Due to the increased security of modern application products for mobile devices, tablets, smartphones, or iPhones, an indispensable mobile booking application, is on the market, accelerating online booking. The web-based application meets the growing need for travel. Moreover, it is user-friendly; needing no special technical skills to install or run it and its simplicity guarantees its success as an online booking tool. Intuitive mobile apps help develop a complete reservation system for hotels and restaurants across the world. Mobile technology will increasingly be the core of consumer-brand interaction and offers excess opportunities for customization, communication, promotion, and loyalty. Possessing a mobile app broadcasts it is a superior hotel with contemporary services. In the last few years, hotels have leaped into mobile app mode for many reasons.
Advantages of Mobile App for Hotel Reservation Systems. Hotels can:
- Increase revenues, control published content on the application with an easy-to-use admin dashboard, and notify guests with special offers, coupons, and promotions.
- Social integration allows hotels to record social media sales and marketing campaigns.
- Connects constantly with guests and increases networking around the world extending its brand and identity.
- State-of-the-art technology saves time and systemizes tasks.
- Improve guest satisfaction, and lower its operating costs.
- Simplify travel thus receiving more guests, business travelers, and clients.
- Create trust-based relations with its customers by meeting their mobile requirements.
- Establish competitive advantage helping in recognizing as a progressive travel supplier.
- Take care of customers’ pre-arrival needs to departure and beyond.
- Update its menu easily and frequently thus keeping its customers up-to-date about new delicacies.
Mobile App offers Hotel Guests the following essential features and information at their disposal.
- Hotel Information: Reveals contact information, Social Media Pages, Booking Information.
- Hotel Amenities: Highlights Services with timings and high-resolution pictures, Restaurants & Bars, Recreational Centre, Spa & Wellness, Swimming Pools.
- GPS: guides way to hotel, Latitude & longitude information, Automatic Mapping, nearby hotels, view maps.
- Promotions/Offers: Features special promotions for mobile bookings, special weekend offers, discounts on hotel facilities, special prized tickets to local events and festivals, calendar of events.
- Travel Guide: Enlightens about Attractions and Traditional Sights, Shopping Malls, Travel Tips.
- Online Booking Engine: Emphasizes real-time booking, interfaced with PMS.
- Feedback: Real-time location-based feedback, Pre-filled surveys, automatic alerts, mobile-optimized forms.
- Gallery: showcase high-quality pictures; classify amenities and rooms, descriptions, optimized photos.
- Points of Interest: redirects to local landmarks, banks/ATM’s, train & bus stations, gas stations, medical care.
- Mobile app Booking: Book and cancel reservations directly from the app increases guest interaction.
- Click-to-call: Guests calling hotels directly makes you just one click away from your guests.
- Check-in and Check-out: eliminate long queues at the front desk.
- Concierge Services: schedule wake-up calls, request and confirm car rentals, request luggage pickup, make restaurant reservations, order room services.
- QR-code scanner: redeem promotions and discounts. Use the mobile app as a loyalty card.
- Photo camera: you can throw a contest and let people submit photos.
- Check vacancy and pricing of rooms: view room photographs and facilities, price comparisons, etc.
- Easy customization: you can use personalized services and create your own meal combinations.
Statistics
28% of travelers have checked in to a restaurant, hotel, or attraction using their mobile device while on a trip, according to TripAdvisor. 40% of Americans use apps to book travel. That’s great. Intercontinental have encountered a rise in profits through their app from 1M to 10M a month. It was admitted by an executive from an online travel agency that in Q4 hotel bookings on the same day of the stay through its websites and mobile was its most popular day in the U.S., making up to 15% of bookings. As per the graph below, internet users will increase to 3.60 billion in 2018.
2014 Expedia/Egencia Mobile Index Report
86% of business travelers categorize complimentary wifi as very or somewhat important when booking a hotel for business travel. According to John Morrey, VP, and general manager of Expedia.com, people using mobiles for bookings may be offered exclusive deals by the travel vendors which helps saving anywhere from 20% to 40%.
2015 Predictions
Mobile will be rated as a fifth of online travel bookings by 2015. The UK is predicted to stand at 21% by 2015, with Italy at 20%, France and Germany with 18%, and Spain and Scandinavia as a whole expecting some 17% of bookings via mobiles. Total online bookings will reach a perpetual high of 47% . PhoCusWright estimates that by 2015, mobile will account for one-quarter of U.S. online travel sales, steering $US40 billion in revenue. In Europe, mobile will contribute to one-fifth of bookings by 2015.
UK Report of mobile app users for hotel bookings
One out of 5 customers will book hotel via mobile in Europe within a year, with the UK ranking the top as the most device-happy country.
Marketing Techniques for Hotel Mobile App
- Give special discounts, offers to people to download your app and make orders by the app
- Include app download information on hotel’s websites, brochures, key cards, napkins, entertainment system.
- Start with the biggest operating platform
Conclusion
Mobile has revolutionized user experience, and in 2015 hotel reservation systems will be more widespread in the hotel industry. We expect the number of mobile bookings to grow exponentially as we head into another year of digital and social travel planning, with travelers of all ages becoming more comfortable using mobile devices.
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