Travel and Hospitality News Update

We all know that travelers are increasingly mobile, and today we have a few app updates you should know about. From a new Airbnb competitor to how hotels are using Pokemon Go (and you should too), read on to find out what’s the latest in mobile and social media news.

Overnight App

We’ve written before on how shared lodging is here to stay – and now, the market is growing. The mobile market has been dominated by Airbnb, but it was recently announced that a new short-term apartment rental website that currently is operating in Los Angeles, Austin, San Francisco, and internationally has now expanded to New York City. Overnight sets itself apart from its competitors by the fact that reservations can only be made for the same night. However, reservations can last up to 5 days. The app plans to continue to expand its markets.

Read more at Travel + Leisure >>>

Snapchat Memories

As we shared earlier this year, even if your hotel isn’t using Snapchat, it’s definitely a network to keep an eye on. One of Snapchat’s defining characteristics is that you share a photo when you take it through the app, so if you’re not sharing while something is happening, it isn’t going on Snapchat. While you could always download photos you took in Snapchat, it was a one-way street. With the new Snapchat Memories, you can take a photo in Snapchat and save it to Memories to share later, or upload images from your phone’s photo album to share on Snapchat.

Read more at the Snapchat Blog >>>

Pokemon Go

Pokemon Go has swept the nation, and businesses are using it to their advantage. If you don’t know much about the app, what matters to you as a location-based business is to know that in the game there are “PokeStops.” At PokeStops,åÊgame players can collect items and are more likely to find Pokemon. Plus, people at a stop can drop a “lure” to further increase chances of seeing Pokemon. Find out if you have a PokeStop at your hotel and share it. Did you know that almost 10% of hotels in one sample mentioned Pokemon Go on their Twitter accounts in the 11 days after it launched in the U.S.?

Need another reason to join our morning group runs? PokeStops!#RunWestin#PokeStops#PokemonGo#RunConciergepic.twitter.com/60yITKp7E5

‰ Westin Edina (@WestinEdina) July 13, 2016

Learn more about the study and find out how hotels are using Pokemon Go to their advantage.

Read more at Tnooz >>>

Latest Travel Decision Research

Did you know that over half of Facebook usersåÊhave had their travel decisions influenced by seeing a friend’s posts on social media? We’ve compiled the latest research and trends in social media, mobile booking, and more in our white paper, The Traveler’s Journey 2.0. In the white paper, we share how a traveler’s road to decision has changed over the last few years and what your hotel can be doing to capture travelers at each step of their journey.

Download the Traveler’s Journey 2.0 white paper >>>