Having a mobile-friendly website or even a hotel app can have a direct impact on your guests’ overall satisfaction and it can further impact the rise of direct bookings. According to Hotels.com, over 40% of people globally have booked a hotel on a mobile device. It is a tough environment for hoteliers to compete in. As mobile usage has become an ever-present factor for guests when booking their accommodation. You need to update your mobile strategy to convince hotel guests to book their stay in your hotel via their mobile phones.
Make your website mobile-friendly
Even though this seems like the most logical way to increase your number of mobile bookings, many hotels are still not mobile-friendly. You must adapt your website format for mobile devices. There are two basics steps you need to take to make your website mobile-friendly. First, you should check how mobile-friendly your website already is. Many tools exist to check this, one of our favourites is Google's tool. Secondly, you can also make use of responsive website design templates, such as Hotelchamp eCommerce, that will automatically optimise your website for all devices.
Help your guests faster
Guests are becoming more impatient when they book hotels. If it takes too long to load a hotel website on their mobile phone they will give up and book elsewhere. Statistics have shown that 53% of people will abandon a mobile website if it doesn't load in less than three seconds—these statistics are frightening. Based on research performed by Google, an average website takes 22 seconds to load fully on a mobile phone. So make sure your mobile platform loads fast enough so that guests stay on it and book on it.
Make booking on mobile attractive
In order to make your mobile website more attractive:
- Include more detailed room information accompanied with high-resolution pictures, that are optimised for mobile phones.
- Offer mobile guests extra features such as booking rooms via text message or online concierge services.
- Consider a mobile-only rate, in order to compete with the OTAs who often do the same.
- Make your mobile website easier to navigate by keeping your website brief and to the point. In addition to making it possible for guests to book on all the pages, so guests don't have to click back and forth when they are ready to book their stay in your hotel.
Take a look at the mobile-friendly website templates in Hotelchamp eCommerce ›
Know your guests
70% of last-minute bookings are made on mobile devices, so it’s important to ensure that you’re keeping this in mind when you personalise your guests’ experience on your website. This is a subject that we here at Hotelchamp are very keen on. For more info on this, read our blog on how to use personalised messaging on your hotel’s website.
Amaze your guest on every platform
It is important to wow your guests on every platform your hotel is present on. According to research, 62% of guests anticipate hotels to post consistent content across all platforms, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, etc. To optimally keep track of all your social media content we recommend using planning systems, for example, Hootsuite or Buffer. Make sure the content that you do post on your platforms is engaging digital content, such as blogs that your team have written. People are more likely to want to share or like your post if it contains a picture or video in it. If you are discussing current trends, sum up the key takeaways from what you’re sharing.
Generating excellent digital content and making your website mobile-friendly are excellent marketing and business opportunities for hoteliers. By implementing these tips you will attract and improve your mobile bookings.
If you need a new mobile responsive website template for your hotel, check out Hotelchamp eCommerce or contact us via live chat with any questions you might have.
Editors note: This post was originally published in July 2017 and has been refreshed and updated for accuracy and new best practices.
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