London hotel group glh Hotels, today announces the launch of Choose Your Own Room – the world’s first online booking site that lets guests choose the exact room they want to stay in, before making a reservation.
Choose Your Own Room will turn room booking on its head by putting guests in control with an end to ‘making do’ with what they get allocated at check-in.
The new service is available across all fourteen hotels in the glh Hotels central London portfolio including Thistle, Guoman Hotels, Amba Hotels and every hotels*.
Designed to be simple and intuitive, Choose Your Own Room features include:
The ability to view, compare and book the specific room that guests want to stay in
A search facility that allows users to filter results based on location, price, amenities as well as room layout and even floor plan. Useful categories such as: For Families, For Business, On A Budget, With A View and Suite Stays make it easy for people to find exactly what they are looking for
Guest reviews that are captured for specific rooms, not just the hotel – so users can also check out what other people have said before they book
An individual host to answer all questions during the booking process
The latest development of Choose Your Own Room is the next phase in glh Hotels’ booking strategy. The trial started in 2014 , when the company was the first to give guests the chance to choose their preference after they had made their booking. This new service is a significant evolution, giving even more control, choice and convenience to guests, now at the point of booking.
Mike DeNoma, Chief Executive Officer for glh Hotels said: “We believe this is another step towards hotel owners regaining control of their distribution in an advantaged way. Whilst the elephants (the big OTAs and big hotel brands) are fighting over the ever more commoditised experience of hotel booking; our learning is that picking the actual room provides an unexpected and exciting benefit for our guests. Early results have shown that 95% of users rate their experience of Choose Your Own Room 5 out of 5.
Airbnb – and the sharing economy players – are not just outflanking the traditional hotel industry they are outclassing it too, by giving customers the ability to choose and configure the exact stay they want – combined with the real human connection they make between host and stayer. So we believe in doing the same in hotels – giving our guests unique control and convenience, and personal hospitality right from the moment of booking.”
He adds: “Changing an industry is difficult for a player our size, however we’d be happy to work with other owners and partners to explore rapid evolution of Choose Your Own Room.
When guests book through Choose Your Own Room they are booking direct with the hotel and not an online travel agent. We can ensure they get great service from start to finish and also offer them the latest deals. Our innovation puts our guests in control and we’re challenging all hotel companies to do the same.”
Click here to visit the “Choose Your Own Room” site
