New SPG App

My dissatisfaction is not with SPG, but their unwillingness to support the largest smartphone user community.

An I am not at all attempting to disrespect then Mac users, or for that matter, the iOS world. I just find it difficult to swallow that SPG would not want to create an app that could possibly drive additional business to their hotels, especially since the majority of people that would download the app are those that are their best customers!

enough said!

Funny thing is that SPG has a BlackBerry app. I don't think it has been updated in ages, but it does exist. I carry a BlackBerry for work (only until my employer finally sees the light and allows us to use something more modern) and have the SPG app on it. I get the whole Android fragmentation thing and the increased cost and difficulty of developing on that platform, but it is a very large, and growing market. And, Hilton, Marriott, and Intercontinental all have Android apps, which they are continuing to update, which (to me) is all the more reason Starwood should follow suit.

Even Best Western has an Android App!

My understanding is that >70% of mobile internet traffic in the United States is via an Ipad. Surely an Ipad application could be developed for SPG? Using the Iphone application is OK- however it is not really the same thing. Adapating to the Ipad would not be a new development project- or at least would not have to be- so relatively simple in terms of investment and project scope.

I would be pretty amazed if it's really more than 70%.

This article suggests it probably isn't that high, even though the article is six months old and there is a trend upward. But it also shows that iOS devices account for much more than their proportional share of internet traffic.

I suppose if Netflix and Hulu are really blossoming on the iPad, that could have a significant impact on these numbers.

You are right! Apparently Ipad has dropped from over 65% in November to 48% as of March 6th- however the statistics are only for the United States- no idea on worldwide numbers as countries such as China and Russia don't publish a lot of statistics on this- however are heavy mobile users.
Here is an updated article FWIW:
http://gigaom.com/mobile/jumptap-kindle-fire-now-grabs-13-of-tablet-traffic/

In any event, with 48% on Ipad- surely SPG can do something....

That's 48% of tablet traffic, not mobile traffic, with a rapidly declining share. Addressing Android should be a much higher priority.

And according to this study, will be even further eroded by 2015...Hello SPG, are you listening?

And by the way, SPG, these are your LOYAL customers that are requesting this app...

Let's hope not, Randy

I believe that the SPG App is running location services in the background, thus draining the battery. When I open the app, the location services icon goes away. Has anyone else experienced this? Is SPG spying on me?

I noticed this as well (iPhone 4 with 5.1). I have temporarily turned off Location Services for the SPG app until they are able to fix this bug.

A little birdie told me:

"The SPG app is using significant-change location services so that we can notify you of upcoming stays to help you prepare for your trip. The low power mode uses cell tower triangulation and does not activate the GPS unit. Since the iPhone phone module needs to keep a connection to the cell network anyway, there is no impact on battery life. We understand the concerns brought to our attention and are looking into adjusting the way the location services are displayed from our App."

So they want to know where you are at any given time... So if you do a "phantom stay" and check in then walk out, they would know, theoretically...

LOL. I guess everyone likes a conspiracy theory. But, a little birdie also told me, "To stop it, go to Settings > Location Services, scroll down to find SPG, and switch its access to your location off."

Or just turn off location services all together.