Vast properties like Marina Bay Sands in Singapore are not always easy to find your way around. But the hotel is offering guests and local visitors access to information, directions, offers and virtual tours – at the touch of a screen – to simplify the process.

Billed as the most expensive casino development in the world, the opulent Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore can be a daunting place. There is the infinity pool, endless shopping, an ice rink, a skyscraper view, a museum, the casino and so much more.

Even check-in can be an awe-inspiring experience as queues at the concierge desk are often long. But if you are a tech-savvy guest, then maybe you don’t need to worry.

The property recently launched its new interactive mobile app, Pocket Concierge. App users can make use of the in-app search function to find content using keywords and navigate their way around the property.

The app stands out in two ways:

1.    Its ‘way-finding’ technology offers customised Point A to Point B routes. The `directions-to-here’ button makes finding the location of a landmark, store or event simpler. App users use the search tab to find a preferred destination, for example, Hotel Tower 1, and tap on the ‘directions-to-here’ button. Type in the name of the store or landmark that is your starting point and press enter. Users will be presented with a virtual map, with an option of choosing either the shortest path or a wheelchair-accessible route.

2.    Another option is Virtual Tours. Users can experience 360-degree views of the iconic Sands SkyPark infinity pool, hotel rooms and suites, or celebrity chef restaurants.

EyeforTravel’s Ritesh Gupta talks to Katherine Lu, executive director of digital marketing and eCommerce, Marina Bay Sands about the new app.

EFT: What made you launch the Pocket Concierge app? What gaps are trying to address from a guest’s perspective?

KL: The Marina Bay Sands Pocket Concierge is one of four Las Vegas Sands’ resort mobile apps that have been developed recently.

We are aware how first-time visitors could possibly feel overwhelmed by the massive property when they arrive. With Pocket Concierge, people from near or far can experience Marina Bay Sands before they arrive, and keep up to date with our multi-dimensional offerings.

Our virtual tours provide guests with a taste of just how stunning the view is from the Sands SkyPark and infinity pool, 57 stories above the ground, or what it would be like to host a meeting in our conference centre across the road, which is the largest in south-east Asia.

The idea behind Pocket Concierge is to allow guests to plan their visit on-the-go or ahead of time, and preview the type of room or suite they are considering booking, at their convenience. Pocket Concierge is the newest addition to our digital offerings which are part of an overall strategy to elevate the customer experience.

EFT: Can you elaborate on the goals set for this app?

KL: Our primary goal is for guests to experience our world-class facility with the touch of a screen whether they were in Singapore or abroad, at home or out and about. Pocket Concierge is essentially about bringing Marina Bay Sands to them.

EFT: Can you take us through the journey of working on this app?

KL: It was crucial for Marina Bay Sands to understand our property’s strengths and personality, in order to determine how these traits would be magnified with the app as well as to understand how the app fit into our overall digital strategy.

Singapore, for instance, has an incredibly high density of retail malls. As the statistics show, Singaporeans are also very mobile app savvy. In order to appeal to the local crowd, we had to ensure we designed an app with compelling offers, including exclusive deals.

EFT: What features stand out in this app?

KL: Our Virtual Tours are a key feature of Pocket Concierge. Marina Bay Sands, as Singapore’s new tourism icon, needs to be accessible to hotel guests and visitors alike. With Pocket Concierge, users can have a sense of what it would feel like to lounge at the Sands SkyPark, 57 stories above the ground against the Singapore skyline, from the comfort of their home.

With Virtual Tours, iPhone and Android smartphone users can now ‘visit’ Guy Savoy’s dining room, and take a peek into the French fine dining restaurant. Chef Wakuda’s restaurant Waku Ghin was recently named 39^th on the World’s Best 50 Restaurants’ list and now you can take a peek into his private dining spaces.

EFT: How have prepared your front desk staff and promoted this app via other channels to ensure your guests know about it?

KL: We had a successful internal launch to educate team members about the new mobile app. The positive response was gratifying given we have thousands of employees across the property.

We spent weeks talking to different front-line and behind-the-scenes team members and heard lots of positive comments and enhancement suggestions for Phase 2. That gave us a good idea of who had the time to use the app and who didn’t. That also gave us ideas for Phase 2 in terms of what technologies or functionality we could pair with the mobile app to overcome some of the limitations of smartphones.

The app is currently being featured on the Marina Bay Sands website as well as on our social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

EFT: What are the challenges associated with navigation and mapping technology?

KL: As Marina Bay Sands is an extremely large property, our challenge was testing if our routing was correct, to ensure guests and visitors obtained the shortest route or a wheelchair-accessible path to their desired destination.

We worked closely with our vendor, Meridian, who is well rooted in way-finding technology. We also had to reference landmarks in terms were easily recognisable for our consumers, without the marketing terms.

EFT: How are you going to track the usage of this app?

KL: Usability is determined both quantitatively and qualitatively. We have engaged a leading analytics vendor and are monitoring internal and external reviews and feedback. The current version of Pocket Concierge is our foundation and we look forward to expanding on it.