When Starwood Hotels and Resorts asked customers in its Starwood Preferred Guest loyalty program what they wanted to do with mobile technology regarding their hotel stays, two answers came back loud and clear,

“Guests overwhelmingly said ‘Customize my room and save time,’ ” said Arlie Sisson, associate director, mobile product strategy, for Starwood during Personalizing the Consumer Experience, a presentation at the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

Starwood, which owns and operates 1,200 hotel and resort properties representing 350,000 rooms and chains including the W Hotel, Sheraton and Westin, already had what Sisson called “an aggressive” SMS or mobile messaging strategy, plus apps for smartphones and tablets.

But the company wanted to do more with mobile.

For the customization aspect, Starwood beefed up apps by letting customers tap into any Starwood Hotel by brand or geographic location and choose a room based on features, such as a balcony. A progress tracker also shows prospective guests how they are advancing on the booking path. Consumers can compare rates and search for hotels by such amenities as indoor pool or golf course. The app’s current version has 4.5 stars in the Apple App Store.

“The app now attracts 3,000 active daily users and attracted 4,000 on its peak day,” Sisson said.

In late February, Starwood released a new feature that seeks to answer the “saving time” request. Called SPG Keyless, it lets guests open their hotel doors with their smartphone app, skipping check-in and checkout at the front desk. To use the feature, a traveler registers her device via the app for the smartphone-based key and allows the app to send push notifications. She then receives a notification if her upcoming stay is eligible for SPG Keyless. If she opts to use the keyless feature, she receives another push notification telling her when her room is ready along with her room number and mobile key, which she holds in front of the door for a few seconds to access her room. Guests can use the key to access other hotel areas, such as the elevator or gym. After a guest checks out, the key automatically deactivates.

For hungry consumers, Domino’s wants them to order pizza via mobile devices, said Nick Dutch, head of digital marketing at Domino’s Pizza UK.

“Over 50% of our (online) sales come from mobile devices and 60% of total sales are online,” Dutch said. Mobile orders are also more valuable to Domino’s because mobile customers are more likely to order carry-out, which is less expensive for the chain than delivery, while desktop customers tend to be at home, Dutch said.

To spur mobile purchases and engagement, Domino’s lets mobile users sign up for goal alerts tied to their favorite soccer teams. The notification alerts consumers when their team scores and offers a coupon as a celebratory gift, Dutch said.

For impatient diners, Domino’s offers a pizza tracker on its mobile site and an app that enables customers to see every step of their order, from when their pizza is being made (even the name of the employee making the pie), to when it is baking. When the pizza is ready for delivery or pickup, Domino’s sends a text message that dinner is on the way.

The pizza chain also is developing a mobile game called Name Your Pizza Legend. Customers can customize a pizza, name their creation (Nick’s Hangover Feast or Girls Night In, for example) and share it via social networks. 

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