Tink Labs Brings Mobile Travel Solution 'handy' to Japan as Part of Global Expansion

Today, Tink Labs Limited announced that Sharp Corporation has invested 3 billion yen in a joint venture to launch handy Japan. handy devices, first launched in September 2012, help to deliver hassle free travel and meet a growing demand for Internet connection services. Tink Labs flagship innovative smartphone is a complimentary amenity in partner hotel rooms, integrating with hotel services and offering travelers unlimited connectivity on the go, in addition to tailored travel guides.

As Japan strives to achieve its goal of drawing 40 million inbound tourists annually by 2020, handy is perfectly suited to accelerating tourism in the country. handy provides both pre-arrival awareness and introduces visiting tourists to services and features catered to their needs. The platform likewise provides city government a more personalized channel for engaging with travelers and publicizing lesser known regional areas to encourage repeat travel.

“After proven success in international markets from Hong Kong to London, we see a tremendous opportunity to bring handy to travelers in Japan to enable more traveler-friendly experiences for the market,” said Terence Kwok, Founder and CEO of Tink Labs. “We’ll be creating a leadership team forhandy Japan very soon and are now recruiting top talent to our new office here. Trials are already underway and initial market reception in Japan has been fantastic. There’s high demand for handy’sservice from hotels and strong growth in the Japanese tourism market.”

“We’re also confident that joining forces with Sharp, with their proven expertise and existing network of relationships in the Japanese hospitality industry, will make our entrance here a successful one,” he added. “Both of our organizations are excited to bring the handy experience to hoteliers in Japan so that they can drive hospitality sales and revenue through greater customer satisfaction.”

Beyond connecting Japan’s visitors, handy helps local hoteliers differentiate and unleash untapped revenue potential, creating a personalized experience to retain customers. Consumer usage in other markets has demonstrated that handy extends the hotel service footprint and increases the use of hotel services, boosting incremental revenues by approximately 20 percent. handy has also helped to elevate the quantity and quality of customer satisfaction, increasing Trip Advisor ratings by an average of 0.31, which translates to a 3.4% increase in Revenue per available room (RevPAR). The platform’s data and analytics will also help Japanese hotel partners better understand customers to provide more personalized services and increase hotel service utilization.

The complimentary service enables visitors to travel like a local finding connectivity and information they need at no cost – with curated city guides, free unlimited local and international calls, free internet access, speed dial to hotel services, and local emergency and essential travel information. To date,handy is available in 20 cities, covering 100,000 rooms and helping 10 million global travelers stay connected. The service is a trusted partner of leading hotel groups including Ritz-Carlton, Intercontinental, Sheraton, and more.

As one of the top three largest start-ups in Hong Kong, Tink Labs raised US$125 million in its latest round of funding to expand globally, with investors including FIH Mobile, Sinovation Ventures and Cai Wensheng.

“Our launch in Japan further demonstrates that handy’s unique offering is transforming hospitality and tourism for the better. As we grow we remain committed to working with the right business partners to satisfy our vision to scale globally and offer travelers the freedom they deserve.” said Kwok.

“By using Sharp’s broad range of businesses and technology expertise, in addition to our product planning ability, we believe this joint venture with handy in Japan will help us realize a smart society through the “People-Oriented IoT” that only Sharp provides,” said J.W Tai, President & Chief Executive Officer of Sharp Corporation.

Press Release of hi Inc

Tink Labs Brings Mobile Travel Solution 'handy' to Japan as Part of Global Expansion

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