Mobile-first hospitality loyalty: what the guest wants in 3 gestures
The guest opens the app inside the hotel. What do they want to see in the first 3 seconds?
- Current tier and balance — no scroll, no menu
- "What can I do right now" — late check-out / room upgrade request / book SPA
- Chat with reception / concierge — one button, not five
What apps usually show
Top-screen of hospitality apps across the industry:
- Marketing banner "Specials this month" — 60% of cases
- Hotel search — 40%
- Login form — 30%
- Member balance on first screen — only 25%
This contradicts the mental model — the guest is already in the hotel, they need actions, not marketing.
3-touch architecture
Mobile must support "3 gestures to result" for top scenarios:
- Late check-out: open app → "Stay" tab → "Late check-out" — done
- Order SPA: open app → "Services" → SPA time-picker
- Use points: open app → "Rewards" → "Use 5,000 for F&B" → confirm
Each extra gesture kills 30-40% mobile conversion (UX research baseline). 5-step nav on mobile = 1% completion rate.
Include and exclude
Include: push notifications at actionable moments (1h before check-out → upgrade offer; 30 days after stay → review request), Apple/Google Wallet pass (member card physically in the wallet), offline mode (cached balance and upcoming reservations), biometrics (Face ID instead of password).
Exclude: "News" tab (nobody reads), "Find a hotel" (booking flow ≠ loyalty), social wall (doesn't work in hospitality), full settings (most on web).
What we do in TTE
In Phase 2 — Flutter app with the principle "one tab per use-case" (Stay / Rewards / Wallet / Settings). 4 tabs, not 12. Push notifications event-driven (on check-in tracked milestones, 24h before check-out — late-checkout offer). Wallet pass mandatory. No compromise.
