WHY IT RATES: Wyndham continues to make the hotel experience safer for its guests.—Donald Wood, Breaking News Senior Writer.
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the world's largest hotel franchising company with more than 9,000 hotels across approximately 90 countries, today announced the arrival of its new mobile app for iOS and Android, combining best-in-class design with personal experiences, account management, gamification and more.
Wyndham's new mobile app prioritizes low-contact in-stay features and is slated to be the first to offer mobile check-in and checkout at nearly 6,000 economy and midscale hotels in the U.S.
Available today in both platforms' app stores, the new app—which prioritizes low-contact in-stay features and is slated to be the first to offer mobile check-in and checkout at nearly 6,000 economy and midscale hotels in the U.S.—comes at a critical time as both travelers and hoteliers look for innovative, digital solutions to help navigate the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.
"More than ever, travelers are seeking drive-to accommodations and Wyndham offers the power of established brands that they know and trust—brands like La Quinta® by Wyndham, Days Inn® by Wyndham and Super 8® by Wyndham," said Jessica Davidson, senior vice president, Digital, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. "For everyday travelers, especially those traveling during the pandemic, this app is a game changer, delivering the features guests expect today alongside a robust foundation for the future."
Delivering Simplicity and Innovation for the Everyday Traveler
Chief among the key offerings in the new Wyndham mobile app are features and functionality that simplify the hotel booking process while reducing direct contact between travelers and hotel staff.
—Mobile Check-In / Checkout – Available at nearly 300 hotels throughout the U.S., with plans to expand to nearly 6,000 hotels before end of year, guests can leverage mobile check-in and checkout to reduce contact between themselves and hotel staff.
—Lightning Book – Designed for road trippers and road warriors, guests can search for and book the nearest Wyndham hotel for the night in as a few as three taps. They can also see in real time their proximity from the hotel and book using Wyndham Rewards® points, should they prefer to do so.
—Digital Room Key – Coming later this year to select resorts like the Wyndham Grand Bonnet Creek in Orlando, Fla. and Wyndham Grand Rio Mar in Rio Grande, P.R., guests may choose to receive their room key digitally via their mobile phone and use throughout the duration of their stay. Expansion to other hotels and resorts is anticipated over the next 12 months as additional locations choose to leverage and implement.
Creating an Immersive Experience
Building on the app's core features is a fully reimagined user experience that is filled with personal touches while anticipating and adapting to users' real-time needs based on where they are and what they want to do.
—In-Stay Mode – Open the mobile app within three days of a stay and the home screen defaults to prioritize and display information that's of the most relevance to the guest, such as important stay details, front desk texting, local attractions, mobile check-in availability and more.
—My App Passport – Guests can track their engagements with memorable stamps, animations and more when they achieve select in-app accomplishments such as booking a stay or redeeming points. New stamps and achievements are expected to be added over time.
—Special Offers – Open the mobile app without an immediate, upcoming or current stay and guests are greeted by name along with their current Wyndham Rewards point balance, search functionality and the latest promotional offers. Guests can learn more with a single tap and register for offers just as easily.
—Account Management – Guests can make the most of their travels with simple and intuitive account management, including the ability to easily update their Wyndham Rewards member profiles and stay preferences, add preferred methods of payment, view previous and upcoming stays, check their personalized offers, purchase points and more.
Added Davidson, "Our new app could not have arrived at a more critical time. The pandemic has propelled digital adoption and travelers now expect streamlined, low-contact experiences. This app allows our thousands of franchisees to help deliver upon those expectations, while providing the easiest and fastest possible path to booking direct. It's a win-win both for our guests and for our franchisees."
SOURCE: Wyndham Hotels & Resorts press release.
