One major benefit for
hostellers, who are often travelling in remote regions which may have no connectivity
is being able to still find the accommodation information they need on their
phone. When online, app users will be able to synchronise with the website to
get up to date information via a searchable map, a regional listing of hostels
and an A-Z listing. Each hostel listing has a description, images, address,
prices, contact details and a review rating.
The app has
special features which will be welcomed by travellers, for example allowing
them locate their nearest hostel through ‘hostels near me’, based on the user’s
current location. The ‘my hostels’ section saves favourite hostels and
directions for future use, a particularly valuable benefit for users when
offline.
SIH, commissioned Scottish technology company, Planys Mobile to
produce the app.
Paul Stewart, Creative Director at Planys Mobile explained: “Our
design approach focused on creating a simple, intuitive and useful app, while making
the most valuable information available quickly. We developed and highlighted
features that make the proposition useful even after a hostel had been found”.
Visit Scotland visitor
research carried out during 2015 found that 65% of visitors use a smart phone
during their visit; during 2017 this figure will be even higher. The research
found that one of the few negatives for visitors was any lack of wi-fi
availability, therefore the offline features of this app should prove a hit
with hostel guests.
Chris Davidson of Haggis Hostels and Vice Chair of SIH was the driving force behind developing the app. He firmly believes that the release of the SIH smart phone app will make travelling and staying across
Scotland in our hostels a much easier process. Enabling Scotland's visitors to find up-to-date
information such as reviews, prices, directions and contact details on our
members’ hostels and to book in real time on their phone will benefit all who
download and use the app.
