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St. Regis caters to affluent travelers’ every whim with mobile app

January 6, 2011

St. Regis brings guests to New York with application

Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ St. Regis New York gives guests a bite of the Big Apple with its custom E-Butler iPad application that serves as a concierge and an insider’s guide to New York.

The application caters to the hotel’s guests through its Fashion, E-Butler, Insider’s Guide and Arts & Culture sections. It is available as a free download in Apple’s App Store.

“The St. Regis brand has been known for its unique luxury dimension, refined elegance and bespoke service since the opening of the first St. Regis Hotel in New York City over a century ago,” said Paul James, global brand leader at Starwood Hotels & Resorts, New York.

“The signature St. Regis butler service is one of the most visible representations of the hotel’s famed level of service, attention to detail and ability to provide the invaluable luxury of time,” he said.

“And as we have less and less time to spare with the rapidly changing technology, we understand the value in creating an even more seamless, immediate and enriching St. Regis experience.”

St. Regis is owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts.

A mobile hotel
Upon the download of the application, users are encouraged to add the dates they will be staying at the hotel in order to add a more personalized service.

If curious consumers are not checking in to the hotel but want to explore the application anyway, they can choose the tour option.

The homescreen displays changing pictures of the inside of the hotel. Users can choose from the eight options listed.

regis-app-home

Application homepage

Insider’s Guide shows a list of iconic New York personalities that share their favorite shops, restaurants and city landmarks.

Featured celebrities include Vogue’s editor at large Andre Leon Talley and Simon Doonan of Barneys New York.

The concierge service can do anything from making a reservation at a restaurant to suggesting where to shop to finding babysitting services or children’s activities.

Tapping on a listing will bring up more information and images.

The E-Butler section enables guests to directly connect with the E-Butler by writing a note.

Guests can search for options and request a history of the items searched in the past.

Art & Culture is a curated list of happenings throughout the city.

These include museum exhibits, expositions and other events.

regis-art

Event in the Art & Culture section

Tapping on an listing will give details about the event, the dates it is happening and contact information.

Along with it, a map and directions are provided.

The Experience section has hotel images, special offers and bookings while the guests are staying at the hotel.

Dining shows a list of New York’s trendiest restaurants while giving details, contact information and directions on a map.

Some listings provide menus and restaurant hours. Clicking on the restaurant’s URL address enables customers to make reservations.

regis-restaurant-listing

Restaurant example

The fashion section brings up shopping choices in the city.

Boutiques for brands such as Chanel, Christian Dior, Versace, Tiffany & Co., Louis Vuitton and Gucci are included.

Tapping on a listing shows the front of the store, contact information, store details and a map with directions.

regis-fashion

Henry Lehr’s boutique

Finally, My St. Regis brings guests to their personal profiles where they can update contact information.

It also shows the bookings page, where guests can update or book their hotel reservations.

A mobile trend
St. Regis’ E-Butler application is not the first to offer a mobile platform to ensure convenience while staying at the hotel.

Luxury hotels around the world have been catering to their traveling guests by launching mobile applications.

Laura Woolston, marketing manager at Palo Alto, CA-based Mobclix, mentioned that a best practice for luxury hotels making these applications is to consistently refresh content and also to remember what functions they can put in to make guests feel at home while staying at the hotel.

“Being able to tap into the app makes a consumer feel connected to the hotel at all times which translates into having a great experience there,” Ms. Woolston said.

“It reiterates to consumers that the hotel is there for them and is able to service them at all times,” she said.

Final take
Rachel Lamb, editorial assistant at Luxury Daily, New York

Rachel Lamb is an associate reporter on Luxury Daily. Her beats are apparel and accessories, arts and entertainment, education, food and beverage, fragrance and personal care, government, healthcare, home furnishings, jewelry, legal/privacy and nonprofits. Reach her at rachel@napean.com.