Luxury goes mobile; The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L. L. C debuts mobile app with personal tips from President & C. O. O, Herve Humler

Not content to launch an app with basic functionalities, The Ritz-Carlton App serves up exclusive tips, tours and integrates with the brands other social platforms such as Foursquare World Concierge

CHEVY CHASE, MD. May 1, 2012 - The long anticipated Ritz-Carlton Mobile App will more than surprise users. Always anticipating the unexpressed needs of guests and travelers worldwide, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. debuts a mobile application that goes well beyond basic hotel search and reservation functionality, initiating a distinctive experience before a hotel visit has even begun.

Most notably, The Ritz-Carlton App includes Presidential Tips. As president of the luxury hotel company, Herve Humler has seen and experienced all that is so unique and exquisite about Ritz-Carlton hotels - from a secluded garden in Sanya to a one-of-a-kind Viennese crystal chandelier in Doha, he shares his favorite tips about each hotel with consumers.

"In my role, I am fortunate to be able to visit all of our stunning locations around the world," said Herve Humler, president and COO . "I want to enrich a Ritz-Carlton experience for our guests further with details about the things I have found to be quite memorable and marvelous in my travels. With The Ritz-Carlton App I can now do that very easily and in real-time."

Imagine arriving to a destination with access to this kind of VIP insider information. Using The Ritz-Carlton App for Apple iPhones and Android smart phone devices, guests can turn exceptional stays into something truly extraordinary. To learn Presidential Tips, guests use the App to scan a QR code at the time of check-in.

In addition, The Ritz-Carlton APP will debut with 20 hotels providing QR code experience tours on-property. Examples among the first hotels to launch are:

• The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, where guests can participate in a Cultural Art tour led by QR codes that will allow them to learn more about the hotel's art collection.
• The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong, where guests will be able to learn more about wine pairings at the Highest Hotel in the World.
• The Ritz-Carlton, Berlin, where young guests will be able to enjoy a digital scavenger hunt, led exclusively by QR codes and clues at each stop.
• The Ritz-Carlton New York, Battery Park, the hotel's signature 10-year anniversary cocktail will be served on a napkin that features a special QR code; it holds the cocktail's recipe for guests to take home with them.

But the unique aspects of the app don't stop at exclusive tips and tours. GPS technology also allows the application to recognize when a guest has arrived at a Ritz-Carlton and can provide location specific advice, information and even exclusive offers. With the tap of the finger, guests can learn more about local area culture and customs, concierge tips and even the hotel's art collection. The App also integrates The Ritz-Carlton World Concierge global recommendations from Four Square, the social media platform. New destination and landmark tips are populated by Ritz-Carlton Concierge experts all over the world every week.

Engaging the capabilities of the App, guests can also easily keep up with a resort's activity calendar so they'll never miss a wine tasting, s'mores roast or activity for the children. And, just in case they need reminding, they can enable push notifications directly to the App's message mailbox.

Find, explore and reserve any Ritz-Carlton Hotel around the world with one touch. Make reservations, check itineraries, and even manage Ritz-Carlton Rewards accounts in a simple, convenient format.

Download the Ritz-Carlton App at www.RitzCarlton.com/App now available globally.

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