How to Develop a Concierge App: Costs and Features Revealed

Concierge app development presents a strategic opportunity to enhance customer service and streamline hospitality operations. By leveraging mobile technology, businesses can offer personalized experiences that cater to clients' unique preferences and needs. From facilitating seamless booking and secure payments to enabling direct communication and tailored recommendations, these apps redefine customer experience in the hospitality industry.

In this article, we will explore the essential features and cost considerations involved in developing a concierge app, as well as unveil the reasons to invest in these solutions and steps to build your own digital concierge app and succeed.

Concierge service app is a personal assistant that is always at hand, allowing customers to make reservations and access information they need as fast as possible. To be exact, hotel concierge apps allow clients to see how the hotel looks from within, help with booking a transfer, keep in touch with a room service, and be aware of tourist destinations in the area.

With such a wide range of features, it’s not surprising that hotel concierge mobile apps are gaining popularity. Clients are satisfied with the service, while hotels stand out among the competition.

There are several primary types of concierge apps for hotels. Let’s review them in detail:

• Front-desk concierge application. This one serves as a real concierge. It can help your guests order room services, check-in and out, get a transfer, and price information.
• Travel assistants. This one has a payment system and allows customers to book flights, city guides, and view suggestions on nearby restaurants and activities.
• Conference managers. The last type is for taking care of events for you. It deals with any tasks that concern meetings and conferences. This may be temperature regulation, beverage serving, etc.

Despite the difference in types, you should understand that versatility is above everything. As George Corbin, ex-vice president in digital marketing of Marriott International, said:

As it was mentioned in the beginning, Marriott gets a vast part of their profit from the application. And that’s not only because it has a booking option. The variety of features provided by the Marriott concierge app meet all the customers’ expectations convinces customers to install the app on their phones and book accommodation in this hotel chain.

When setting up a tech startup business plan to build concierge app, the first thing to think about is market research. Since you already have a general understanding of the hotel concierge mobile apps, it’s time to come through the statistics:

• According to Statista, the global revenue of mobile applications will reach $613 billion in 2025.
• Concierge app market growth is predicted to have a CAGR of 5.8% from 2023 to 2032 based on Concierge services market report from Allied Market Research
• Econmarket research states that the growth of concierge services market is driven by a rising demand for personalized experiences and better time management, especially among busy professionals and wealthy individuals
• According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization the number of people that take international flights will get close to 2 billion by 2030. More than half of flights will be purchased by millennials. Since most millennials book flights on mobile devices, we can’t deny that travel applications will only be growing in popularity.

Based on this brief overview, we can make a conclusion that concierge apps are gaining popularity, so it is worth to invest in building concierge application as it is a promising niche for businesses who seek a competitive and growing market to launch their solution.

Every travel concierge app has to include the set of basic features, essential for proper functioning and providing concierge services. Let’s explore what are the main features for concierge service apps:

As you provide services that require payment details and personal data, you should create mobile concierge app allowing users to sign up and sign in. It’s difficult to deny that entering the same information over and over again is irritating. On top of that, registered users can receive personalized notifications about special deals only for them.

Concierge apps are particularly well-suited for hotel chains, offering a seamless way to enhance guest experiences across multiple properties. If you manage several hotels, it's essential for users to have the ability to select a property that best fits their needs. This is where a robust search with convenient filtering algorithms is invaluable.

Concierge app can help users book a hotel room. When reserving a room, users make the decision based on the price, accepted number of guests, location of the hotel, and types of concierge services included. Next, clients should be able to use their bonuses and promos with the help of a concierge app.

Also, if your mobile app offers hotel booking capabilities, it should describe additional services like meals, gym, swimming pools, parking, and others. Top-notch concierge services app should be able to specify what services are included in the payment and what should be paid individually. At last, a user confirms all the information received and proceeds to payment.

It’s no use for creating digital concierge if customers have to pay cash. It’s up to you whether to develop a concierge service app with custom payment service or use third-party systems. Whatever option you choose, take the security very seriously. When using third-party services, cooperate with reliable providers only. If you decided to make your own payment system, make sure it meets all up-to-date security protocols and data regulations.

A direct contact feature in a personal assistant app allows users to easily communicate with service providers via in-app messaging, voice, and video calls, ensuring real-time assistance. This feature enhances personalized service, facilitates immediate support, and increases user engagement by providing dedicated contact channels for specific requests and push notifications for timely updates. It also allows users to give feedback, ensuring issues are promptly resolved.

The admin panel is crucial for managing the internal processes of your concierge application, providing essential features like data management, income tracking, and reservation monitoring. It allows administrators to efficiently oversee and control various aspects of the concierge app's operations, ensuring smooth and efficient functioning.

While the admin panel can be customized to include a vast array of features based on specific needs, these core functionalities form the foundation for effective application management.

While basic features are the most essential for creating a hotel concierge app, there is also a possibility to make it even more successful and stand out from the competition by adding advanced functionality enhancing user experience. If you want your mobile app development company to build an all-in-one solution, explore these advanced functions that can be used in the hospitality industry.

Advanced concierge app can effectively provide concierge services without traditional room service by offering an in-app list of services that guests can easily access. Instead of calling the reception, guests can browse a comprehensive menu of available services directly within the app. With just a few taps, they can order amenities like a bottle of champagne, request housekeeping, schedule spa appointments, or book transportation.

Build an app for mobile concierge service that allows users receive personalized suggestions based on their recent in-app requests and other activities, enhancing their overall experience. The app analyzes user behavior and preferences, allowing it to segment different target audiences effectively. This targeted approach ensures that each user receives recommendations and promotions that are most relevant and appealing to them, increasing engagement and satisfaction.

NFC technology has become popular in the last few years. Now, you can not only pay with your phone but also open the doors with it. By utilizing NFC-equipped locks, travelers can get into the room without standing at the front desk. In addition, when checking out, your customers won’t need to pass the keys back, so this process becomes fully automated.

For entry-level navigation, it’s enough to add a simple map of your hotel to the app. It can display every floor of the building if it’s needed. But for the top tier experience, you can implement geofencing technology or use iBeacon or Eddystone for indoor navigation. Such a feature suits companies that own large, multistorey hotels to provide users with more convenience.

To enhance the app's usefulness, you can integrate travel APIs like restaurant reservations, car rentals, and local attractions. This transforms the app into a one-stop solution for guests, offering greater convenience and a richer user experience while also fostering partnerships with local businesses and potentially generating additional revenue.

If you want to develop a virtual concierge app that can help you digitize your services, you need to carefully pass several critical stages. Let's discuss the steps to develop online concierge apps:

To develop a successful concierge app, you need to start by researching the current market for concierge services, identifying potential niches (luxury, on-demand services, healthcare concierge apps, etc.), and understanding the needs and expectations of the target audience who will be using the app. Careful analysis will help you meet the needs of potential customers and ensure user loyalty. Explore the strengths and weaknesses of existing applications to create a unique hotel concierge application.

Once you have defined the requirements for concierge app development, you can find a mobile app development team to bring your idea to life. The most cost-effective option for building such a solution would be to hire outsourcing companies that provide you with on-demand services and experts to fulfill your needs for digital concierge solutions.

When choosing an IT partner, consider these factors:

• Technical and domain expetise. Look for a development team that has experience building mobile apps and is familiar with features of such domains as hospitality, travel, healthcare, real estate, retail, etc.
• Communication and collaboration. Choose a partner with strong communication skills and a collaborative approach, so they clearly understand your vision.
• Portfolio and references. Examine their past projects, client testimonials, and references to gauge the quality and reliability of their work.
• Design proficiency. Choose a company providing UI/UX design services of the highest quality to make sure your concierge app interface is compatible and user friendly.

Here's what our client, Founder & CEO of Travel platform, says about cooperation with Cleveroad:

Identify and prioritize your concierge app's features, such as in-app service requests, personalized recommendations, push notifications, and secure payment processing. Ensure these features align with your business goals and user expectations. It's also helpful to outline a plan for future improvements and identify features that differentiate and change the way users interact with the app. For example, you can implement AI-based recommendations, loyalty programs, integrations with other services, or even create an entirely AI-driven app. Your IT partner will help you create a feature list that aligns with your assistant concierge app vision and fulfills user needs.

When choosing a platform to develop your concierge app (iOS, Android, or both), consider your target audience's preferences and distribution strategy. If you want to cover both platforms while saving resources, consider using cross-platform app development services for broader coverage.

Another important point is the choice of technology to build your concierge hotel app. Here is an example of tech stack our team uses to create such solutions:

The personal concierge app development process starts when specialists define the scope of work and develop a roadmap to create a concierge app. Then, app developers start writing code to implement core features for concierge app work, such as reservations and payments. This process is followed by testing different devices and various usage scenarios to identify and fix bugs to ensure seamless digital concierge service. Once building a concierge service app is set, specialists start integration with external systems, performance optimization, and preparation for launch.

Once the development of concierge app is set, your IT partner will handle the final testing of the app and prepare it for release on the marketplace of your chosen platform. However, launching a mobile concierge app is not enough to ensure success. It's also important to think about a marketing strategy. Make a concierge app targeted advertising campaigns, establish partnerships, and make social media talk about concierge app you've launched. You should also prepare press releases and other materials to attract the attention of media and potential users and ensure a successful launch and long-term success of the concierge app in the market.

The price of developing a concierge app may vary depending on your requirements. This price is calculated by multiplying the developers hourly rate ($50 per hour for Central and Eastern Europe) by the number of hours needed to create concierge application. The final charge includes the app for iOS and Android with a back end and UI/UX design.

The cost of building an application depends on personal travel concierge intricacy. The app complexity is defined by the number of hours developers will spend on building concierge service apps.

Based on our experience, developing a concierge app would take approximately 1466 hours. However, the price also heavily depends on the region. I’ve estimated how much the same scope of work (1466 hours) would cost in other countries where you order the development or hire an in-house team:

• USA: $220,000 (based on $150/h)
• Central and Eastern Europe: $73,300 (based on $50/h)
• Australia: $146,600 (based on $100/h)
• Western Europe: $146,600 (based on $100/h)

Cleveroad is a software development company located in Estonia with more than 12+ years of experience in delivering custom solutions for businesses of all sizes. We help startups, enterprises and small and medium companies to digitize workflow, improve performance and efficiency, and increase profits by providing robust software solutions tailored to their specific needs. Our team has deep expertise in custom software development services, including mobile, web, and cloud development. We also have experience creating software solutions for multiple business domains, including Travel, Retail, Healthcare, Real Estate, and others.

By cooperating with Cleveroad, you will get such benefits:

• Deep expertise in creating native apps for iOS and Android operating systems using platform-specific programming languages like Swift, Objective-C, Java, Kotlin
• Free Solution Workshop stage aimed to match your concierge app vision with technical realization and implementation
• Mature quality management and robust security management assured by ISO 9001 standard certificate and ISO 27001 standard certificate, respectively
• Flexible cooperation models to suit your needs and budget: Staff Augmentation and Dedicated Development Team services
• We have R&D centers in Estonia, Poland, Ukraine, in the US, and Norway
• Collaboration with acknowledged IT vendor with numerous awards, including Clutch Top-1000, Clutch Champion, Clutch Global Leader, etc.

To demonstrate our experience, we would like to present an online platform for tourists and travel providers we've created for our client from Singapore.

We've created a platform connecting travelers looking for accommodation and experiences with activity and hospitality providers. The solution includes such features:

• Robust search engines based on numerous parameters, including user preferences, interests, travel priorities, budget, etc.
• User account, which is, in fact, the very first step in the search and selection of offers since the user specifies the profiling
• Complex and detailed reviews include information such as location & access, food, comfort level, key positive and negative aspects, etc.
• Booking of accommodation and/or traveling activities under the provider's requirements with secure payments via Stripe, Visa, Mastercard, Google Pay, Apple Pay, etc.
• A comprehensive admin panel that allows the manage of user roles, accounts, and overall platform performance

As a result, our client received a unique web platform providing high-quality finding accommodation and activities services according to their Unique Selling Proposition (USP). The solution allows our customers to master the Travelling niche and outperform competitors, increasing revenues.

• Explore our Solution for Searchin Travel Activities and Properties case study