Disney Resort Unveils Custom iPhone App
-- Hotels, 7/1/2009 9:47:00 AM
The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort, in partnership with Florida State University’s Dedman School of Hospitality, has developed an application for Apple’s iPhone and iTouch that allows users to access in-depth resort information from the handheld devices.
Whether a guest is planning a trip to the 2,265-room property located in the heart of Walt Disney World Resort or currently staying there, users of the application can access items such as specific information on the resort’s guest rooms; investigate the various hotel dining options, navigate the property using a detailed map and experience the resort through a video tour.
The application, which is available online at the Apple App store, is one of the first iPhone applications designed for an individual hotel property. Guests can access information, screen shots, and direct links to download the application at www.swandolphin.com/aboutus/iphone.html.
“At the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort we are constantly seeking new ways in which to improve our customer experience,” said General Manager Paul Scott. “The development of this tool is one more way in which we can assist our guests in having the best possible experience during their stay with us.”
“We’re excited to have the opportunity to develop functions for this new mobile technology that provides a real value to the user,” said Caryn Beck-Dudley, dean of the FSU College of Business. “We are certain that guests and future guests of the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort will enjoy this application.”
Programmers in the FSU College of Business MIS program worked with the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort to develop an application that takes advantage of the iPhone's and iTouch's large color screen and video capabilities. The application goes beyond text information to offer the user a visual experience featuring video provided by Hotel View, the world's largest travel and tourism library distribution network, as well as photography.
"We live in a world where information is sent and received instantaneously, and this technology allows companies to play a role in this communication arena," says David Paradice, department chair and the Sprint Professor of Business Administration. "Creating this cutting edge technology is the passion of our department and our students, and having companies incorporate it is a realization of its success in the marketplace."
As a leader in individual hotel technology, the resort has continually taken aggressive steps to lead the way in developing systems typically offered by larger entities, such as hotel chains and destinations. The hotel was among the first individual properties to unveil a hotel-specific website when hotel websites were still an industry novelty. They went on to expand their internet technology usage by leading the way in introducing an on-line group reservation system, 360-degree photo tours and more.
The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort application marks the first of what FSU plans to be an ongoing project to create similar iPhone and iTouch applications for other individual hotel properties. They already have begun work on an application for the Westin Times Square hotel in New York.
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