Skip to main content

Let Aces Concierge, HotelTonight’s new digital service, handle your travel details

“Southern” may have once been the adjective most commonly associated with hospitality, but in our 21st century world, we may soon have to update that descriptor with “robotic.” With the rise of automated concierges in hotels, AI systems as customer care representatives, and the general digitization of the service industry, it’s clear that age-old industries are going to have to change to keep up. And trying to stay ahead of the curve is HotelTonight, the last-minute hotel booking app that has long understood the importance of technology when it comes to hospitality. One of the first apps to offer spontaneous travelers cheap hotels deals on the go, HotelTonight has now announced its latest feature to make your booking experience even better — the Aces Concierge service is now out of beta and ready to help address any of your hotel needs.

Screen Shot 2016-04-18 at 4.32.15 PM
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The in-app feature was first introduced to a select number of users over the summer, providing travelers with a digital concierge to help with everything from where to have dinner to getting a toothbrush. Available from the morning of your check-in through the moment you check out, these “Aces” prove to be clutch when it comes to ensuring that your room is exactly the way you want it when you arrive (extra firm pillow? You got it.) or cluing you in on the hottest spots to check out in a new city. Meant for both the busy business traveler to the leisurely tourist, HotelTonight says that its new concierge service lets you “plan less, live more, and let someone else handle the details.”

In its beta format, the app notes that hundreds of thousands of Aces messages have already been exchanged, with an impressive response time of just 23 seconds. “We built Aces for our bookers – to make their entire stays as seamless and amazing as their booking experience,” HotelTonight CEO Sam Shank noted in a statement. “Messaging­-based commerce is still nascent, and we’re excited to be innovators within the space. It’s been awesome to see people using and loving Aces, and even more awesome to see the impact it’s had on the business.”

Currently, Aces Concierge is available in a wide range of cities across the United States and abroad in the U.K. and Canada. “Users who are offered Aces are much more likely to book a room, and to come back and book again,” Shank added. “And because we launched Aces in beta before officially releasing it, we’ve been able to get more sophisticated with how we fulfill requests, allowing us to scale the program in a way that’s great for our bookers.”

FullSizeRender
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Of course, to stay on top of the constantly evolving tech landscape, the app will have to keep innovating, something that doesn’t alarm Shank in the slightest. “As mobile has become ubiquitous, we’ve seen travelers becoming smarter, nimbler, and more spontaneous,” he told us in an interview. “The addition of a digital concierge is our latest effort to make sure that our customers have the best possible experience during their hotel stay. Our mobile-only focus allowed us to recognize the need for a convenient service like Aces, which is powered by real people who can attend to anything and everything that will make your stay amazing.”

Ultimately, while apps like HotelTonight rely upon the convenience afforded by smartphone technology, Shank recognizes the importance of human interaction. “A human touch is imperative to provide a great guest experience in the hospitality industry,” he told us. “Aces has been a huge hit with our bookers – and we’ve seen have a very positive effect on our business as well.”

Lulu Chang
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Nothing Phone 3 is the firm’s biggest swing at Apple and Samsung yet
Is this the shot-in-the-arm the smartphone market desperately needs?
A person holding the Nothing Phone 2, with the lights active.

The Nothing Phone 3 will officially be available in the US, as the company looks to take on the likes of the iPhone 16, Samsung Galaxy S25 and Google Pixel 9 with a handset Nothing founder and CEO, Carl Pei, calls its "first true flagship smartphone".

Those looking for an alternative smartphone option this year will be able to pick up the Phone 3 from Amazon and Nothing's own website, reports TechCrunch.

Read more
This one iPadOS 26 feature has me excited for the iPhone Fold
Semi-open state of a foldable iPhone concept

Samsung is set to launch the seventh generation of its Galaxy Z Fold book-style folding phone this Summer, but its biggest rival is yet to show its folding phone hand. Apple has long been expected to unveil an iPhone Fold, and the latest rumors suggest that it will launch next year.

I’ve used almost every folding phone released globally, with some exceptions for extremely obscure ones. While I've always been curious what an iPhone Fold would look like, I was fairly certain that Apple shouldn't build it, as I wasn’t sure they could deliver on one necessary feature.

Read more
These are the 4 best alternatives to the Google Pixel 9a
A person taking the Google Pixel 9a out of a pocket.

The best cheap phone race has been reignited by the Google Pixel 9a, which brings the Google Pixel 9 series experience at a significantly lower price. Starting at $449, Google’s latest Pixel offers the flagship processor of its siblings for flagship-level performance, an excellent camera, and long-term software support.

Yet, Google’s software experience won’t be for everyone; there are obvious tradeoffs in the specs sheet to enable the low price; the camera bar design is somewhat polarizing for long-term fans, and there’s no telephoto camera. 

Read more