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High Tech Hotels: A Q&A with Cardola Ltd, Developer of the VirtualHotelâ„¢ App

High Tech Hotels: A Q&A with Cardola Ltd, Developer of the VirtualHotelâ„¢ App

The hotel industry is undergoing a digital revolution. In the last decade, smartphones and tablets have reinvented the way users manage their daily lives, and it was inevitable that those with the ability to manage every aspect of their day would want this same high level of control when travelling. Identifying a gap in the market, M.C Hotels Group designed a new ‘mobile concierge’ for its collection of luxury hotels to satisfy the distinct needs of their guests. In 2009, operating under the company name of Cardola Ltd, the VirtualHotel™ app was launched. Tailored specifically for each hotel using the VirtualHotel technology, the app enhances the overall experience for the guest, allowing them access to a range of services from the comfort of their hotel room.
 
The Luxury Travel Guidespoke with Preston Benson, Managing Director of Cardola Ltd, to discuss the inspiration to join the app development market, how VirtualHotel can influence overall guest experience and what this means for the future of the hotel industry.
 
What inspired you to develop the VirtualHotel app?
 
At Cardola, we are hoteliers first (we are the owners of the Marbella Club Hotel Group) and app developers second. The decision to develop VirtualHotel™ was born out of necessity and frustration. In 2009 we recognised that the future of hospitality was a connected one and that we needed to develop a strategy for guest engagement via mobile devices. We set about scouring the market for a product that would serve our needs and finding that nothing out there was right for us, we decided to develop a product ourselves and Cardola was born.
 
What features does VirtualHotel offer?
 
Available on both iOS and Android devices, VirtualHotel™ gives hotels the opportunity to digitally deliver all hotel information and services in the language of their choice, extending the guest experience before, during and after their stay, and embracing a range of value added features such as:
· Interactive and searchable guest service directory
· Pre-arrival requests
· Offline maps
· In-room dining and other in-room services
· Integrated guest stay management (e.g. view my bill)
· In-app booking (e.g. spa treatments, restaurant reservations)
· Guest messaging (e.g. to promote services and special offers)
· Restaurant menus
· Hotel gallery / 360 degree virtual tour
· Weather forecast
· Social Media links
· Multi-language support
· Content management system
· Push notifications
· Concierge chat / Message centre
This list is non-exhaustive – basically if the hotel provides it then it can be promoted and sold through the app.
 
When did you introduce the app to the market, and which were the first hotels you worked with?
 
VirtualHotel™ is the first and only hotel application developed in a hotel environment and refined in close consultation with hotel managers, staff and guests, over a period of five years. We have effectively used our own hotels as a development and testing laboratory and we are 100% confident that our product is now the best designed (in terms of real life hotel workflow), most flexible and most reliable guest services application on the market.
 
The app was first deployed at the Grand Palace Hotel in Riga in 2009 and subsequently rolled out across the other MC Hotels properties in Spain and Estonia.
 
What are the advantages of the VirtualHotel, for both hotel proprietors and guests?
 
The benefits to guests are centred around convenience and ease of access. Previously hotel guests had to gather information and access to services from a variety of sources, be that printed material in the room, the TV system, calling hotel staff or web search from their own device. Cardola VirtualHotel™ gives them instant access to all services and local information in the palm of their hand and, importantly, in their own language.
 
The benefits to hoteliers are numerous but can be summarised as:
 
· Enhanced guest experience
· Increased incremental revenue before, during and after the stay
· Reduced operating costs (potential for significant savings on print costs)
· Improved operating efficiency
· Improved guest communications and upsell opportunities
 
How many hotels currently use VirtualHotel?  
 
After over five years of product development and refinement Cardola is only now moving out of its start-up phase and rolling out its products to the wider global market. We have recently assembled a hugely experienced sales and marketing team and their target is to have Cardola VirtualHotel™ installed in 200 properties by the end of 2015.
 
Cardola VirtualHotel is currently installed in 20 properties worldwide, including Intercontinental Regency Bahrain, The May Fair in London and Holiday Inn Mauritius.
 
How do you customise the VirtualHotel app for each hotel?
 
Every app we produce is customised to the individual hotel’s exact requirements. We place great importance on complying with and exceeding the customer’s brand standards and all imagery and colour schemes are carefully selected to enhance the hotel’s brand and reputation.
Every aspect of the app’s features and functionality is fully customisable by the hotel. Cardola VirtualHotel™ comes complete with an intuitive and easy to use Content Management System that gives the hotel complete visibility and control over their app’s content and appearance.
 
What new features have you developed recently, and what impact has this had on the usability of the app?
 
Recently added features include RTL language support which was a requirement for the launch of the InterContinental Regency Bahrain app and an integrated guest feedback system that encourages guests to leave real time feedback to hotel management.
 
How does VirtualHotel compete with other virtual concierge services?
 
The key differentiator is and always will be the fact that Cardola VirtualHotel™ has been developed by hoteliers for hoteliers. The fact that we have developed our app in a live hotel environment and tested and refined the features and functionality over a period of five years makes us unique in the market. Our focus on quality and efficient workflow sets us apart from our competitors and our pricing is also super-competitive. We are looking forward to engaging in many competitive pitches in 2015!
 
Has VirtualHotel inspired changes in the way hotel guests behave and interact with hotel services?
 
Yes. At Marbella Club we saw a guest engagement rate of 72.5% - i.e. guests that actually used the in-room devices. The feedback we have had from guests has been very encouraging and users are almost always positive about the interactive menus which present food and beverage items with beautiful and tempting imagery. The results of this presentation are impressive - on average we have seen room service order values increase by 30% when orders are placed via the app as opposed to over the phone.
 
What VirtualHotel services are the most popular?
 
The three most popular services (based on screen views) in December 2014 were in-room dining, restaurant and bar menus and guest messaging.
 
What are the plans for VirtualHotel’s future?
 
Our development roadmap is well defined and in the second quarter of 2015 we will be launching our product for hotel groups, enabling hotel group owners to showcase their entire property portfolio from within a single app on the app stores.
 
Beyond that our focus is on providing added value to hoteliers with a particular emphasis on pre-arrival sales and increased affiliate and incremental revenue opportunities.
 

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