There’s no doubt that the internet and social media have changed the way we travel. Instead of relying solely on travel magazines, we can now get the inside scoop from travel bloggers and Trip Advisor. The hospitality industry is starting to sit up and take notice: from hotels to airlines, these companies have really taken online interaction on board.
KLM
No airline has embraced social media more than the Dutch flag carrier. They’ve shown a true understanding of social media, handing out gifts to passengers travelling to or from Schiphol Airport if they’d checked in via Foursquare, with their KLM Surprise campaign. One notable service which is perfect for solo travellers is Meet & Seat. By connecting your Facebook or LinkedIn account to the flight, you can find likeminded people to sit beside during the trip.
Voice Over Hotel
If you’ve ever tried to make an internet call in a hotel, you’ll know that it can be quite stressful. The wifi in a lot of hotels isn’t strong enough, and in some cases the use of VOIP is expressly forbidden. People who travel a lot for work and have to touch base with the office will find the Voice Over Travel website very handy, then. The site lists VOIP friendly hotels, and even lets you book them via a free Skype call.
Hotel Zetta, California
Online technology is also improving in-room entertainment. In a few years the on demand movies may well be a thing of the distant past. Hotel Zetta is one of the biggest pioneers of techy entertainment, which is unsurprising considering its location in San Francisco: one of the techiest cities in America. Each room has a 46 inch internet enabled TV, loaded up with apps, where guests can stream music and films from their mobile devices. The hotel also has a huge ‘adult’ playroom, stocked with game consoles old and new where geeky guests can mingle to their hearts content.
Visit Sweden
Tourism boards are also starting to embrace social media in new and interesting ways, and one of the best examples is Visit Sweden. They launched an award winning campaign in 2011, where they let local Swedes loose on the @Sweden twitter account. There are always risks with campaigns like this, but Visit Sweden have managed to keep it clean for the most part. Despite a few racist Tweets (which were quickly deleted and apologised for) the account has been very helpful in showing potential tourists what kind of things the locals like to do, and why they should visit Sweden.
General Deals
Perhaps the best type of tech savvy travel start-ups are the Twitter accounts which let you get a great deal. Airfare Watchdog advertises low cost flights and flash sales, Cruise Deals shows the best prices for cruise holidays, while Travel Bargains is a quick fire feed with deals on everything from hotels to package holidays. It’s worth setting up a Twitter account just to follow these deal sites.
Catherine Halsey is a regular traveler and is always keeping an eye out for new technology advances to make travelling that little bit more comfortable.
