Hello Scout Awarded Top Honors at Phocuswright for Free Text Message Concierge

Los Angeles, CA -- Travel industry research authority, Phocuswright, has announced the winners of their annual Travel Innovation Summit held this week in Los Angeles. Twenty-five innovative companies were selected to showcase groundbreaking technology and solutions that are set to revolutionize the travel industry.

Hello Scout, a free SMS concierge for hotels, was awarded the General Catalyst $100k innovation award. Beyond Pricing, a dynamic pricing solution for vacation rentals, was selected as the Judge's winner for the Startup Category.

"Hotels today need new ways to differentiate themselves" says David Temple, CEO of Hello Scout. "Our free concierge allows them to drive 15% more TripAdvisor reviews and provide instant text message customer service without having to hire extra staff."

Hello Scout has had a big year. They were chosen by hotels as the favorite new product at this year's Sabre annual customer forum in March. In June, they translated that momentum to a bigger stage, winning the Innovation Competition at HFTP's HITEC conference.

Referring to the three Phocuswright pitch competitions, President Simon Lehmann says "Battleground, Summit and Launch showcase the preeminent technology solutions in the travel industry. They are the most anticipated segments of our conference and you can see why – Phocuswright consistently unveils the most pioneering ideas. 2016 is no exception. We can be sure these companies will have a huge impact on the travel landscape in the future."