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via 5 Apps That Look to Steal Revenue From Your Hotel , by David Tossell.

David Tossel has taken a close look at how hotels are loosing control of the guest experience, because of the new digital concierge and service finding apps. He names Foursuare, Google + Local, Open Table, Yelp and Uber as prime examples of this breed of apps. He concludes that the list is too long to mention but goes on to mention several more anyway:”There are dozens upon dozens of apps that also compete for revenue from hotels, and, just as many startups also looking to take a bite out of hotels’ revenue.” Those he writes about include:

Fandango – Where – AroundMe – Urban Spoon -TripCase –

See article by David at http://hotelexecutive.com/business_review/4175/5-apps-that-look-to-steal-revenue-from-your-hotel

Apps are not new but they are getting to be more mainstream and concierge as travelers get used to doing it themselves with the aids of these apps, the role of the hotel front desk and concierge will continue to decline. Hotel in room services and om site facilities also will decline as these apps do not currently have in-house services like restaurants, spas etc listed.

It’s a problem in the making and one that most hoteliers are not fully aware of. It a good time for hospitality companies to start to lobby to get their own services listed and reviewed on the new travel related apps.

Clearly there is revenue lost and that revenue has likely been declining as long as Foursquare, Urban Spoon, Yelp, and similar apps have been around. Yes, it is quite difficult to quantify the amount of lost revenue as a result of these apps. Left unchecked, you can expect the total dollar of revenue only to increase – unless you take action with a strategy of your own.