Leading UK budget hotel chain, Premier Inn, has rolled out an app that lets customers check availability, make reservations and manage their bookings on iPhone, Android, Nokia and BlackBerries.
Developed by Fujitsu in partnership with Grapple Mobile, he app is free to download and offers real-time availability of all 590 Premier Inn hotels, location-based information and photographs. Customers can also manage their booking from start to finish, while on the move.
Fujitsu scoped out and managed the project, and provided technical assurance to ensure the successful delivery of the app. Fujitsu chose Grapple Mobile to develop the application, based on the company’s patented platform that allows apps to be created quickly and cost-effectively across multiple platforms.
Steve Conway, who leads innovation at Premier Inn, tells us: “Premier Inn is the first budget hotel chain to produce an app that is available across all smart phones, helping to make us accessible to as many guests as possible whilst on the go. We aim to help guests with every aspect of their stay and the new app will give guests even more freedom to access or to make a hotel booking at any given time.”
Sarah Kellett, hospitality and retail industry consultant at Fujitsu UK & Ireland, adds: “Premier Inn wanted a smartphone app that would be user friendly and accessible. The great thing about this app is that as its available cross-platform many of Premier Inn’s business customers who use BlackBerrys, Androids and Nokia phones can also access the app.”
Alistair Crane, CEO at Grapple Mobile, said: “It is vital for businesses to think about their target audience and the devices they are likely to be using. Working with developers who can design and create apps for all the major operating platforms is now essential in order to obtain reach and scale.”
The Premier Inn app will shortly be available for download on iPhone, Android, Nokia and BlackBerry from the Premier Inn website, or from the Apple App Store and Android Market. It will also be available from Nokia Ovi Store and BlackBerry App World within the next two weeks.