The majority of hotels will have booking engines integrated into their social media channels and mobile websites in 2013, according to a recent survey from TravelClick, a provider of revenue generating solutions for hoteliers. Nearly half(48 percent) of the approximately 400 global hotels surveyed have a booking engine on Facebook or another social media channel. Of those that do not have a booking channel on social media, approximately half (22.5 percent of the 52 percent) plan to integrate one in 2013.
Mobile-enabled websites and applications also are gaining in popularity among hoteliers. Half of those surveyed indicated that they have an application that enables users to book rooms on their tablet or smart phone. Of the remaining 44 percent, 23 percent plan to add booking functionality to their mobile site this year.
Even with the proliferation of social and mobile options, the majority (53 percent) of hoteliers still think their property's website will see the most growth in bookings when looking at "brand.com" channels. Search engines and social media followed in a distant second with approximately 20 percent.
"With smart phone and tablet traffic expanding rapidly, we recommend that all properties have a mobile-optimized site to ensure that their property is visible on all types of devices," said Jason Ewell executive vice president of media, web solutions and business intelligence for TravelClick.
Source: Travel Pulse
