Hotel Okura Amsterdam launches innovative iPhone app

AMSTERDAM, Monday, June 6, 2011 – As from today, the Okura app is available from the Apple iTunes Store. This application has been developed especially for visitors to Amsterdam and guests at Okura’s hotel and restaurants. The app is available at no charge. This app is unique thanks to its jetlag programme. On the basis of various details provided, this functionality will create tailored advice for recovering from jetlag as quickly as possible.

Moreover, at a mere touch of the screen, users can phone Room Service, the Concierge, etc. The app also provides access to star chef Onno Kokmeijer’s blog as well as an introduction to Okura’s restaurants.

The built-in City Guide provides suggestions for day trips in the city as well as navigation assistance. Also included in the City Guide is a short Dutch phrasebook. Lastly, the app provides access to reviews and enables people to contact Okura’s Concierge anywhere in the world using social-media buttons.

The creation of this application is a way for Hotel Okura Amsterdam to improve its service level. “Using this app, our guests can get in touch with the Concierge, receive tailored jetlag advice or entertain themselves reading the Chef’s blog any time they want,” says Emmy Stoel, Acting General Manager.

The Okura app was made by Applisive mobile solutions & software services. “We are grateful that a hotel of Okura’s stature should choose to develop a trend-setting hospitality app in cooperation with us. Now that the Okura app has been made available worldwide, we are especially looking forward to the response of overseas guests,” says Martijn van Nieuwland, Managing Director of Applisive.       

Okura is also launching a mobile website this week, as smart-phone use by travellers is currently on the rise. In fact, Okura has observed that 8% of its website visitors access the site using a mobile phone, while last year that number was only at around 2%. Emmy Stoel: “This means that for a hotel it is essential to provide today’s guests with an accessible and user-friendly website.”

Download Okura's App now!

About Hotel Okura Amsterdam
Hotel Okura Amsterdam is situated on the edge of the city centre, close to a large number of cultural landmarks. The hotel has 301 luxury rooms, including the most spacious (485 m2) and luxurious suite in the Benelux countries. Hotel Okura Amsterdam has no fewer than four restaurants, two of which have been awarded one or two Michelin stars. The ground floor features two Japanese restaurants: Teppanyaki Restaurant Sazanka, where dishes are prepared right before guests’ eyes, and the traditional Japanese Yamazato Restaurant. The idiosyncratic two-star French Ciel Bleu Restaurant on the 23rd floor of the hotel offers a panoramic view of the city. Moreover, the hotel has two bars, including the Twenty Third Bar, which has been named the Netherlands’ best cocktail bar, as well as an Executive Health Club. At the ‘Taste of Okura’ Culinary Center, guests can prepare the Okura’s chefs’ dishes themselves, while the sommeliers explain how to pair wine and sake with the culinary creations.

NOT FOR PUBLICATION
For additional information and/or visual materials relating to Hotel Okura Amsterdam, please contact:
Tamara Tong Sang / Marketing & Communications Manager
T: 020 - 67 87 487 
E: tongsang@okura.nl
W: www.okura.nl