Lucy is the name of the new mobile app launched by Virgin Hotels. The app will complement the guest experience with a full list of features, including some industry-leading integrations.
It seems that the countdown to the truly connected smart hotel room will end in 2015!
The list of features includes:
- Temperature: Hotel guests will be able to adjust the temperature in the room from the app. Virgin Hotels is one of the first hotel brands in the world to offer this smart functionality within the guest room.
- Room service: The app is fully integrated with the room service function, allowing guests to view menus and order directly from the app. This is a boon for the hotel F&B operation as well, given the fact that there are now additional marketing opportunities via photos and marketing messaging personalized to the guest. For late night eats, guests can order via the app and have the food waiting upon return.
- Media: Guests can stream their own video and music through the app, so the true "content on demand" can begin to occur within hotel rooms. This has been an "upcoming trend" in hotel technology for awhile now. It's good to see direct streaming solutions finally trickling down into the guest experience.
- Remote control: The app can also act as a remote control, eliminating annoying hotel-style remotes or a prolonged search for a misplaced one.
- Communication: Each hotel will have a chat board, allowing guests to connect over shared recommendations. These recommendations will also come from staff, as the app will connect guests to more tips and recs from the hotel's concierge and other content providers throughout a stay.
With these many features, the hotel app has a good chance of integrating itself into the guest's experience both in and outside of the hotel - something most hotel brands have been striving for with constant upgrades of branded apps.
The app sits alongside the company's direct effort to learn more about its guests from a program called "the Know," which asks guests to fill out more information about themselves, such as the correct name and other preferences that can help the hotel deliver a more personalized stay.
Lucy is available now on iOS and Android, and will work at the Virgin Hotels Chicago slated to open this year.