The Future of Hospitality Hangs in Balance of Mobile and Social Implementation | Top St... - 0 views
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A study by Expedia presented at the conference pointed to the fact that more internet access occurs through mobile devices than by laptop or desktop. Moreover, two-thirds of Americans sleep with their mobile device in range, something we cannot say about desktops. Expedia anticipates that the current number of bookings via mobile device, currently about 16 million, will double by 2016.
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So, besides sleeping with them, what are people doing with their mobile devices? Many of them are booking a hotel for tonight. Expedia has found that a substantial number of mobile bookings are for same-night stays.
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Mobile makes this possible. That’s the present, but it’s also the future. Most of the people who are using their smartphones and tablets in this way are under 30.
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As mobile devices become more advanced, particularly cell phones and tablet devices, more pressure to keep up with mobile and social trends is placed on the hospitality industry. People are using their mobile devices more now than they have in the past. So much so, that "two thirds of Americans sleep with their mobile device in range, something we cannot say about desktops". A world of information is at your fingertips because of the capability of mobile devices. Information that can help us make decisions about anything. Even last-minute decisions about hotels and food. More people are using their mobile devices to book rooms and many of the people that do this, are booking a hotel for the same night. The fact most of the people who do this are under 30 means that it is very likely that this trend will increase. People are expecting the technology to be there so that they can pick a hotel and a restaurant to go to if they are unfamiliar with a city. They are expecting a hotel chain to have a mobile site or better yet an "app" that will not only allow them to book a room, but, one that will give them directions from where they are to the hotel. The same can be said for restaurants. Potential customers want to be able to look over the menu and determine if they want to come to the restaurant, all from their mobile device. Mobile guests are also using customer review sites to determine where they will lodge or dine. They are using sites like TripAdvisor which allows you to post comments about your stay. The sight even allows the guests to post pictures. "Customer reviews are also important to the hotel industry, but the jury is still out on exactly how hotels should react with people who post reviews." It is always great when a guest posts a positive review of the hotel, but imagine how one bad stay could tarnish a hotels reputation. And what if there are cleanliness issues that the guest can photograph and upload to the site? Exactly what to do in this type of e