Foli Blog

Now serving guests popular magazines and books digitally via Foli app in Austin, Houston, San Antonio, San Jose and Kansas City.  Foli provides each Hotel with valuable content to enhance guests’ stay as well as a digital platform to host Valencia Group’s own content. Serving brand and hotel information to guests alongside their favorite reading materials offers a better service, set to increase guest communication and revenue.

We’re thrilled to enhance the guest experience at Hotel Valencia Riverwalk in San Antonio, Hotel Sorella CITYCENTRE in Houston, Lone Star Court in Austin, Hotel Sorella Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, and Hotel Valencia Santana Row in San Jose.

You may read the full press release below or at:  goo.gl/odlz2S

 

San Antonio, Texas (PRWEB) May 05, 2015 - Valencia Group hotels are upgrading their guest experience in all of their cities and providing the Foli app for free. This app allows hotels to give guests a digital magazine rack that they can experience from their tablet, smartphone, or other mobile device and enjoy unlimited access to multimedia, interactive, full – length premium magazines as well as eBook downloads during their stay. Upon departure, the publications can no longer be accessed as this is an upgraded service specifically designed for Valencia guests. Valencia Group hotels have long been known to provide high tech, high touch, and a saavy experience and this will add to the overall stay.

The three Texas hotels including Hotel Valencia Riverwalk in San Antonio, TX; Hotel Sorella CITYCENTRE in Houston, TX, and Lone Star Court in Austin, TX are the first hotels in Texas to offer this free app to traveling guests and the Hotel Sorella Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, MO is also a pioneer in this effort as well as the first hotel in Missouri to offer.

“This new offering by our hotel collection allows us to remain cutting edge and gives our guests an added benefit to staying at Valencia Group properties. Guests will be impressed to see popular magazines in digital and interactive format which also helps with our green initiatives to limit in room material. We think this is a service that today’s traveler is coming to expect with the latest technology trends. Our primary objective is to always encourage guests to leave their rooms and enjoy our ambiance and offerings in each of our cities, yet we realize that for those traveling alone, dining alone, or for down – time in the evenings, this app is a wonderful addition to our amenities.” says Roy Kretschmer, VP of Operations for Valencia Group.

Foli’s partnership with Hearst Magazines, a top magazine publisher with over 20 titles give guests a variety of magazine options such as Food Network, Car & Driver, Cosmopolitan and more. The ebook publisher with Simon & Schuster providing its best-seller full-length ebooks give guests the option to enjoy the most popular titles during their stay.

One of Foli’s goals is enabling hotels and airlines worldwide to offer a truly unique and innovative guest experience to meet the demands of modern travelers.  As we continue to improve Foli, we conducted surveys at over 16 hotels and airport lounges nationwide to hear what guests think of the new Foli service offered.

Guests overwhelmingly enjoy and demand Foli services

89% of respondents agreed that Foli improved their stay, while 11% were Indifferent.   More importantly, 73% of respondents said Yes, they are more likely to book the hotel or airline because of Foli, and 88% of respondents Agree they will use Foli during their next visit.

We are thrilled with the data as it confirms that Foli does add value to guests as well as to hotels and airport lounges.  We are also excited to share comments left by guests:

• Ali (guest from Detroit) excites “Digital coffee table, what a great way to make it feel like home!”
• Jennifer (guest from Atlanta) calls Foli “Great and simple!”
• Lisa (guest from San Francisco) simply states of Foli “Convenient”.

Guests prefer leisure magazines over newspapers

We asked guests what magazine and newspaper titles they would like included on Foli to guide expansion of our content portfolio. Surprisingly, 70% of titles listed were leisure magazines and publications, 19% were news related magazine titles and ONLY 11% of titles listed were traditional newspapers!

We expected to see traditional newspaper titles listed at least 50% of the time since many hotel partners have asked for such.  It is interesting to see that while many hotels continue to focus on offering guests newspapers, this is not the reading material the majority of guests actually want.

We have seen a similar trend in many airport club lounges, as referenced in our previous British Airways blog post.  We are proud Foli already offers the leisure reading materials guests actually demand, and we hope hoteliers still serving traditional paper newspapers or looking to offer digital newspapers take notice!

Guests appreciate green initiatives

88% of guests responded with “Yes, save paper!” when asked if they would like to access the in-room paper compendium digitally on Foli. As Kathleen (guest from San Francisco) confirms of Foli “Excellent selection of magazines and no wasted paper.”  This data is inline with a growing trend in guests preference for eco-friendly practices at hotels and resorts, and an increasing percentage are making booking choices based on such!

Guests want to use Foli everywhere

When asked if they want to use Foli at other locations, 88% of guests responded with “Yes, I love Foli!” Jesse from San Francisco says of Foli:  “Talk about making the wait enjoyable! Foli means I don’t have to shell out for print magazines to pass the time waiting… Living in San Francisco, I travel back to my home country of England often, and Foli has made a difference to the way I travel… No more expensive dashes to the newsagents! Thanks.”

We are thrilled that so many guests love Foli, and we hope to better serve all hotel and airline guests as we work to expand Foli to all locations worldwide.

Offer your guests the content they crave with the Foli app (www.getfoli.com/app).  Working with hotels, resorts and airlines, we’re revolutionizing the guest experience for the modern, tech-driven world.  Contact Henry He, Foli Founder & CEO, hhe@encipit.com or visit www.getfoli.com/#getfoli to learn more.

Hilton Garden Inn held their 2015 Global Brand Conference in Orlando, Florida this past month, where the senior executive team announced the brands 2015 pillars for success: driving revenue, encouraging loyalty and increasing profitability.  Derek Hudson, General Manager of Hilton Garden Inn San Mateo, has already taken initiative to drive customer loyalty by offering his guests Foli.  Foli is an app full of best-selling eBooks and popular digital magazines from top publishers that guests can enjoy while on property, or save for their flight home, adding great value for loyal guests.

“We decided to offer Foli because it’s a great added value to our loyal guests as well as newcomers,” says Hudson.  “The Best-Seller eBooks offered on the Foli app are great!  Our guests can browse the collection and dive deep into a new eBook at the end of a long day of business meetings or leisure activity.  We are so excited to offer our guests such great titles.  From Car & Driver to Cosmopolitan to Esquire, these are the premium titles our guests want to read!  Since the digital storefront is so easy to update, our guests will also have new best-selling eBooks to enjoy.  This provides our loyal guests a great library of always fresh, new digital content they can enjoy during their stay with us.”

HGI currently receives 60% of its bookings from Hilton Honors members.  As such, Don Willingham, VP of brand performance support and sales, emphasized at the conference that “We need to do a better job of making members feel valued and appreciated.”  One step towards this lofty goal, HGI is looking to establish a Hilton Honors floor in each hotel to recognize these guests with added value.  HGI also plans to develop a new premium room type “that would give us the ability to ask for a higher rate,” said Willingham, as well as developing the leisure market to increase weekend and shoulder season business.

While Foli is the perfect added value amenity to offer alongside higher room rates, the premium content is also perfect for attracting – and keeping – leisure travelers looking to lounge by the pool and enjoy a great eBook or magazine on vacation.  As opposed to paper libraries offered at hotels, Foli’s digital library offers the latest releases with zero operational upkeep from the hotel.  The premium magazine issues are added monthly before print issues even hit stands, and best-selling eBooks are updated to offer guests the latest titles.  This ensures that loyal guests have access to new, fresh, valuable reading material upon each return visit.

The Foli service can easily cover a members-only lounge as well as extend to guest rooms and public spaces, attracting new guests to your loyalty program.  As noted by Mark Nogal, Hilton Worldwide regional head of focused service brand management for Europe, Middle East and Africa, research shows that a “guests’ first loyalty card tends to be the one they use most often.”  Attracting millennials to join your loyalty program first may prove to be quite lucrative long-term for brands like Hilton Garden Inn.

Luckily, offering a cool, innovative, digital service for your modern, tech-savvy guests can be a great way to attract their attention and retain their business.  Contact Henry He, Foli CEO & Founder, hhe@encipit.com or visit www.getfoli.com/#getFoli to learn more.

The InterContinental San Francisco, a luxury, eco-friendly hotel hosting a steady stream of top executives, dignitaries, and presidents each year, has decided to offer Foli’s Digital Concierge to their distinguished guests.  The service was selected to provide guests curated local information in an efficient, eco-friendly, customized, digital format;  communicating and delivering essential tips and guides to guests in a more meaningful and cost-effective manner.

“As a LEED Gold Certified hotel, partnering with Foli made perfect sense. It was an opportunity to improve our guests’ experience without increasing our carbon footprint,” says Siamak Nassirpour, Director of Operations, InterContinental San Francisco.  “Now we have a beautiful, custom platform to promote our hotel services and local attractions. We’re so proud of it, we have it on display in our lobby for all guests to see! It decreases our costs and offers a better user experience for our guests. It’s a true win-win!”

While the hotel has a dedicated concierge team available to guests 24/7, once a guest exits the hotel they must rely on their memory or bulky paper brochures and maps provided by the team.  Not anymore.  InterContinental San Francisco saw an opportunity to improve this outdated, inconvenient process thru Foli.  It was time to update business as usual.  As a luxury hotel focused on eco-friendly solutions, Foli was the perfect fit.

“The Foli Digital Concierge not only eliminates wasteful paper, but it truly enhances the guests’ experience while providing a multimedia tool to assist the concierge team.  It puts all hotel and local information into guests’ hands in a paper-free, interactive, convenient way,” says Bill Sutton, Chief Concierge, InterContinental San Francisco.

“Foli’s beautiful display with high-resolution images and videos offers our team a paper-free tool to show guests the city we love!” says Sutton.  “It’s using the latest in technology to improve upon the high-quality, high-touch concierge service our team provides day-in and day-out.  The best part is guests can save our locally curated content right on their phone or tablet to take with them.  Simply put, it’s a beautiful, interactive, visual display for us to better serve our guests and reach more of them!”

Guests simply download the free Foli app (www.getfoli.com/app), the hotel branded storefront loads automatically, and guests view all information on their mobile device from the comfort of their room, or while exploring the unfamiliar city.

There are over 7 billion people on earth and 6.5 billion of them are mobile subscribers.  It’s time to reach guests where they are: on their mobile devices.  According to surveys, 70% of travelers say a hotel’s digital amenities impact their booking choices.  Hotels must cater to these new digital demands, yet continue to provide impeccable high-touch service.

Guests love Foli’s digital concierge, and InterContinental San Francisco has already received rave reviews on the service.  “I noticed they had an iPad on display with all of their concierge recommendations on it.  It was really cool and when I asked about it, I learned that it was actually an App offered by the hotel that I could download and take with me. I did, and it was great!” says Mark, LA, Tripadvisor reviewer.  “I was able to save all their information on my phone and use it while out exploring the city, the restaurant recommendations were especially helpful … I’ll definitely be using it for future stays.”

With Foli’s digital solution you can expand the reach of your dedicated team, and add value to your guests’ stay.  Remove wasteful, costly, inefficient paper and offer your guests curated, personal experiences.  It’s simple.  Enhance your guest experience, save paper, and add convenience with Foli.

Get started today with a free demo and estimate for your hotel: www.getfoli.com/#getfoli

Sitting atop uber-traditional Nob Hill, overlooking the California & Powell Cable Cars, sits 100-year-old Stanford Court.  A turn-of-the-century hotel that has not lost its charm on the next generation one bit.  Due primarily to a spectacular $35 million dollar renovation in 2008, led by current General Manager Michael Baier, this classicly San Francisco hotel has been drawing a young demographic of business and leisure travelers ever since.  Its contemporary redesign and forward-thinking tech capabilities are at the helm of this hotels double-digit increase in RevPar over the past few years.

The Stanford Court’s most recent renovation added tech features throughout the hotel.  From an auto court “Juice Bar” where guests can recharge their electric vehicles to the tech-friendly lobby where personalized iPads greet guests at check-in and huge screens  display live-action shots of the scenic surroundings.  Free, truly fast, hi-speed wifi streams from the guest rooms to the lobby, where complimentary MacBooks, iPads, and the Google Glass Explorer program are available 24/7.  The in-house restaurant, Aurea Café, offers touch screen menus and electrical outlets beneath each table.  Looking to provide more personal, timely service, Stanford Court invites each guest to text the manager direct – at anytime, for anything.

All of these tech-enhancements have not gone unnoticed or unappreciated by guests.  It’s no surprise that the once ill-fated hotel is now bringing in record breaking revenue numbers year-over-year with no sign of slowing down.  Many hotels in the area have taken notice of the Stanford Court’s successful turnaround, looking to their tech innovations for inspiration next-door.  As the Stanford Court nears another multi-million dollar renovation in 2015, General Manager Michael Baier continues to set his sights on the Next Big tech-innovation for his guests.

Where does Baier see things going?  Two things: keyless entry and Foli.  Stanford Court is the latest hotel in San Francisco to offer its guests Foli, an app full of digital multimedia interactive magazines and eBooks from top publishers.  “It’s a really cool service!  I was impressed the moment I opened Popular Mechanics on Foli.  I couldn’t believe the interactive, enhanced features now available from these popular magazines in a digital format,” says Baier.  “This is exactly the sort of Wow factor we want to deliver to our guests.  Static paper and pdf reading materials are a thing of the past, modern travelers expect the latest in technology and that’s exactly what Foli offers.”

Baier sees a paper-free future with Foli that’s better for the environment as well as a hotels bottom-line.  “One of the greatest things about Foli is that it offers unlimited shelf space and is environmentally friendly,” he says.  “With Foli we have now expanded the number of publications we offer and won’t need to replace as many physical magazines which supports our green initiatives.”  Saving paper means a better service for guests, as well as a decrease in operation and printing costs.  “Foli can also host all of our hotel information, from our restaurant menu to guest services and local recommendations for guests.  With Foli, we can continue our move away from paper throughout the hotel, while offering our guests a modern, convenient amenity more suited to their lives,” concludes Baier.

Do you manage a hotel or resort?  Would you like to offer your guests the latest in tech to increase your RevPar and decrease your operation costs?  Contact Henry He, Foli Founder & CEO: hhe@encipit.com or visit www.getfoli.com/#getfoli to learn more.

The popular locally curated Where Magazine is looking to the future of travel and consumer content consumption in their new partnership with Foli.  Foli, the premier platform for serving premium multi-media interactive digital magazines and business specific content to engage and improve guests stay, is excited to bring this new FREE digital offering to hotels & resorts.

Millions of travelers enjoy reading Where Magazine’s inspiring local content offered in major metropolitan areas worldwide.  Foli’s partnership with Where Magazine allows Hotels & Resorts of all size and level to offer a digital copy of the popular local content to their guests.  There is no additional cost or overhead for hotel’s to offer this digital version.  Foli takes care of the set-up and digital distribution with zero IT involvement from a hotel, allowing the digital version to serve as a complement to their paper copy.

Offering a digital copy of Where Magazine has numerous benefits.  Modern, tech-savvy guests prefer to access content digitally on their mobile devices, and Foli provides the means to do so.  Guests can now save great local tips and information on their mobile devices, which they can reference while out exploring a new city – a great benefit for a busy traveler!  A digital copy of Where Magazine serves to improve the guest experience for hotels & resorts everywhere.

“Foli continues to expand the reading choices offered through new partnerships with national and regional publishers.  We are very excited to bring hotels this new digital offering to help enhance the guest experience,” says Henry He, Foli Founder & CEO.  “Guests want to consume content digitally, and this gives them a paper-free, visually enhanced digital offering to improve their stay.  For hotels already offering Foli’s premium magazines and eBooks, this new partnership adds great local content to their storefronts.”

To get your digital copy of Where Magazine, please contact Henry He at hhe@encipit.com or visit www.getfoli.com/#getfoli to request a digital copy for your business.

The British Airways Club Lounge at San Francisco International Airport is celebrating the arrival of a new jet Airbus A380 this week.  Bringing 469 passengers, the new jet will place increased demand on the exclusive club lounge that offers guests a quiet haven serving refreshing ginger water and complimentary premium reading materials pre-flight.

While there is no strain on the newspaper supply these days, the premium magazine content is a different story.  Andrew Axelrod, British Airways SFO Lounge Manager, has reduced the number of newspapers he purchases for the club in recent months, due to a decrease in demand from travelers, while continuing to run out of premium magazine titles like ELLE magazine.

“I’ve cut my newspaper purchases in half in the last few months just from noticing how many unused copies I was throwing away at the end of each day,” says Axelrod.  Less and less travelers are getting their news from traditional newspapers, while opting instead for online, up-to-the-minute news content. 

“I frequently offer newspapers to first class members who have been on holiday for weeks, only to have them refuse the newspapers, saying they’ve already read their news online,” confirms Axelrod.  However, the premium magazine content keeps Andrew running back to the newsstand for refills.  “Guests like to take the premium content that they would normally pay for, like Esquire magazine, with them on the plane to read.  I often find the premium magazine racks empty, and have to dash to the newsstand to purchase more copies.” 

Fortunately, the club lounge offers guests Foli, an app full of premium digital multi-media magazines and eBooks from top publishers, which offers a limitless digital supply of premium content as compared to a limited number of paper copies offered.

“With Foli’s digital copies of magazines like Esquire, my copies offered to guests are actually limitless.  Members can even save articles to continue reading on their flight,” says Axelrod.  Foli is sure to help ease the strain of increased lounge guests with the arrival of a new jet, or at least the strain on the empty magazine racks.

Guests to the British Airways lounge love Foli, and have already left great feedback on the new service.  Jessie from San Francisco says “Talk about making the wait enjoyable! Foli means I don’t have to shell out for print magazines to pass the time waiting for the aeroplane, saving both the pennies and paper. Living in San Francisco, I travel back to my home country of England often, and foli has made a difference to the way I travel… No more expensive dashes to the newsagents! Thanks.”  Simon from Manchester UK excites “It was like a newsstand in my hand!”, and Kathleen from SF Bay Area confirms “Excellent selection of magazines and no wasted paper.”

Offer your guests the content they crave with Foli, premium digital magazines and eBooks for business & leisure travelers.  Learn more at: www.getfoli.com/#getfoli or email Henry He, Foli Founder & CEO, hhe@encipit.com to get Foli for your business.

 

Luxury Maui Resort proudly offers guests Foli, a new app serving guests complimentary premium digital magazines on their mobile devices during their stay.

Spring has arrived and residents everywhere are planning their escape to paradise, otherwise known as the Hawaiian islands. Located just 300 feet above the sea, and offering the best of both beach and ocean view worlds, Maui’s Hotel Wailea has become a familiar refuge for the sun-seeking, tech-savvy, luxury traveler.

Hosting an increasing number of guests arriving strapped to the latest tech gadgets, Hotel Wailea offers Foli to connect the worlds of tech and luxury.  As an award-winning luxury resort, Hotel Wailea is proud to be the first hotel in Hawaii to offer Foli, an app that gives guests access to complimentary premium digital magazines on their tablets and smartphones during their stay.

“We are proud to be a leader in luxury travel.” says Markus Schale, General Manager of Hotel Wailea, “Foli is a perfect way to demonstrate that we are leading the trend – technology is the new luxury!”

Hotel Wailea was voted “Best Hotel in Maui” by Conde Nast Traveler Reader’s Choice Awards 2014, and is considered the most intimate hotel property within the Wailea resort area, with only 72 suites on an expansive 15 acres.

Guests to the resort can enjoy beach services at Wailea Beach, stunning three-island panoramic views, poolside cocktails over sunset, and award-winning dining.  The one-bedroom suites provide the perfect Hawaiian escape, designed to feel like your own private luxury beach home.  Luxury with the feel of home made Foli the perfect amenity for Hotel Wailea.

“Our guests are delighted to learn they have access to a large library of complimentary magazines. It is the perfect amenity for a lazy day lounging by the pool!” says Christy Winterbottom, Director of Marketing for Hotel Wailea.

With Foli, hotels can create a digital magazine rack that guests can experience from their mobile devices.  Guests who download the free Foli app have unlimited access to multimedia, interactive, full-length premium digital magazines, in addition to the bar menu, spa menu, local information, and other materials hotels provide their guests.

However, upon departure, the publications can no longer be viewed, which serves as an exclusive amenity for resort guests.  Guests may save resort information, such as restaurant recommendations, to their Foli account via the “My Collection” feature to access anywhere, anytime, without WiFi.  A valuable tool for hotels & resorts to reach guests pre-stay, during-stay, and post-stay.

“Our guests love Foli!” says Winterbottom, “They are looking for hotels where they can leverage their technology gadgets to improve their experience. With Foli, we can differentiate ourselves from competitors!”

The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at San Francisco International Airport serves hundreds of guests complimentary food, drinks, newspapers and magazines every week.  The lounge provides an oasis from the chaotic terminals for members to relax comfortably before their flight.

Hours before travelers arrive, Virgin Atlantic’s staff prepare the brownies, seltzer water, and carefully arrange the days newspapers and magazines, meticulously layered one by one along the window sills.  Every evening, as the last flight prepares for lift-off, the tedious clean-up begins.  Gathering all used paper strewn about the club as well as untouched copies resting along the window sills, pounds of newspapers and magazines are thrown out every single day.

Business as usual.  Well, it used to be.  Virgin Atlantic’s SFO Club Lounge is leading the trend away from wasteful, costly, and inefficient paper toward efficient, convenient, digital innovation.  For Club Manager Robert O Wheaton, Foli was the perfect opportunity to make the transition.  Offering guests digital magazines instead of wasteful paper and saving thousands in operation costs, Foli is better for the environment and business’ bottom-line.

Innovation is nothing new for Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, which was the first club lounge to offer complimentary food and drinks to members.  “Putting guests first has always been our top priority!” says O Wheaton, “Foli’s magazines from top publishers are not only digital, but full of multimedia, interactive features.  Our guests can watch behind-the-scenes videos of their favorite celebrities cover shoots, features not available in print.  We love offering our guests a better service while improving our business model.”

An added perk, Foli serves members the latest issues days before the print hit stands.  Guests to the Lounge can also “save” articles to read in-flight, which may explain Foli’s positive feedback from Clubhouse guests, who are clearly loving the service.  Foli Internal Surveys at the lounge show 100% agree Foli improved their stay, 75% are more likely to book this airline because of Foli, and 100% will use Foli during their next visit.  Not surprisingly, 100% want to use Foli at other locations.

Do you manage a club lounge?  Get Foli risk-free for your airport lounge today and start saving paper, improving club operation, and generating positive member feedback: www.getfoli.com/#getfoli