ABSTRACT
This chapter offers a basis for discussing mobile apps as a marketing tool to attract new customers as well as increase brand loyalty in the hospitality industry. The chapter begins by providing a brief summary of the current situation in the industry by analyzing the mobile apps of six major hotel companies. This is followed by a discussion of three major issues related to mobile apps: (1) the characteristics of mobile devices (ubiquitous availability, personal usage, interactivity, and context-aware ability); (2) types of mobile apps on the market (games and entertainment, utility, discovery, and social network) and the values customers expect to derive by using mobile apps; and (3) factors influencing consumers’ adoption and usage of mobile apps.
