New Hilton-Foursquare Mobile Concierge Is a Promising But Missed Opportunity

In the increasing competition among hotels to make downloading loyalty program mobile apps more worthwhile for travelers and more concierge-like, Hilton has teamed up with location technology company Foursquare to introduce a brand-new feature called Explore. The new Explore feature is somewhat similar to the Guidebooks feature that Airbnb launched in 2016, only with Hilton Explore, the recommendations aren't coming from Airbnb community members, but from actual Hilton employees, whose suggestions are being powered by Foursquare. While a number of hotel loyalty apps have often included supplementary information or guidebook-like content, this marks the first time any of the major hotel brands has worked with a technology partner like Foursquare to offer localized recommendations and curated lists created primarily by hotel staff within Hilton's own mobile app. "We've heard our guests' feedback and desire for localized recommendations about the best things to do and best place