Did you know???????
I was doing some reading the other day and you know what I found out??? 70% of the world’s population are mobile phone subscribers, that’s around 4.8 billion people as opposed to the 1.7 billion people with internet access and what’s more Google have recognised a 500% growth from 2008 to 2010 in mobile searches on the internet. So this got me thinking about hotel distribution and the absolute necessity for hoteliers to implement a mobile website into their strategy because without it you are definitely limiting your exposure.
Call me old fashioned but I remember when I used to catch up with friends and we would discuss holidays or mini breaks in the city and leave it at “I’ll do some research about that and get back to you”. Well the other night I was at a girlfirends place for dinner and we all got to talking about a weekend break in Noosa, one of the guys immediatly pulled out his phone at the dinner table and logged into airline systems and started searching for a hotel. In todays age of instant gratification “I’ll get back to you” just doesn’t cut it anymore. We are constatntly on the move trying to juggle to many things at once so if we finalise plans then and there thats what we do.
This brings me to the problem we had….have you ever tried to look at an hotels conventional website on your phone? It’s all scrunchy and really, really difficult to navigate. However if you do your research you will find that most major players in the online distribution market such as Sabre Hospitality Solutions are now offering mobile platforms that present hotel information in easy an to read and navigate format.
So what else should you look for in a mobile phone platform for your hotels website?
- One that can be themed the same as your website giving your brand continuity.
- One that can include maps, directions to your hotel and essential information.
- One that allows a guest to book, view, edit and cancel their reservation.
- One that enables promotional products and packages on the site so you don’t miss the additional revenue extras bring in.
- One that is compatible to any phone with internet access.
- One that has built in tracking so you as the hotelier knows exactly which of your websites the reservation is coming from.
I know it seems like just another thing to put on your already over full plate but really if you don’t start investigating this NOW you will be left behind.
