There may be an overload of mobile apps aimed at helping users decide where to go and what to do, but trying to figure out which reviews are legitimate and which are fake or ill-informed can be frustrating.
That’s how it was for the co-founder of HeyLets, a mobile tool to offer users personalized recommendations, ranging from the typical to the niche in its array of destinations, restaurants, bars and attractions.
“It was a time consuming, frustrating process trying to tease out which reviews were relevant,” co-founder Dean Kelly recently told TechCrunch in an interview. At one point he read a one-star review for a mansion in a medieval town in which the reviewer complained that the building was old and the staff spoke poor English, and then went on to describe the Sheraton at Milan airport as the highlight of their stay.
Kelly, along with partner and CEO Justin Parfitt, fueled that frustration into developing a service that cuts out the need to review the reviews. After all, what one person may enjoy may not be such a picnic for another.
HeyLets recently raised $1.65 million in seed funding led by BlueSky Funds and several angel investors, the company told reporters. The app nixes any reviews from users that don’t have anything in common with each other, making it easier to trust recommendations (the company only accepts positive reviews). These reviews are also limited to 200 characters, reports said.
Kelly acknowledges that the market is flooded with similar apps, but said HeyLets personalizes the exploration process to set its service apart from rivals like Yelp and Foursquare, the latter of which, he said, has made a stab at personalization but uses out-of-date data technology.
“There are literally hundreds of apps that focus on places, with reviews, tips, or comments hidden on secondary screens,” he said. “HeyLets emphasizes the experience first and foremost, so what you’re seeing in your feed is a sequence of ‘this is awesome!’ moments from likeminded people. It’s more personal and entertaining than seeing a list of places.”
Reports said HeyLets is using its new funding to expand its staff and further develop its product. In the future, the company is looking to facilitate eCommerce transactions – for example, allowing a user to book a hotel room through HeyLets or purchase tickets – as well as ink strategic partnerships that could bring the company global.
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