Montréal's mConcierge hotel service mobile app the first of its kind

Marco de Stefani, Anthony Zebrowski-Rubin, Mihai Frimu and Joel Yaffe are the Montréal men behind the mobile app mConcierge. The app, which works on iPhones, Blackberries, and in smartphone web browsers, is like a mobile, electronic concierge: it allows guests to check in and check out, get restaurant recommendations and make reservations, order room other services, such as spa treatments. And future applications of the software will allow guests to open their hotel rooms using their phones.

Joel recently talked with The Gazette, explaining to them the apparent lack of competition. "We're the only full-service concierge system for hotels," he told the paper.

But is his competition real concierges? Joel doesn't belive so. "We're not replacing the concierge, we're replacing the directory that's in the hotel room," Anthony said. "We're empowering the concierge so that it's more efficient."

The mConcierge app isn't cookie-cutter. Joel and his partners work with each hotel individually to decide on customized details unique to the residence. The company now has two dozen hotel clients and growing fast. It's attracted venture funding from Montreal Startup, Positron, and Palos Management.

Currently, the company targets boutique hotels, because they tend to have guests who are likely to have smartphones. "The people who are pushing things to the market are the high-end boutiques, because they're the ones with the budgets," Marco told the paper. "But we're hoping that, within a year or so, it will trickle down to the Motel 8s, and others will come on board."

Many hotels signed by the company are based in Montreal. Anthony says roughly 60 percent of the company's clients are Canadian hotels, and 40 percent are American. Some major clients include the Soho Grand Hotel and Tribeca Grand Hotel, both in New York City.