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Everplaces rebrands to focus on app-making-platform for travel brands and DMOs

For the last year, Everplaces has been powering two products simultaneously, the well-known travel tool app simply called “Everplaces” and a B2B tool for companies to make travel apps in a faster and better way.

From 1 January 2015 this will change, as we make changes in our business to split the products, and move focus to the app making platform.

Everplaces the app, which is used and loved all over the world, will continue running to support the community of travellers to find the very best insider tips for places to eat, sleep and play. It will retain the name and brand "Everplaces" and will be run by our wonderful designer cofounder Angelica Vargas, who will also find the time to work with other startups and brands to develop amazing designs, especially on mobile.

This strategic move enables us to focus our efforts inside the company on one product, rather than two. This is good news for all of our clients, such as German National Tourism Board, Urban Adventures, Epoque Hotels, etc., whose amazing travel apps are built on the platform. It will enable us to create travel related apps with even more advanced features, faster, easier and cheaper than ever before.

Till now, the app-making-platform has lived a life somewhat in the shadow of its larger sibling, Everplaces, a position it has now outgrown. The product will now get its own name, brand and resources. In this process, cofounder Christoffer Kaalund is stepping up as CEO. Christoffer is the technical mind behind the app-making-platform and knows it better than anyone else. Current CEO Tine Thygesen has decided to move on, and will only be involved in a non-operational capacity going forward.

Sometimes when you have two good things you have to make the hard choice to separate them, so each can grow and develop in its respective way. This is what this split allows us to do, and we are thoroughly convinced that it is the best way to serve our investors, clients and community. In fact, we are very excited about the new stage.

Don’t hesitate to be in touch if you have further questions.

Tine Thygesen, Christoffer Kaalund and Angelica Vargas Cofounders, Everplaces

More info: Everplaces travel app: everplaces.com, and Apple App Store. App-making-platform: business.everplaces.com

#everplaces #apps #android #travel #travel tips #iphone #iphone apps #explore #food #eat #sleep #hotel

Hotel bookings: one in five nights now booked from mobile

Photo: Heather Satz

Australian online travel agency Wotif recently disclosed that 49% of their hotel-related traffic now comes from mobile (web and apps), a staggering increase of 37% from 2013. The online travel agency, recently acquired by Expedia, manages around 30,000 hotels in Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

That’s a lot of eyes on those little screens… and they are not just browsing. They are happy to pay, too: Wotif adds that the number of nights booked from mobile is now 23% of the total.

Growth in revenue from mobile for Wotif / Source: Tnooz.

The Australian OTA is not alone. Expedia says that one in five nights is now booked from a phone; for Chinese travel agent eLong, it's almost one in three.

Last minute and more

Clearly, mobile is most useful in specific situations, such as last minute changes while en-route. Not surprisingly, its biggest supporters are frequent business travellers.

On the other hand, travellers are starting to turn to their phones only as an emergency fix: more and more of these bookings are being made more than one week in advance.

Time to invest in better apps

Wind in sails, then? Yes, and no. When surveyed, travellers agree that mobile is still their least favorite way of booking, mostly because it takes them longer than anything else (19 minutes on average!). Small screens and less established technology contribute to a poor user experience.

So - What should hotel marketers do?

First of all, treat all screens (desktop, phone, tablet) as separate marketing channels and provide the best user experience on each device. By now, having a dedicated booking app should be a no-brainer for anyone in the travel industry.

We expect that better apps and ease of use will make these numbers grow even more.

#hotel marketing #mobile #marketing #wotif #expedia

Roadtripping in Croatia

One year ago, our ambassador Elmar drove all the way from Germany to North Cape with his old VW van so he could catch a last glimpse of midnight sun. We caught up with him to see what he’s been up to lately. As it turns out, his mobile home is still going strong!

Eat, sleep and wake up everyday to the view of your choice. All photos: Elmar Reckmann

#vw #vw bus #vw van #kombi #vw kombi

A guide to Copenhagen Cooking - part 2

Photo: Johnno / Flickr

From DIY ice-cream (with liquid nitrogen!) to the finest street food in town, get ready for another weekend of food, drinks and everything in between! We have shortlisted the best events at Copenhagen Cooking. For the full program, you can download the free app.

Asian Street Food Festival

If you think that Copenhagen is lacking in the street-food department, it's time visit the Street Food Festival at Vesterbro Torv where the best kitchens in town will serve some of their their street-food hits.

Where & When: Vesterbrogade 39. Aug 29-31 Price: free. Event details here.

#copenhagen cooking #foodies #torvehallerne #copenhagen

A guide to Copenhagen Cooking - Part 1

All photos courtesy of Copenhagen Cooking

The biggest food festival in Northern Europe, Copenhagen Cooking is ready to go, with ten days of food, wine and everything in between. We have done some legwork for you and went through the program (clicking in at more than 100 events!) and shortlisted ten of the most mouth-watering experiences.

And now, let the food feast begin!

#copenhagen cooking #copenhagen #nordic food #food festival

This modernist resort in Palm Springs takes inspiration from native Mojave wildflowers: lilies, californian poppies, sunflowers, desert globemallow were turned into saffron umbrellas, magenta sofas, green, blue and lime-colored walls. Each room follows a different color schemes (some might be more relaxing than others!) and most of them offer great views over the San Jacinto Mountains. One thing is for sure: we wouldn't mind waking up here! Photo: Apartment Therapy

Saguaro Hotel, 1800 E Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92264

#palm springs #mojave #modernism #architecture #luxury travel

No one can quite agree on the exact number of Greek Islands, but something is sure: they all look pretty darn good. Need some inspiration? Here's our checklist of what you should not miss on a island-hopping tour of the bluest .

Sleep at San Giorgio Hotel, Mykonos This boutique hotel is a little boho paradise by the beach. The interior is artfully decorated with handwoven rugs, exotic trinkets and lots, lots of light.

Explore a shipwreck in Zakyntos A famous destination is the only accessible from the sea is Shipwreck where the wreck of the coaster Panagiotis lies on a small beach, surrounded by 200 meters high, towering cliffs. Photo: C. Wegerhoff

Santorini Dive Center Where's Nemo? Go find him with an organized dive to the volcano or to sea reefs full of colorful acquatic life. Snorkeling is also great here. / Photo: divecenter.gr

Epistrofi, Mykonos A cute tavern located directly at Agios Stefanos Beach. Go there to enjoy a coffee in the sun or a dinner with sea view. /Photo: Mela Mörtenbäck

Cliff Diving Feeling adventurous? Test your nerves with a 10 meter jump into the blue at Kamari Beach.

Wine tasting at Boutaris & Son Winery: This lovely winery in Thira has with a large selection of local wines. Taste as many different wines as you can and grab a chance to try Santorini's Vinsanto! The Boutaris family has been in the wine business for more than 130 year. / Photo: Yannotis Associates

Astra Suites Hotel, Thira: Perched right atop the volcanic cliffs of Santorini, this boutique hotel has heart-stopping views over the sparkling Aegian sea. / Photo: Astra Suites

For more tips, check out our collection on Everplaces!

#greek islands #santorini #mykonos #boutique hotel #gypset

Stand out from the crowd: How to optimize your Google Play app details page

With more than one million apps available on Android’s marketplace, it’s easy to get lost among hundreds of competitors. Here is our advice on how to make your app really stand out.

Photo: Sara Sampsel

Last year, 60% of all downloads came from people browsing in the app stores: this means that if you’re not optimizing your app page, you’re missing out on the largest opportunity to get your product in front of your customers.

Most of the advice applies to both Apple and Google stores, but on the Play Store you will see more of the Google legacy, with searchable descriptions, integrated YouTube videos and more focus on inbound links.

Search optimization cheat sheet

Title: Get the title right and your position will improve dramatically! Have your primary keyword here, ideally within the app name. You can then include one or two extra keywords to get better optimize for the most relevant searches: for example, a travel app might perform better after adding city or guide to the name.

#app store optimization #mobile #google play #app store

Have you been to Montenegro yet? No? Your guide to the last wilderness in Europe

Dense forest of beech, maple and fir, towering mountains, deep deep gorges and wild mountain rivers. Where is that? We’re on our way to Montenegro, the last corner of true wilderness on the Mediterranean. Our Project Manager and insatiable explorer Ani is a local expert, so we got a few tips out of her!

Photo: Lab604 / Flickr

#montenegro #adventure #outdoor #durmitor #tara river

Summer in the city: the best urban beaches in Europe

Photo: Arkady Genkin

It’s pretty hot in Copenhagen today! The Everplaces team likes to cools it down at Bryggen, a beach a few minutes’ walk from our office. For all fellow summer city dwellers around the world, we’ve rounded up a list of the best urban oases for swimming, sunbathing and getting sand in your toes without leaving town. See you in the water!

Islands Bryggen, Copenhagen

Welcome to the little Miami of Scandinavia! From June to September this otherwise bleak neighborhood becomes a parade of tattoos, tanned bodies, hip-hop music, basketball players, barbecues and occasional show-offs doing Olympic flips in the water. Even if you’re not into canal swimming, this is a prime people-watching spot.

Badeschiff, Berlin

Initially conceived as an art project to enliven a neglected neighborhood, this 90-foot-long ‘bathing ship’ was created in 2004 out of a converted barge and is now found floating in the Spree river, complete with beach chairs and happy beach-goers. Like everything in Berlin it’s open late at night, more often than not with DJs and live music, so try an evening swim!

Playa Urbana de Madrid Rio

The beach at the Arganzuela is part of a major project by the City of Madrid to create 10-km long recreational area on the banks of the Manzanares. The park includes rowing lanes on the river, kiosks, cafés and restaurants, bike paths, walks, terraces and children’s playgrounds.

Paris Plages

Welcome to the original urban beach, the one that started the trend. Since 2002, every summer the banks of the Seine are covered in sand and dotted with beach chairs and palm trees, to offer a little taste of the French Riviera in the city. This year, the Louvre is taking part with an open-air gallery of Roman marbles, bathing beauties and other beach-inspired artwork that is on sight at the Tunnel of the Tuileries until August 17th.

Strand West, Amsterdam

The beach at Strand West is open year round for a bite and a drink, but it really comes to life in the summer months, when it hosts evening campfires and live bands. Here the crowds are more relaxed than at other urban beaches, like Strand Zuid, and the location is quite, too, with very little noise and traffic. Best of all, it’s only a ten minutes bike from Centraal Station!

Brussels Les Bains

You’ll find students, eurocrats, sandcastle builders, Tai-chi masters, ball game players and everyone in between on the cobblestone banks of the Brussels canal. Straw huts and Caribbean food contribute to the tropical feel (but local Trappist beers is pretty much the refreshment of choice). During the day there are several activities for kids, while at night the beach comes alive with live music.

For a complete guide of the best city beaches in Europe, head over to our Everplaces collection. Do you have more tips for summering in the city like a real pro? Let us know in the comments!

#urban beaches #brussels les bains #islands brygge #badeschiff #paris plages #strand west

Mobile travel: Hilton launch "select your own room"

84% of business travelers indicated they would welcome the ability to select their own room. And given the popularity of selecting your own seat at the movies, airplane and concerts it's hardly a surprise that added control is in high demand. That's why HIlton has decided to make this the focus of their new service innovation, trying to stay ahead of the competition.

Mobile App is perfect for service innovation

The mobile app is the perfect tool for such product innovation in the service industry, and this is also what Hilton is using to roll out the new service.

Guests who are a part of the frequent guest programme can use the HHonors app to select their room on the day of their arrival.

Apps are good for loyalty

Where mobile web is a good tool for awareness, mobil apps, with their increased speed, memory and personalization, are perfect for doing more for your existing customers.

Whether you want to - Up-sell minibar, restaurant and services to guests; - Service better during the stay (to increase return visits); - Spread the word about your company (generate trusted awareness through social sharing)

A mobile app can help you do that through useful features for frequent guests and select visitors. This app is another good example of this.

Want to build an app to make more business from your existing clientele? We can help, email [email protected]

More info in Skift here

#mobile #hotel #app #loyalty #travel #tourism

Reykjavík city guide: where to eat, sleep and play

Do you have some time in the Icelandic capital? Here's a checklist of what you cannot miss!

Ion Adventure Hotel Nestled in a lava field at the edge of Thingvellir National Park, this luxury resort is the perfect base for exploring glaciers and hot springs. The bar has a floor-to-ceiling windows for aurora-watching.

Sandhölt Reykjavik treat yourself to delicious bread, croissants and cream puffs in what might be the best bakery in town.

Hlemmur Square Located on Reykjavik's main shopping street Laugavegur, this hybrid hotel/hostel, provides private rooms as well as hostel-style bunks and communal areas. The bar serves great specialty beers by the likes of Brewdog, Rogue and Mikeller.

Blue Lagoon A geothermal spa located in the middle of a lava field. Get into the silica-rich, milky water and smear yourself in mud while you sip on a cocktail!

Harpa Concert Hall Designed by Henning Larsens studio in collaboration with Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson. From inside, you get a fantastic view over the harbor and the surrounding mountains.

i8 Art Gallery Reykjavik's prime destination for art lovers, this small gallery represents some of the most interesting nordic artists, like Oafur Eliasson and Ragnar Kjartansson.

For more tips, head over to read our complete guide to Reykjavik.

#reykjavik #iceland #sundhöll reykjavíkur #harpa #blue lagoon

Share the most memorable place you've stayed at and be in to win a free hotel stay

Have you ever stayed in a cool or unique hotel or do you know of any in your city? A beautiful design hotel, a romantic escape, a place with extraordinary service, a room with great views, you name it. Share the most memorable place you have stayed at and enter our competition to win a EUR160 voucher for a free stay, in any city where Hotel Tonight is present.

All you need to do is add the hotel to Everplaces and share it with us. All entries should include images and notes explaining why they were a special/unique place to stay, and you can submit as many places as you know :)

We'll be putting together a collection with unique places to stay around the world based on the best entries of the competition.

Deadline is: Friday, June 27th.

To enter the competition, you can post the link to your hotel on our Facebook page or send the link to Ani, our Community Manager, at [email protected] before June 27th.

The winner will be announced by June 30th.

Looking forward to seeing all those beautiful places!

ADD A PLACE

#everplaces

Crisis management: How mobile can help travel companies help customers stuck in an emergency

The recent coup in Thailand has brought a question to many travel companies minds; how to we prepare for crisis management when an emergency effects a country we've got customers currently in.

Whether you're a hotel group, DMO or travel agency, you've got a duty to help people who happen to be in countries hit by natural disaster or political instability. But how do you do that? Mobile can help.

Speed of communication is of essence

Mobile is an important tool in crisis management. When you're trying to help customers left in a unsafe environment where they may feel stressed or even scared the speed of communication is important, that makes mobile communication the superior choice, because they will have their phones on them, whereas they may not access the internet, or check for messages at the front desk.

Direct notifications is most reliable form of communication

The best way in a crisis is to use direct notifications directly to each traveler, this should be delivered via SMS, so you're not reliant on wifi.

You should set up a SMS gateway system in advance, so you've got a system ready to use in case of emergency. These systems are easy to set up, and typically charge by SMS sent, so it will be a limited expense to set it up, think if it as insurance.

Make them feel safe and supported

Here you can give a quick message to let them know that they are not alone, you're there to help, and link them directly to a page where they can find detailed information about how to get out of the place, the policies and all important phone numbers and addresses.

Link to a fast-loading, preferable offline info page

The emergency & policy info should ideally be put into your dedicated app, as it can then work offline once they've opened it the first time. If the situation develops into a real emergency its important that they always have the information at hand.

Alternatively the SMS can link to a mobile optimized webpage, but this means they wont be able to access it without internet, so if they are on the move it will be hard to access.

Either way it is key that you build a page which loads as easily as technically possible, so no images, videos etc. This is important because the phone network is likely to be overburdened at the destination if everyone is trying to find out what to do.

Make sure you have a CMS where you can make fast changes

Whether you choose to out the information in an app or mobile web page is it important that you have instant access to enter and publish the information. So choose an app/m.web set up which has a CMS system so you can add and update content it in fast and easily.

For apps there are CMS systems (like Everplaces') that allow updates to go directly to the users, by passing Apple and Google, so you don't have to wait for an app update. As an app update can take up to 2 weeks to be approved, it goes without saying that this is of key importance.

What ever you do, make sure you direct people to the exact page they need in case of an emergency, as they are likely to be stressed and impatient.

Steps to prepare

1 - Systematically collect phone numbers for customers

2 - Set up an SMS gateway

3 - Keep accurate track of the location of customers (by looking at the hotel for example), and the date on which they travel. This means we at any time can pull a list of effected customers and concentrate our communication only on them.

4 - Make sure you have either an app or m.web with a mobile web CMS where you can add and change info quickly

5 - Sit back and feel good knowing that you're ready for the worst case scenario.

---

Tine Thygesen

CEO, Everplaces

Don't hesitate to contact us if we can help with your mobile requirements, whether they are for emergencies or good times.

#everplaces

Big news: Commerce comes to maps

In the recent Google Maps update a hard-to-spot new feature was included, which is in fact a huge step for the location-based vertical - commerce has come to maps!

The new version allows users to "Book Uber" (this is a taxi from the american taxi corp. of same name), from inside the navigations menu. This little button is a huge milestone, because it marks another shift in location-based technology.

Why does it matter?

The last 5 years has seen a silent shift in the way we find information: from traditional information to map-based information.

It all started with "nearby", the fact that the map opens in your current location, which your guide book (if traveling) or Yellow Pages (if at home) did not. This made it easier for consumers to find nearby services, restaurants and companies if they opened Google or Apple maps, than if they used the guide books, brochures and listing services previously favored. This started getting people to search directly inside the Map apps, rather than in the mobile browsers, because they would get better results as it would take location into consideration too.

Since then, Google Maps in particular has continued to include a million small bits of information to each place, which totals to a gigantic improvement in usefulness. They've added opening hours, contact info, reviews, photos and descriptions of the places. Combined with the new trend that people travel less prepared this was a killer advantage compared to static form info.

And today, we're seeing the next step for maps to step out of their supporting role, and into a lead role, because this is the first clear opportunity to start buying directly from the map interface.

We've been talking about this in our talks at conference about travel and mobile, and you can see more of our predictions in our knowledge center.

More about the new features rolled out here

Context beats all, especially on mobile

Context and relevance is the new frontier in marketing, as you've probably already heard. And mobile has an amazing advantage when it comes to contextual search, because we automatically know more about the consumer than we do when they search on web, as an example

- your exact location - time of day - weather where you are

This enables us to offer more contextual and relevant offers (rather than generic spammy offers). With commerce in maps, you can easily imagine that we start linking our current needs to commerce; such as sunblock for beach goers, lunch offers at mid day, m-tickets if near an attraction. Anything which you can add the words "required right now" in front of, is a perfect option for contextual, map based commerce.

It's a brave new world. Of maps.

#everplaces

Tell us the best places to eat in your city to win a free stay for your next trip

We've all tried them. Places, where the food is not just food, but a pure pleasure. Take us through a gastronomic journey of your own city and enter our competition to win a EUR160 voucher for a free stay, in any city where Hotel Tonight is present.

All you need to do is create a collection in Everplaces with the theme "Best places to eat in my city" and share it with us. Your collection should include at least 10-12 food related places and all of them need to have images and notes explaining why they made it to your collection.

Deadline is: Thursday, June 12th.

To enter the competition, you can post the link to your awesome Everplaces collection on our Facebook page or send the link to Ani, our Community Manager, at [email protected] before June 12th.

The winner will be announced by June 13th.

We can't wait to see all your delicious places!

START A COLLECTION

#everplaces

Share your tips and win a free one-night hotel stay

Think of one of your favorite cities. Then think of all the cool places you love there... and here comes the exciting part:

Create a mini guide for your favorite city and get a chance to win a EUR160 voucher for a free stay, in any city where Hotel Tonight is present.

All you need to do is create a collection in Everplaces with the theme "A short getaway to... [ your favorite city ]" and share it with us. Your collection should include at least 10-12 places related to food, drink, hotels, culture, or anything that would make someone else fall in love with your favorite city. All the places need to have images and notes explaining why they made it to your collection.

Deadline is: Thursday, May 8th.

To enter the competition, you can post the link to your awesome Everplaces collection on our Facebook page or send the link to Ani, our Community Manager, at [email protected] before May 8th.

The winner will be announced by May 12th.

We can't wait to see all your wonderful places!

START A COLLECTION

#everplaces

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