Luxico, Australia’s leading supplier of luxury homes, has acquired Hello Scout, a personalisation and text messaging technology for hotels.
The company says the acquisition underlines Luxico’s commitment to delivering sophisticated concierge solutions to travellers staying at their premium holiday homes.
The terms of the deal are undisclosed and Luxico plans to start using the technology immediately.
Hello Scout was founded by David Temple and Matt Sperling in 2014 to help travellers discover more personalised and unique local activities via text message and iOS apps. Luxico will use the award-winning technology to create efficiency and agility for their teams of local experts who currently provide high-touch, white glove service for their rental properties.
Luxico guests will receive an email on confirming their reservations and are invited to download the app. They can choose to contact their local expert via SMS or the app itself to access memorable local attractions.
Unlike in-lobby concierges, the Hello Scout development allows guests to use the service even when they aren’t in their accommodation. And there is no danger of being restricted to a shady network of concierge-commission establishments. Luxico’s 20 concierge assistants will be savvy, street-wise experts, sensitive to guest demographics, who can deliver a genuine local experience.
This may involve steering a Luxico guest to a landmark restaurant, a secret picnic spot, or a memorable craft beer trail – a raft of insider experiences that will allow the guest to share the favourite experiences of well-informed locals.
The Hello Scout technology takes Luxico guest experience to a new level by further expediting guest and owner-guest communication. Its spontaneity and agility will give the guest seamless access to the Luxico team and its services.
“Hello Scout is a great fit for us”, says Alex Ormerod, Managing Director of Luxico. “We are highly focused on using technology to deliver best-in-class service in a variety of locations. By further enabling our concierges to deliver timely and high-touch service, Hello Scout’s technology accelerates our growth and allows us to expand to even more markets.
“Luxico is under no illusion that a great holiday experience is not limited to just beautiful accommodation.
“We have created partnerships with other luxury service providers to offer guests truly unique, local insider experiences.”
David Temple, cofounder of Hello Scout, said: “We are thrilled that our technology will continue to help thousands of travellers to have more unique, personalised and off-the-beaten-path holidays. We have been so impressed with the Luxico team and vision, and we can’t wait to see where they take this in the years ahead.”
Established in 2013, Luxico gained the trust and recognition of the travel industry by immediately re-shaping the future of the top end of the market. The variety and quality of product options tailored to specific guest requirements, the range of customised experiences and the efficiency of its full-service 24/7 concierge service, created a new benchmark.
Luxico is the only Australian holiday accommodation provider integrated with wholesale travel agent networks, providing affluent travellers with the option of an alternative to luxury hotels.
It is the preferred supplier of Australian villas to Abercrombie and Kent, Quintessentially/Q-Travel, and a number of boutique travel trade partners worldwide.
Luxico exclusively manages approximately 150 properties in Sydney, Melbourne, Mornington Peninsula, Palm Beach and Byron Bay with further Queensland and regional destinations coming online.