I recently returned from the grand re-opening of Club Med in Punta Cana (what a great resort – they are definitely back in the game). And what I found so interesting was how the resort communicates with its guests. Where once there’d be a notice board, or flyers shoved under your room door, or an annoying announcement over the P.A. system, it’s now all done by app.

A promotion at the spa? Poolside tasting happening? It was all on the ‘Club Med Journal’ app, free to guests. And the guests took to it like ducks to water.

At Vision we’ve embraced app technology too. Vision Engage, an internal communication ‘game’, allows advisors to earn points good towards hotel nights or entertainment tickets by taking training or answering surveys.

One app that you might find very useful is Umapped, which allows you to deliver a seamless itinerary to your client’s desktop or phone. It not only pulls together all the components of the itinerary in chronological order, it also delivers real-time updates (such as flight delay info). Agents can add their own photos and travel suggestions while clients can share images and comments with friends and family back home, all in real time.

Other apps you might find resourceful for you and your clients are stay.com (suggested sightseeing based on length of stay), XE Currency, Citymapper (to help clients navigate local public transport) and FourSquare (for local points of interest).

If you have not yet dipped your toe into the world of apps, yes there will be a learning curve, and it’s mostly dependent on your type of handheld device. But it’s a learning curve you will need to take, as I will, to stay current with clients.