Hilton, Foursquare Intro Local Travel In-App Feature

MCLEAN, VA—Hilton has introduced Explore, a new feature of the Hilton Honors mobile app, providing Hilton Honors members the opportunity to explore the neighborhood surrounding their hotel with suggestions from people who know the area best—local Hilton Team Members.

Beginning today, Explore will be available in 28 markets covering nearly 1,000 global properties among all Hilton brands, with plans to expand to additional markets in the future. Powered by location technology company Foursquare, Hilton’s new Explore feature will bring together technology and localized recommendations rooted in the personal experiences of local employees.

Through Explore, guests will have the opportunity to experience food, nightlife, shopping and activity destinations hand-selected by Hilton Team Members who reside in the area and take pride in knowing and sharing the ‘best of’ their cities firsthand. Each recommendation includes photos and tips directly from local Team Members, including tasty menu items to try, the best times to go, and specific things to see. Suggestions are curated to appeal to a variety of audiences—from families looking for kid-friendly museums to frequent travelers looking for business dinner recommendations or couples interested in fine dining experiences.

Hilton and Foursquare partner to offer local tips and recommendations via mobile.
Hilton and Foursquare partner to offer local tips and recommendations via mobile.

“In listening to our guests, there is a real desire for more personalized travel advice and access to local perspectives surrounding best restaurants, attractions and neighborhoods to explore,” said Joshua Sloser, SVP of digital at Hilton. “No one knows their city better than local team members, which is why we’re empowering them, through Hilton Explore, to provide the latest local recommendations to enhance our guests’ experiences.”

Foursquare’s Places API will serve as the primary source for real-time venue information, which includes ratings, features, photos and hours. Guests will see recommendations relevant to their current hotel reservation and can “favorite” the recommendations provided in advance of their travel to create an in-app guide for their upcoming trip.

“Foursquare’s location technology—built over nearly 10 years and proven to be the leading choice for layering context and location into digital experiences—is now allowing Hilton Team Members to better serve their guests by connecting them with our constantly refreshed database of more than 105 million places worldwide,” said Peter Krasniqi, VP of global enterprise and business development for Foursquare. “Foursquare is an industry leader but, most importantly, a trusted thought partner to the many companies that leverage our tech.”

Explore joins a breakthrough suite of digital services that power highly personalized guest experiences via the Hilton Honors app with convenience and ease of use. Currently through the app, guests can preselect their hotel rooms before they check in, opt to receive a digital key to access their room, and complete their check-in process—all on their mobile phone. In addition, as Hilton’s Connected Room concept rolls out to more properties, guests can use their mobile device as the in-room remote to control their television programming, lighting and temperature controls, personalizing their preferences just as they do at home.

The Hilton Honors loyalty program is open to all guests and free to join.