Fully Experience Your Travel Destinations with Away Together
Today’s Featured Founders are Melanie Brewer and John Beuchert, Co-Founders of Away Together
It’s not everyday when a tropical storm hits and being confined to a hotel room brings about a positive ending.
But that’s exactly what happened for founders Melanie and John.
During an interview with Melanie and John, they discussed the origin of Away Together.
“While traveling, a storm hit, and as we were sitting in our hotel room we wondered why we couldn’t communicate with other guests to see if anyone wanted to meet and play cards and why the hotel only communicated by leaving messages under doors?”
–Melanie Brewer, Away Together Co-Founder
What is Away Together?
Away Together is an app that travelers download and use (for free!) which enables them to securely chat with other guests as well as allows the hotel to keep them updated on various local events and hotel activities.
According to the World Travel Organization, 68% of travelers want to truly experience a vacation through history, culture, and everything in between. Away Together grants access to local events, businesses, restaurants and excursions through the Activities tab within the app.
For example, if guests want to coordinate a ride share to the airport or meet to play a game of volleyball, these types of communications can be sent safely and securely within the app. Instead of posting to a public site such as Facebook, travelers within the app chat on a secure and private platform that can only be accessed via QR code by other guests within the establishment. A unique security feature is that the app uses geolocation to determine if a guest is truly on site at the hotel.
Are you planning a destination wedding or event? If so, Away Together allows you to easily communicate with your family and friends even if they are staying at different hotels. A unique identifier within the app allows you to tie all your guests into one group and communicate effectively to stay on time and connected.
The app also allows easy and efficient communication to all guests in a similar fashion. Let’s say the resort has multiple restaurants on site, and each restaurant has a specific menu that rotates depending on the day. The app is a fluid method to inform guests of specials, any closures due to maintenance, one-off events like marathons or concerts, and precautions and updates if you experience a natural disaster while traveling.
Experience Away Together on Every Continent
Away Together is currently targeting resorts and hotels in the Caribbean, where currently there are 5 hotels on their platform. Exciting news is that in February of 2023, you will be able to utilize the app at the Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda in Mexico!
Future plans include partnering with RV Parks, Condo Associations, and cruise lines. You heard it here first, Margaritaville is creating its own cruise line in 2023!
How You Can Help
Goals for 2023 include securing their next round of investment. This funding will allow for hiring of employees and rolling out the 3rd version of their app which will have new features.
If you’re traveling, check to see if your hotel is currently partnered with Away Together by checking out the map on their website. If so, you are encouraged to download Away Together and provide feedback to Melanie and John.
Advice for Fellow Founders
“Some days, being an entrepreneur is like eating a really good cheeseburger with all of the toppings - wonderful but incredibly messy. ”
-Melanie Brewer and John Beuchert, Away Together Co-Founders
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