Hilton launches new ‘Holiday Matchmaker’ FB app

Hilton Worldwide has partnered with the University of Cambridge to launch the first-ever ‘Holiday Matchmaker Facebook App.’

The new tool will analyse a user’s Facebook ‘Likes’ to reveal their traveller personality profile, said a statement.

The results will reveal what kind of traveller they are, handpick destinations best suited to their travel style, and even recommend friends that would make the most compatible travel companions.

The launch of this innovative technology coincides with the ‘Hilton Summer Sale,’ meaning travellers can achieve their dream holiday in Europe, the Middle East or Africa for less with up to 30 per cent discounts on stays each weekend until September 27 and all weekdays between July 24 and August 31.

The members of Hilton HHonors, the loyalty programme for Hilton Worldwide’s portfolio of 12 brands, will also receive an extra five per cent off and free WiFi at select hotels when booking directly through Hilton channels.

The Holiday Matchmaker Facebook App has been powered by Apply Magic Sauce API, a series of predictive algorithms developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge Psychometrics Centre.

The API is based on social media records and actual psychological data from more than six million participants globally to deliver trait predictions and build an individual’s travel persona without retaining or sharing any personal user data, said the statement.

By translating a Facebook user’s ‘Likes’ into their personality type, the app creates a traveller profile based on computer predictions which have been shown to have greater statistical accuracy than those of a user’s colleagues, friends and family, it said. Aligi Gardenghi, vice president of marketing, EMEA, Hilton Worldwide, said: “Consumers are almost spoilt for choice in today’s travel market. The Holiday Matchmaker Facebook App avoids that one-holiday-fits-all approach to suggest a bespoke location based on some pretty heavyweight technology behind the scenes.

 “Thanks to the researchers at the University of Cambridge Psychometrics Centre, we can recommend destinations and other experiences based on a deeper, psychological understanding of our audience for the very first time.”

By adding a travel-focussed content layer to the feedback provided on the BIG5 personality traits – openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism – the matchmaker app can reveal the user’s holidaymaker profile, recommend their perfect travel destination, suggest activities to do when they get there as well as suggest their most and least compatible co-traveller types.

Vesselin Popov, development strategist, University of Cambridge Psychometrics Centre, said: “Hilton is ahead of the game in providing customers with cutting-edge tools to tailor their brand experiences. This app is a great example of empowering the consumer rather than broadcasting to them.”

Once their travel persona has been revealed, users can share and compare it with their Facebook friends, Twitter followers and email contacts from within the app, harnessing social media to help them create shared holiday experiences even before they book their trip, said the statement.

Hilton’s Holiday Matchmaker Facebook App is live on the HHonors Facebook page and is open to anyone to use between now and the end of August, it added.