The integration of geographical intelligence into mobile offerings may not be new but remains central to delivering a tailored user experience, writes Ritesh Gupta

The ability to optimise the mobile experience largely depends on whether a user has given permission. But even if they haven’t, travel firms must make the best of the mobile experience for users. Tailoring content and campaigns by region or areas is must.

“Every display on the HotelTonight app differs depending on the person who opens the app and where they are located,” says Heather Leisman, managing director, Europe at HotelTonight.

HotelTonight’s achieves this by:  

·         Geo-locating you not only to a city, but to an area of the town. So it shows you the hotels that are closest to you and more convenient for your booking.

·         Taking into account your past booking experiences and if there is any pattern in the type of hotels you select. Since your mobile is a personal device, HotelTonight is continuing to push the envelope on personalisation to ensure that the results get smarter and more targeted for every user.

Established online travel agencies, too, are proactively making the most of geo-location data. Mumbai-based Cleartrip.com uses geo-location data in a variety of ways. Here are few examples:

·         As soon as a new user runs the Cleartrip app for the first time, the app automatically uses their location to set the country they are in and currency they’re using, so that they see the most relevant results when they start using the app. “Users can also use their location to set their airport, hotel destination or train station, while searching for flights, hotels or trains respectively,” says Subramanya Sharma, chief marketing officer, Cleartrip.

·         The Cleartrip apps use geo-location capabilities to bring immediacy to the hotel search process that wasn’t possible earlier. Cleartrip’s ‘Find hotels near me’ feature uses the smartphone’s location to help users find just such hotels, giving them a list of hotels in increasing order of distance from their current location.

·         Users can also view these hotels on an interactive map, which means a traveller can choose the most convenient.

Today, mobile apps for travel are smart enough to optimise location functionality across various platforms. However, the timing and frequency of when permission authorisation screens appear for iOS and Android platforms differs. Rather than leaving the entire decision in the hands of an app user, travel entities should deliver more intelligent messages to share the real utility of their app. For instance, if a traveller is trying to locate a Chinese restaurant nearby, but is being asked for permission authorisation, then an app should ensure a message such as ‘app requires location data to show restaurants near you’ crops up to reduce chances of rejection.