Study Finds Travelers Prefer Mobile Devices to Loved Ones
As mobile devices continue to evolve, the Hotels.com® Mobile Travel Tracker* uncovers the true impact that our mobile phone is having on our booking and travel behaviors. As the number one travel accessory, the data reveals that we book our hotel rooms in secret, are more spontaneous and place pricing as a lower priority.
The Hotels.com Mobile Travel Tracker is a global study of 9,200 travelers across 31 countries. Today's modern traveler makes four trips a year and on average stays in a hotel 13 nights of the year. For some people, a hotel becomes their home for a month, as almost 1 in 10 spend more than 31 days a year in a hotel room.
Almost a third of people admit that they book more trips than ever thanks to mobile, so as smartphones continue to get smarter, it's no surprise that 42% of people regularly book their hotel stays on a mobile device, with this number rising to 49% for 30 – 39 year olds, according to this survey. Business trips (29%), short breaks at home (30%) and short breaks abroad (30%) are the main occasions bookings are made on mobile.
Booking a hotel room is more of a solo effort with travelers reserving their hotel room from the comfort of their own bed, or even a bathroom. 27% have admitted to booking a hotel room while preparing to catch some Zzzs with their partner next to them – this is the most popular scenario when booking a hotel. 10% even confessed to booking a hotel while sitting on the toilet! In the U.S., females seem to be able to better multi-task as a higher percentage book hotels while searching on other devices.
When booking a hotel on mobile, the right payment method and offering genuine guest reviews are more important than pricing. With 15 different payment methods, Hotels.com is sure to please the 54% of travelers that find this important.
More than 45% of Americans say their smartphone makes them more spontaneous when traveling. 42% of people globally have made a same day hotel booking but U.S. travelers beat the global average by more than 10%, as 53% of them have booked a hotel on the day of staying. Over a fifth of American holidaymakers book less than a week before travel and globally a super spontaneous 14% of us have really left booking a hotel to the last minute and by booking in the airport lounge prior to departure.
The Hotels.com Mobile Travel Tracker looked at what activities travelers would be prepared to do in the future on their mobile devices while traveling. Almost 40% of Americans mentioned they would leave an instant hotel review and use their mobile to also book a restaurant or taxi while traveling. 44% of U.S. travelers said they would be happy using mobile at a self-check-in kiosk at a hotel.
Hotels.com launched Apple Pay in the U.S. and is working on rolling this out globally. In-Stay Mobile Features provides a unique experience and exciting new features to be revealed in the coming months. New screen home design on Android launched earlier this year. The new home screen design on the Hotels.com Android app now means users have a more personalized experience. New home screen features include the Hotels.com® Rewards punch card, dynamic reservations, cross device searches and offline mode.
The top 5 usages of mobile for Americans whilst traveling are:
Comparing deals (53%)
Using maps to get around (51%)
Checking weather (46%)
Taking pictures (45%)
Accessing Social Media (44%)
The Hotels.com Mobile Travel Tracker is a global study of 9,200 travelers across 31 countries. Today's modern traveler makes four trips a year and on average stays in a hotel 13 nights of the year. For some people, a hotel becomes their home for a month, as almost 1 in 10 spend more than 31 days a year in a hotel room.
Almost a third of people admit that they book more trips than ever thanks to mobile, so as smartphones continue to get smarter, it's no surprise that 42% of people regularly book their hotel stays on a mobile device, with this number rising to 49% for 30 – 39 year olds, according to this survey. Business trips (29%), short breaks at home (30%) and short breaks abroad (30%) are the main occasions bookings are made on mobile.
Booking a hotel room is more of a solo effort with travelers reserving their hotel room from the comfort of their own bed, or even a bathroom. 27% have admitted to booking a hotel room while preparing to catch some Zzzs with their partner next to them – this is the most popular scenario when booking a hotel. 10% even confessed to booking a hotel while sitting on the toilet! In the U.S., females seem to be able to better multi-task as a higher percentage book hotels while searching on other devices.
When booking a hotel on mobile, the right payment method and offering genuine guest reviews are more important than pricing. With 15 different payment methods, Hotels.com is sure to please the 54% of travelers that find this important.
More than 45% of Americans say their smartphone makes them more spontaneous when traveling. 42% of people globally have made a same day hotel booking but U.S. travelers beat the global average by more than 10%, as 53% of them have booked a hotel on the day of staying. Over a fifth of American holidaymakers book less than a week before travel and globally a super spontaneous 14% of us have really left booking a hotel to the last minute and by booking in the airport lounge prior to departure.
The Hotels.com Mobile Travel Tracker looked at what activities travelers would be prepared to do in the future on their mobile devices while traveling. Almost 40% of Americans mentioned they would leave an instant hotel review and use their mobile to also book a restaurant or taxi while traveling. 44% of U.S. travelers said they would be happy using mobile at a self-check-in kiosk at a hotel.
Hotels.com launched Apple Pay in the U.S. and is working on rolling this out globally. In-Stay Mobile Features provides a unique experience and exciting new features to be revealed in the coming months. New screen home design on Android launched earlier this year. The new home screen design on the Hotels.com Android app now means users have a more personalized experience. New home screen features include the Hotels.com® Rewards punch card, dynamic reservations, cross device searches and offline mode.
The top 5 usages of mobile for Americans whilst traveling are:
Comparing deals (53%)
Using maps to get around (51%)
Checking weather (46%)
Taking pictures (45%)
Accessing Social Media (44%)