Choice Hotels Offers Hands-Free Hotel Reservations For Ford Vehicles
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
New App Helps Drivers Find Hotels Quickly and Easily
In a press release, Choice Hotels has announced hands-free hotel reservations for Ford vehicles. Using the SYNC AppLink, customers can download Choice Hotels’ Android app, which will enable them to use voice commands to search for available rooms at nearby Choice Hotels. The chain will be adding the same functionality for iPhone users in the near future.
More than 1.5 million Ford vehicles in North America are equipped with SYNC AppLink. By 2015, Ford will have more than 7 million SYNC AppLink-enabled vehicles on the road globally, providing a huge potential market for Choice Hotels.
Choice Hotels International, Inc. franchises more than 6,300 hotels, representing more than 500,000 rooms, in the United States and more than 35 other countries and territories. The company's Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn brands, as well as its Ascend Hotel Collection membership program, serve guests worldwide.
"In today's rapidly evolving market, it is important to stay ahead of the latest ways guests search and make reservations. We see an explosive growth in the connected car market, which is why we are thrilled to provide our Choice Hotels guests with this new mobile capability," said Robert McDowell, senior vice president, global distribution and marketing, Choice Hotels International.
"Now that the Choice Hotels apps support Ford SYNC AppLink, drivers can make quick and easy reservations, while staying safe on the road using the hands-free technology."
Those consumers whose Ford vehicles are equipped with SYNC AppLink, can visit Google Play to download the newest version of the Choice Hotels application.
"Choice Hotels continues to be a driving force behind innovative mobile technology developments within the hotel industry," continued McDowell. "We have launched several initiatives for our guests and franchisees, such as Verified Reviews, RapidBook, and a partnership with TripAdvisor. These developments ensure that we not only remain on track with the rapidly evolving mobile market, but that we continue in the future to be an innovative industry leader in technology."