Premier Inn chooses what3words location technology
Premier Inn has adopted what3words location technology to guide guests to the correct entrance. The UK’s largest hotel company will provide guests with a what3words address upon booking.
With a recent study showing that over half of travellers (52%) saying they’d spent more than 1 hour getting lost on their last trip, these three seemingly random words will guide guests to the precise 3m x 3m square.
what3words has divided the world into a grid of 3m x 3m squares, and given every 3m square in the world a unique what3words address. Now, people can find the front entrance to any Premier Inn using just three words. For example, ///alert.mats.share is the simplest way to communicate the location of Liverpool Docks’ Premier Inn.
By giving the 800 Premier Inns Hotels around the UK a precise 3 word address, guests of the hotel company are less likely to get lost in new cities because they don’t have to rely on inaccurate street addresses, what3words claims. The company says these are more precise than street addresses because they point to a particular part of an address, they don’t contain duplicates like traditional addresses and won’t geocode to the wrong place or drop a pin in the centre of the building rather than an entrance. It’s particularly good news for business travellers using Premier Inn for their accommodation, conferences or meetings, as 62% of business travellers say they’ve had trouble finding a hotel whilst travelling.
Anyone can use what3words via the free app and map site at what3words.com. what3words is currently available in 37 languages. The app also works offline, which means that international travellers can use it to find a Premier Inn or other places confidently, and plan their trips abroad more efficiently, without having to worry about expensive roaming charges.
Says Giles Rhys Jones, CMO of what3words: ‘There is nothing more frustrating than your sat nav claiming that you have arrived at your destination, only to realise you haven’t. Premier Inn Booking confirmations will now have what3words addresses on them, meaning just three words will take guests to exactly where they need to be – with no confusion.”
Karen Plumb, Commercial Marketing Director for Premier Inn, adds: “We’re always on the lookout for new technologies to help our guests have the perfect stay. By adding What3Words innovative, simple and unique location identifiers to our website we are giving our guests a direct route to the check in desk, no matter which Premier Inn they are visiting.’
