I n a new benefit available exclusively to members of the Hilton HHonors frequent guest loyalty program, Hilton Worldwide has integrated the technology of Google Maps into its software application program for mobile devices and portable electronic devices, offering an unprecedented ability to see more detailed geographical information pertaining to the surroundings of a particular hotel property and the potential view of a room before selecting a room — as well as the location of the room within the hotel property when using the updated digital floor plans.
See the Surroundings of Your Hotel With Hilton and Google Maps
This means that you can now better plan on at which hotel property you would prefer to stay based on parameters outside of the hotel property as well as within a specific room, which could ultimately save you time, effort and even money. For example, is a desired location close enough to where you want to stay that you can simply walk to it instead of staying at a different hotel property and having to take public transportation or rent a car?
Using only one technology source, you can now visualize where available hotel rooms are located in relation to bodies of water, stadiums and other venues, parks, office buildings, city streets, public transportation, and other markers and services. Additionally, you will soon be able to see where attractions, landmarks, and other points of interest to you are located in relation to your selected room.
The map feature is now available for both the Apple iOS and Android systems; and it will be available on the official Internet web sites of the brands of Hilton Worldwide this summer.
“Guest preferences continue to evolve and, thanks to our digital innovations and category-leading partners like Google, we’re providing even more personalized experiences for our Hilton HHonors members. By continually evolving our Hilton HHonors app, we’re empowering our members with more control over their stay experience,” said Mark Weinstein, who is the senior vice president and global head of loyalty and partnerships at Hilton Worldwide.
You must be a member of the Hilton HHonors frequent guest loyalty program who books your hotel room reservations directly through one of the following official channels:
- The Internet web sites of the brands of Hilton Worldwide
- The application software program for your portable electronic device or mobile device
- Reservation call centers
- Preferred corporate travel partners and professionals
Selecting Your Room
Sign into your Hilton HHonors account via your mobile electronic device, tablet or computer beginning at 6:00 in the morning the day prior to a booked stay in order to select a hotel room. Upon choosing your time of arrival, you are presented with a floor plan of the hotel, highlighted with a green circle denoting rooms which are currently available. Along with the enhanced maps, you can view photographs and details of your hotel room to ensure that the room you select matches as many of your preferences as possible. When you check in to your hotel room digitally, you can also request a Digital Key at participating hotel properties and head straight to your room upon arrival, using your smartphone as your room key.
Digital check-in with room selection is a benefit for members of the Hilton HHonors frequent guest loyalty program, which is available at greater than 4,500 hotel and resort properties worldwide via the Hilton HHonors software application program for your mobile device or portable electronic device.
Summary
When selecting a hotel property with current technology prior to this announcement, the best that I could do was enter an address to where I wanted to be near and find out which hotel properties were closest to it — but if the location was downtown and a room rate priced at hundreds of dollars per night, I would often try to select a room further away for a lower room rate. The problem was that I had to do simultaneous research on Google Maps or another utility — as well as check the reviews of other people with actual experience — in order to be better educated about which hotel property was best for me at which to stay; and that process sometimes consumed an inordinate amount of time and effort which did not always yield the best results despite my best efforts.
I admittedly was not all that enthusiastic about the Digital Key technology when it was first announced and released — even when 2,500 Hilton HHonors points was offered for a very limited number of hotel and resort properties, a list of which has increased significantly…
…but I have always been captivated by maps for as long as I could remember. I could study an atlas for hours. I even used to draw my own detailed maps of fictitious places before I attended kindergarten in public school. Utilities such as Google Maps have continued that fascination for me…
…so it is no surprise that when a representative of Hilton Worldwide contacted me about this new integration of technology — of which it is the only global lodging company to offer it — I immediately expressed interest in it; and although I have not yet tried it out, I hope to do so in the future, as I see it to be a potentially useful tool when booking accommodations.
The updated digital floor plans include detailed geographical information about the surroundings of a hotel or resort property. Source: Hilton Worldwide.
