Local Measure is a Sydney-based social customer intelligence provider that has recently raised AU$4.5 million in funding.

These funds will enable the company to continue assisting hotels and tourism businesses build loyalty and secure positive reviews while guests are still on their property.

Local Measure's geo-location social intelligence product gives front-line staff unique real-time information to help them surprise and delight guests, detect and help resolve guest problems and negative reviews before they impact a property's reputation or performance.

The intelligence is in place in hotels, theme parks and tourism businesses in more than 380 cities worldwide, and is expected to grow to more than 1,000 hotels in the U.S. alone this year.

Current clients include AccorHotels, Hardrock, Qantas and Club Med.

Jonathan Barouch, founder and CEO says customer loyalty is seen as a ‘holy grail' for hotels and tourism brands, yet to date the industry has generally been unable to capture the data and preferences.

“Our technology leverages the growth of social media to provide a new and powerful tool for hoteliers and tourism asset managers, who finally have a way to use social intelligence to positively impact guest experiences,” he says.

“Local Measure's location-based technology is tailor-made for hotels and tourism brands, providing end-to-end product features to promote gathering accurate, real-time intelligence. It is fully automated, easy to integrate, and low cost – helping hotels connect and engage with guests and deliver a fully personalised guest experience at scale.

Participants in the AU$4.5M round included private investors, funds and private equity firms in the Asia Pacific region.