Travellers
going mobile is a trend which will continue to dominate the hospitality
conversation in 2014. Researching travel reviews, booking rooms and
checking out amenities is increasingly being done on smart phones and
tablets while on the go.
Mobile hotel bookings will continue to grow stronger throughout 2014. Room nights booked on Expedia via mobiles were
up more than 135% last year, and the company expects another 100%
increase this year. It is estimated that more than 50% of the traffic on
hotels.com will come from mobile devices this year.
In
the Middle East, Google’s online travel survey revealed that out of
1000 travellers surveyed in the UAE, 48% said that they used their smart
phone to engage in travel related activity such as booking a hotel,
searching for destinations or watching or posting travel videos. The
internet is also the primary source for trip planning for 39% of UAE
leisure travellers and 50% of UAE business travellers surveyed.
In order to accommodate travellers on mobile devices, Citymaxhotels.com
has just released a mobile responsive website. “What we try to focus on
is making the browsing and checkout process as simple and seamless as
possible. It is now much easier to use the site on tablets or mobile
phones regardless of the brand, specs or size of the device. Every page
is optimized to be more user friendly and easier to tap with your
finger. Our quick 3-step booking process works exactly as before but it
is now much easier to navigate. Users will be able to research
offers and packages, book a room, manage a reservation, and explore
dining options from their smart phone, on the go”, says COO Russel
Sharpe.
Mobile devices account for 59% of all traffic to Citymax Hotels’ website and 15% of revenue.
