An App for Making Friends on the Road: Selina Enhances Its App to Help Travelers Connect

Rhea-AI Summary

Selina, a rapidly growing hospitality brand for millennial and Gen Z travelers, updated its app to enhance user experience. Key upgrades include a new guest connection feature, personalized booking, and event notifications. With expectations of over two million visitors in 2022, Selina aims to increase direct sales beyond the current 50% average. The app improvements reflect Selina's commitment to technology integration, aiding efficient operations and higher revenue. The company operates 155 properties across 25 countries and entered a business combination with BOA Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: BOAS).

Positive

• App enhancements aimed at improving user engagement and direct sales.
• Expectation of over two million visitors in 2022, indicating strong demand.
• Current direct sales represent over 50% of total bookings.

Negative

• None.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Selina, the fast-growing lifestyle and experiential hospitality brand targeting millennial and Gen Z travelers, continues to focus on the user experience with its latest update to the Selina app. The app, available on iOS and Android, features several enhancements, from a new guest connection feature to an improved user booking experience and personalization capabilities. By creating global travel experiences designed to serve the vastly underserved millennial and Gen Z markets, Selina is tapping into a growing cohort of travelers that prioritize authenticity and connection, seeking the ability to travel more often and more freely. On average, 66% of guests meet a friend during their stays, reflecting the effectiveness of Selina’s community-centered hospitality platform, which also impacts guest satisfaction, as evidenced by a superior Net Promoter Score for Selina. Selina anticipates over two million visitors in 2022, and the new app enhancements should help increase the percentage of direct sales above the current 50% average.

(Photo: Business Wire)

Key app updates:

• Upon confirmation of booking, guests can opt in to find out who else is staying at the Selina property during their trip, helping to facilitate the company’s mission of curating meaningful connections. Those who choose to participate can see the first name, photo, and nationality of fellow guests before arrival, making for a helpful ice breaker when crossing paths on property.
• Notifications on the hotel’s upcoming events and calendar of activities assist travelers in planning unforgettable experiences.
• The app’s personalized home screen now adjusts content based on language and geolocation, providing guests with key information related to their upcoming stays, with intel like weather forecasts and more.
• Other updates to the app's booking flow and integration of the brand’s loyalty token program help to drive a seamless purchase experience, supporting direct bookings.

“Our entire platform is designed to inspire meaningful connections, and by adding the capability for our guests to connect with each other and form relationships leading into their stays, we’re creating the opportunities for them to have even more impactful experiences that lead to lifelong friendships,” said Global Chief Marketing Officer Elad Nir. “As a lifestyle brand, the Selina experience is about much more than finding a place to stay, it’s about immersing yourself in a local culture and connecting with like-minded individuals. This is central to what Millennial and Gen Z travelers look for, and the updates we’ve made to our app enhance our ability to meet and exceed their expectations. It also demonstrates our commitment to further integrating technology into the fabric of our business.”

The update to the app further demonstrates Selina’s commitment to enhancing its proprietary tech platform, enabling Selina to scale quickly, operate efficiently, and continue building direct sales, which represent over half of bookings to date. Selina is leveraging its proprietary technology across varied facets of the business, such as:

• Tech-Enabled Operations – Selina’s locations can be fully cashless with remotely monitored utility costs and the ability to predict maintenance issues from our headquarters.
• Owned Property Management System (PMS) – Selina’s owned, and flexible PMS can create and sell alternative products like subscriptions, co-working packages, tokens and more.
• Selina Exchange – Selina’s platform can exchange unsold rooms to content providers like musicians, artists and yoga instructors, which reduces programming costs.
• Proprietary Real Estate Sourcing - Selina leverages its proprietary technology to identify and renovate underperforming hotels in partnership with local real estate owners, who cover 90% of conversion costs, and artisans, who embed a local cultural influence, to create destinations that combine the comfort and style of a boutique hotel with coworking facilities and local social experiences, generally driving significant increases in revenue compared to a property’s prior operations.

About Selina

Selina is one of the world's largest hospitality brands built to address the needs of millennial and Gen Z travelers, blending beautifully designed accommodation with coworking, recreation, wellness, and local experiences. Custom-built for today's nomadic traveler, Selina provides guests with a global infrastructure to seamlessly travel and work abroad. Founded in 2014, each Selina property is designed in partnership with local artists, creators, and tastemakers, breathing new life into existing buildings in interesting locations around the world – from urban cities to remote beaches and jungles. Selina's portfolio includes 155 open or secured properties across 25 countries and six continents. On December 2, 2021, Selina entered into a business combination agreement with BOA Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: BOAS), the closing of which, which is subject to customary conditions, will result in Selina becoming a publicly listed company.

To learn more, visit www.selina.com or follow Selina on Instagram, Facebook or YouTube. Download the Selina app on the App Store or Google Play.

To explore Selina real estate partnership opportunities, please contact partnerships@selina.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220614005064/en/

Media:

Julie Thomas

Mower

jthomas@mower.com / selina@mower.com

Source: Selina

FAQ

What are the main updates in Selina's app announced in the press release on June 14, 2022?

The main updates include a new guest connection feature, personalized booking experiences, and event notifications.

How many visitors does Selina expect in 2022?

Selina anticipates over two million visitors in 2022.

What percentage of Selina's bookings are direct sales?

Currently, over 50% of Selina's bookings are direct sales.

What is Selina's business combination agreement related to BOAS?

Selina entered into a business combination agreement with BOA Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: BOAS), allowing Selina to become a publicly listed company.

How does Selina's app enhance the guest experience for millennial and Gen Z travelers?

The app enhances the guest experience by facilitating connections between guests and providing personalized information based on language and location.