77% Use Mobile Messaging

If you still think that mobile messaging is "just for teen agers", take another look. Your guests are sending and receiving text messages. The question for you is "Are they receiving messages from you?" If not, they are receiving promotions, savings and coupons as text messages from your competition.

Among the 75% of Americans with either a cell phone or PDA:

77% have used some form of mobile messaging other than simply making a phone call on a cell phone.

42% use mobile messaging applications on their cell phones ON A DAILY BASIS.

Source: PEW RESEARCH ON INTERNET & AMERICAN LIFE March 2008

For information on setting up services for mobile web access, text messaging or voice broadcast contact Dan Youra 360.379.8800. Dan is a member of the Washington State Hotel and Lodging Association WSHLA, President of Olympic Peninsula Resort and Hotel Association OPRHA and President of Olympic Peninsula Travel Association OPTA.

The Fairmont Dubai invites guests with Mobile Messaging

The Fairmont Dubai is one of the premier hotels in the United Arab Emirates, offering 394 luxury rooms, and a wealth of other amenities to suit both travellers and local residents.


The Situation
The Fairmont Dubai hosts regular events and promotions which are generally attended by a number of local customers. The problem lay in making this customer base aware of these promotions at short notice.

The Solution
The Fairmont Dubai adopted mobile messaging on cell phones to keep in touch with its customers on a regular basis with short, direct messages. These were particularly effective for special events, as well as for food and beverage specials that needed to be promoted quickly. Since 80% of the population in United Arab Emirates have mobile phones, it was a natural choice to select mobile messaging to get the message across.


For information on setting up services for mobile web access, text messaging or voice broadcast contact Dan Youra 360.379.8800. Dan is a member of the Washington State Hotel and Lodging Association WSHLA, President of Olympic Peninsula Resort and Hotel Association OPRHA and President of Olympic Peninsula Travel Association OPTA.

European Travelers Expect Mobile Access

European and Asian visitors to the the United States expect to find a greater availability of mobile messaging services accessible by cell phone. Europe and Asia are way ahead of the USA in the applications of text messaging, SMS for travel and premium content sales to cell phone users.

For information on setting up services for mobile web access, text messaging or voice broadcast contact Dan Youra 360.379.8800. Dan is a member of the Washington State Hotel and Lodging Association WSHLA, President of Olympic Peninsula Resort and Hotel Association OPRHA and President of Olympic Peninsula Travel Association OPTA.

Hotels Invite Guests to Subscribe

If your hotel had 250,000 loyal guests subscribing on cell phones to the hotel's news and alerts, would you think this would be a good audience to communicate with?

If your hotel doesn't, your competition does.

Business travelers and leisure travelers are closer to their cell phones than to their computers or a pile of printed brochures.

When traveling in strange places, cell phone users are more enclined to trust a message from a business they have communicated with in the past than they are to trust an unknown source suddenly showing up on their phone.

The heart of cell phone communication is trust. Do guest's trust a message from your hotel? When is the last time you sent a message to a guest's cell phone?

To start sending messages to your "loyal" guests, call Dan Youra 360-379-8800.

Port Ludlow Resort Video Postcard

Click on photo to see video

Port Ludlow Resort video can be downloaded to cell phones as a video postcard for one cell phone user to send to a friend. An excellent marketing strategy is to enable guests to download short videos to share with friends. Prospective guests enjoy these videos with music as "visions" of what they have to look forward to on their visit to the property. The value to the property is the number of "showings" of the video to friends at home and co-workers at the office before, during and after the guest's visit.

Google Mobile Tools for Travelers

The above list is the selection of mobile tools offered on cell phones by Google for travelers on the go. Especially useful are currency converters and translators for visitors who speak other languages and who use other currencies. The availability of this information and the easy access to travelers can greatly reduce the amount of time spend answering questions by hotel staff, when they know how to direct guests to these resources on their cell phones.

For information on training staff on cell phone services contact Dan Youra 360.379.8800. Dan is a member of the Washington State Hotel and Lodging Association WSHLA, President of Olympic Peninsula Resort and Hotel Association OPRHA and President of Olympic Peninsula Travel Association OPTA.

Critical Information on Cell Phones

Leisure travelers depend more upon their cell phones in making critical travel decisions on the road, more than upon print or web sources. Print may not be available at the moment needed. Their computers are back at home. Travelers' cell phones are personal, immediate and known for reliable results, whether using voice, mobile web, text messaging or google searches.

For information on setting up services for mobile web access, text messaging or voice broadcast contact Dan Youra 360.379.8800. Dan is a member of the Washington State Hotel and Lodging Association WSHLA, President of Olympic Peninsula Resort and Hotel Association OPRHA and President of Olympic Peninsula Travel Association OPTA.

Hotel Guests Want to Receive Text Messages

Guests who are accustomed to receiving text messages on their cell phones prefer receiving communications electronically rather than in printed formats. The text messages on cell phones are more environmentally friendly, cost effective and "green" than printed brochures, and day sheets printed on office copiers. The information can be updated with minuted notice. No need to print more paper. Subscribers are immediately updated.

For information on sending text messages direct to hotel guests contact Dan Youra 360.379.8800. Dan is a member of the Washington State Hotel and Lodging Association WSHLA, President of Olympic Peninsula Resort and Hotel Association OPRHA and President of Olympic Peninsula Travel Association OPTA.

Mobile Alerts Help Hoteliers and Guests

Mobile alerts sent out in the form of text messages from hotel staff offer a greater degree of safety for hotel guests and a reduction in liability for property owners. Guests join the Property Alert Program by simply texting a keyword to a code, for example, by texting the word ALERT to the property short code, a 5 digit number, such as 23456. Guests who opt in, are immediately entered into the cell phone based system, and assured of receiveing any alerts or messages sent out by the property staff from any standard computer with web access.

For information on setting up a property alert text messaging system contact Dan Youra 360.379.8800. Dan is a member of the Washington State Hotel and Lodging Association WSHLA, President of Olympic Peninsula Resort and Hotel Association OPRHA and President of Olympic Peninsula Travel Association OPTA.

Text2Hotels Helps Hotels and Guests

Text2Hotels is an industry web site with useful information for hoteliers in developments related to the expanding uses of cell phones in applications helpful to property owners and hotel guests alike.


For information on setting up a text messaging system contact Dan Youra 360.379.8800. Dan is a member of the Washington State Hotel and Lodging Association WSHLA, President of Olympic Peninsula Resort and Hotel Association OPRHA and President of Olympic Peninsula Travel Association OPTA.