An app based alternative – Criton

In its very essence, it was about creating a platform for businesses to digitise that dusty guestbook, that house keeping never really give any time to. But 12 months on, we now work with a range of integration partners. So now you can integrate your property management system, your PMS, so people can check-in online through the app. You can also have digital Door Key. So you can go through the whole guest journey, from points of booking, through check in, to actually unlocking your door with your app. So Criton’s role, in terms of how it supports tourism, is really important. For us although we started looking at specifically, the hotel and serviced apartment sector, we now support businesses such as visitor attractions.

The Real Mary Kings Close, was one of our early attractions to come on board. We also now have a platform that tour operators and travel agencies can also maximise. So instead of it just being about digitising that guest book within a hotel room, any tourism, or hospitality business, can take what content and information they want to give to their visitor and put it within their own branded app. I think clients that are using Criton, really find that having a digital platform frees up a lot of time, for their staff to spend on other things.

So if you have an app that contains information, about things to see and do in the area, you could embed live chat within it, it means that your front-of-house team have much more time. They also don’t have to worry about the physical admin and cost associated with digitising information. So it means that again, they’re freeing up more time for their staff to give to, the welcome to the visitor. To give them a more personalised experience, when the visitor is on site. On a very basic level we always say if you can use Microsoft Word, you can build your own app. Our CMS has been designed, specifically for people like myself that are very non-technical.

So it’s very much on a drag-and-drop basis. So the platform is there, that are certain pre-loaded features, you just go in and add images. We encourage people to take short videos even with an iPhone, if it’s serviced apartments. So if you can use words, you could essentially design and build your own app. You do not need to be able to use HTML, or be able to do any kind of coding. So at Criton, we were created specifically to let independent boutique operators, compete with the global big chains of the world and people like your Marriott’s and your Hilton’s, that were very early adopters, of things like digital door-key.

So Criton’s technology, has been specifically created, to let small businesses compete with those big brands.