The Ritz-Carlton App Becomes The Travel Accessory You Can't Leave Home Without

CHEVY CHASE, Md., Aug. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ritz-Carlton App wants to be a part of your total travel experience, bringing the legendary service of the luxury hotel company to the smartphone in your pocket. In addition to mobile check-in and check-out, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company is launching real-time service requests, food and beverage ordering, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards account review, folio review, and access to exclusive local content, concierge tips and offers at all hotels. The updated app is available for immediate download by visiting www.ritzcarlton.com/app

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The Ritz-Carlton conducted extensive research with global affluent consumers, and studied user preferences since the initial launch of the App in 2012 to ensure the next phase of mobile enhances global travel. Digital services will provide consumers with touch points to truly enrich their journey from the time of trip planning through to their return. The Ritz-Carlton sees the opportunity to connect more closely with guests through advanced mobile functionality and also at an emotional level, as it continues to create content to better serve a global traveler today, providing options for guests to communicate based on their preferences.

On October 1 the App is scheduled to launch a new shareable Travel Poster feature, where guests will be able to curate their own images with special filters, titles and stamps to create retro-style travel posters to capture their memories. They will then be able to share their posters across social media channels, or save them to a personal on-device camera roll, enabling them to store the travel memory forever.

"The Ritz-Carlton is known for one-to-one personalized service, and the development of our App enables us to deliver that service efficiently, and also dedicate additional time to anticipate guest needs that are often unexpressed and attend to the all-important details," shared Ed French, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer for The Ritz-Carlton. "We also placed great importance on extending our travel knowledge and expertise to users to ensure we are launching an App they will find worth keeping on their device beyond a stay at one of our hotels. An abundance of travel tips and recommendations are also available for each destination where we have a hotel."

Quick View of The Ritz-Carlton App Enhancements:

• Check-In, Check-Out
• Real-Time Service Requests
• Folio Review
• Exclusive local content and offers at all hotels
• Mobile food and beverage ordering at select hotels
• Shareable Travel Posters (launching October 1)

The Ritz-Carlton App is available to all; the new mobile guest services are available to The Ritz-Carlton Rewards and Marriott Rewards members which are loyalty programs with complimentary membership. The App enhancements are live today in the Americas, and will be added to all remaining global continents throughout the year, beginning with the Middle East at the end of September.

"We are already piloting the next phase of App service features at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, with pool-side food and beverage orders available at the Florida resort. Now, instead of calling over a Ritz-Carlton Lady or Gentleman to take your order, you can simply tap in your request, and we'll start making your drink and head your way. Reducing three trips between you and the bar to execute that order to a single trip both gets your order to you faster, and leaves us more time to engage and focus on your total experience," added French.

About The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C., of Chevy Chase, Md., currently operates 86 hotels in the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Caribbean. More than 30 hotel and residential projects are under development around the globe. For more information, or reservations visit the company web site at www.ritzcarlton.com. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Marriott International, Inc.NASDAQ:MAR 

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SOURCE The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C.