies featured prominently in the launch, indicating an awareness that the technology will have a big impact on their industry.
For example, the Starwood Hotel demo showed that guests could use the watch to check in to their W Hotel room and even unlock the door. From this, we could see hotel rooms becoming much more customised.
By using wearables to check in to a hotel, a ‘connected room’ can immediately be configured exactly how a guest would like it. Lighting, air temperature, preferred music or TV channel can all be automatically set for regular travellers, turning a hotel room into a home away from home.
If the watch can unlock your room, then it can surely also provide access to guest-only facilities, such as the gym. This allows the hotel to deliver more personal up-sell messages to guests.