MINNEAPOLIS—Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group has partnered with Google to launch pilot programs for their full portfolio of travel applications including Google Hotel Finder, Google Business Photos, Google Wallet, Google Indoor Maps and Google Mobile Click-to-Call.
According to the company, Carlson Rezidor, whose brands include Radisson Blu, Radisson, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson and Country Inns & Suites by Carlson, is the only hotel group, as of this month, to currently offer or to pilot test all of the Google technologies at once.
“As one of the world’s largest hotel groups, we are constantly looking for ways to innovate and improve the guest experience,” said Thorsten Kirschke, president, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. “We are thrilled at the opportunity to leverage the newest Google applications available to the travel industry that allow guests to easily search for and compare hotels; view the hotel virtually before booking; and streamline the payment procedure.”
Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group initiated a pilot with Google last year for Google Hotel Finder, which allows a one-stop search, shop and buy experience for guests. This product allows guests to search Google for hotels in a given area; filter results by preferences; sort results; and book a stay straight from the results page. Currently all Radisson Blu and Park Inn by Radisson hotels use Google Hotel Finder. Last month a pilot group of 100 Radisson and Country Inns & Suites hotels across the U.S. and Canada joined the program. Pending successful completion of the pilot, Carlson Rezidor expects to roll Google Hotel Finder out across all Carlson Rezidor hotels in 2014. Google Hotel Finder can be used on smartphones and desktop computers in more than 100 countries.
The Google Business Photos Hotel pilot includes 360-degree panoramic tours of hotels. These tours, comparable to Google Street View, allow guests to explore the hotel’s interior spaces, including the lobby, bars, restaurants and guestrooms. Where applicable, guests are able to tour conference and meeting areas as well as the swimming pool. The pilot launches in December in the United States, initially rolling out to the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, Chicago; Radisson Hotel Chicago O’Hare; Radisson Largo- Washington DC; Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, BWI Airport (Baltimore), MD; and the Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Washington Dulles International Airport, VA.
Google Wallet, which is an application that stores a customer’s credit card information, enables guests to pay for their hotel stay. Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group began its pilot with this application on December 18. In addition, Google Indoor Maps is in pilot testing at the Radisson Blu Mall of America. Carlson Rezidor also participates in Mobile Click-to-Call enabling guests that conduct a search on their smartphone to be one-click away from calling the reservations center directly.
