Melanie Brewer, Co-Founder, and CEO ,John Beuchert, Co-Founder, and COOIt is creating a niche in the hospitality industry by offering a personalized and user-friendly communication platform that promotes guest-to-guest and accommodation-to-guest connectivity.
Need a fourth for golf? Want to share a taxi? Eek, I forgot to pack sunscreen. Can anyone help? Until now, these simple, common questions (and others like them) were, at best, awkward and, at worst, impossible to express. Away Together helps facilitate these communications by providing a unique identifier on its secure guest-to-guest communication platform. This approach ensures a more efficient way to connect with others during a stay without compromising privacy.
“With our all-inclusive mobile concierge, there is no need for guests to download multiple apps to access everything they need during their stay. Our platform offers a one-stop shop for all the information and services guests need, including the destination, local activities, and dining options, while specifically promoting historic and cultural events and doing so in a responsible, sustainable manner,” says Melanie Brewer, co-founder and CEO of Away Together.
The platform also benefits hoteliers, who can leverage it to enhance their communication with guests about menus, activities, amenities, and other important information without relying on outdated methods like room service calls, printed notifications snuck under hotel room doors, or updates posted on lobby bulletin boards.
Co-founder and COO John Beuchert underlined this point, “Every guest experience has issues that arise. Even small issues can have a tremendous impact on the guest when the perception of unmet expectations is their takeaway. We offer a simple, efficient method to inform guests when these issues arise, in real-time.”
Walking a Mile in the Guest’s Shoes
The story behind Away Together’s inception is rooted in the personal experiences of Melanie Brewer and John Beuchert, its co-founders. While on a Caribbean vacation, they encountered a severe tropical storm and noticed a lack of communication and connection among fellow travelers. This experience led them to realize there was a need for a secure and reliable platform that would allow like-minded individuals to connect and build meaningful relationships on their journeys, while maintaining privacy and security before, during, and after their scheduled holidays.
When they founded Away Together, they realized its potential goes beyond enhancing social interactions. For instance, had it been available when Brewer and Beuchert were traveling in the Caribbean, it could have served as, not just a social access tool, but potentially a reliable communication mechanism during a time of crisis. By providing a platform for easy and secure communication, the app allowed travelers to stay connected and informed, navigate unexpected events with greater ease, and ensure their safety and well-being.
Simple Onboarding, Simpler Pricing Model
Attentive, professional customer service is a core value at Away Together. This begins on day-one with the initial onboarding process, which stands out in the industry as it takes a personalized approach. Unlike a self-service model where companies just provide instructions or online resources for clients to start using the solution, its team physically visits the location to onboard them onto the platform, providing a one-on-one experience that establishes trust and rapport. Brewer added, “Our teams strive to understand what makes each client unique and take pride in the same level of service their guests expect of them.”
Away Together works handin- hand to promote guest experiences tied to specific locations, such as music and the arts, to help tourists feel connected to a location even after they leave
The tailored pricing approach is another valuable feature that sets Away Together apart. By offering different pricing models, Away Together can cater to not just the needs but the budgets of various clients, making it a cost-effective technology solution. Accommodations are offered a monthly subscription model if they require continuous access to the platform to communicate with their guests. Alternatively, the app can easily be adapted to service travel groups and individual events. Organizers could pay a onetime usage fee.
A Friend to the Local Market
Away Together also allows for collaboration between local businesses within the hotel’s proximity. These could include excursion companies, restaurants, museums, and other private and public organizations to promote their activities and increase foot traffic, providing guests with a unique and authentic travel experience beyond typical tourist attractions.
Using search engine optimization (SEO) techniques, Away Together also helps businesses optimize their content and online presence. This strategy helps increase the visibility and traffic of these businesses, leading to increased revenue.
In addition, this partnership allows guests to share their experiences through realtime reviews on the platform. These reviews not only inform other guests about their experiences but also promote the online reputation of the businesses, enhancing their visibility and credibility.
Through strong relationships with hotels and nearby businesses, Away Together is a platform dedicated to developing modern tourism in an increasingly digital world.
Say Goodbye to Paper Notices
The collaboration between Away Together and Walkers Reserve—a non-profit organization focused on preserving forest reserves—is an excellent example of how technology can enable paperless and sustainable communication in the travel industry. By leveraging Away Together’s digital platform, Walkers Reserve could reduce their need to print hundreds of pages, reducing their environmental footprint, staying true to their purpose of conserving resources, and all but eliminating both the cost and waste associated with paper notifications.
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Away Together is a new mobile application that brings to the center stage the manner in which people connect and communicate while traveling, and its importance in enhancing the social aspect of the overall travel experience
A paperless approach also promotes contactless communication, which has become increasingly relevant since the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure health and safety for all in a cost-efficient manner.
Eyes Set on the Future
The pandemic has significantly changed the way people travel, with more individuals opting for longer stays in multiple locations. Away Together recognizes this growing demand among modern travelers to engage with the local community, explore the destination’s culture and history, and participate in volunteer programs.
To address this, Away Together works hand-in-hand to promote guest experiences tied to specific locations, such as music and the arts, to help tourists feel connected to a location even after they leave. This approach will foster brand loyalty and encourage travelers to return to the same location for future vacations. Away Together also features multilingual functionality, allowing its users to determine the language in which it is displayed.
Brewer concluded, “Looking ahead, we are actively working to expand on the present platform to embrace and develop new technologies while remaining focused on the guest experience as our goal.”
For more information,
visit www.myawaytogether.com
