Google and Hyatt Partner to Launch First Hotel Web Portal

Hyatt Place Introduces the Hotel Industry's First Location-based Webpage Using iGoogle

• 
  SAVE
• 
  SHARE
• 
  TEXT SIZE
• 
  PRINT
• 
  COMMENT
• 
  PDF

. October 14, 2008

OCTOBER 15, 2007. Hyatt Place today announced the hotel industry's first customized webpage populated with location-specific content using iGoogle1. This marks the first time a hotel brand is providing guests with the ability to immediately view relevant, local online content to assist them during their stay.

All guests taking advantage Hyatt Place's complimentary Wi-Fi will now access Google's services and view location-specific content immediately once they log in, including:

o Local weather, traffic conditions, date and time

o The hotel's Google Maps(TM) location and driving directions service

o Widgets from FlightStats.com and Gmail, Google's email application

o Some of Google's most popular RSS feeds, including CNN.com, USA Today's travel section, People magazine and CBS Sportsline

Guests can also incorporate their own widgets, or mini web applications, onto their customized webpage, allowing them instant access to the content they find most helpful in their everyday life. For added convenience, the guest access webpage also includes a hotel television channel guide, instructions for printing documents or boarding passes on the hotel's complimentary printer and a full menu of items available in the 24-hour Guest Kitchen.

'The hotel experience has evolved - it's no longer enough to offer technology, it's about knowing how guests use that technology to help them manage their lives,' said Alison Kal, vice president, marketing, Hyatt Corporation. 'When we developed Hyatt Place, we realized reliable, complimentary access in all areas of every hotel was crucial but that's only the first step. We wanted to ensure relevant information was immediately accessible so we integrated iGoogle - a product of one of the world's leading technology firms - to provide guests with content they need while on the road.'

'Users want immediate, at-a-glance access to the information wherever they are - at home, at work, even when traveling,' said Dan Stickel, responsible for Google Partner Products. 'With the customized iGoogle webpage, Hyatt Place guests can tap into the simplicity of Google search, while accessing the information they look for on a regular basis, like local weather, flight schedules, maps, calendars and Gmail, within seconds of logging on.'

The version of iGoogle available for syndication is also known as Google Apps Start Page technology.