Guest columnist: Are visitors really planning trips through their mobile phones?

By John Hach, Senior Vice President, Digital Agency, TRAVELCLICK

Hour by hour, minute by minute, consumers are choosing the convenience of mobile keypads to research and book trips. As a result, making travel reservations these days is a whole new process.

In today’s on-the-go, high-tech portable world, a booking may play out like this: Surf your mobile’s Web browser for popular beach destinations and hotels. Open the Facebook application to check hotel fan page and offers. Read visitors’ reviews on TripAdvisor. Then, select your destination and book your flight and room.

Later, you decide you want to make the trip extra special, so you pull up the confirmation e-mails from the airline and hotel on your phone. You select the edit reservation link and are sent to the companies’ optimized mobile websites, where you upgrade to first class for your flight and book a spa appointment at your hotel.

The reality of this scenario is reflected in recent statistics, finding that the Web is increasingly the booking channel of choice. That means the mobile Web, too.

According to TRAVELCLICK®’s eTRAK report, Internet hotel bookings increased by 6.6 percent compared to 2008 and now account for 54 percent of all bookings. Also, nearly two-fifths of mobile users reported doing at least some of their leisure travel research on their phone, and more than one-quarter completed at least some of their bookings on their phone. (Complete, Inc.) This percentage will only increase as brands continue to optimize their websites for mobile use and build mobile applications capable of booking rooms.

Those who fail to harness the power of the mobile channel could miss out on opportunities to connect with travelers—and to generate more revenue.

In 2008 and 2009, the mobile channel brought hotels nearly $80 million in revenue, $60 million for air travel and $20 million for rental cars (PhoCus Wright). Driving the proliferation of Web bookings are new and evolving channels such as mobile applications and social media. With these channels, mobile booking is not only easy for busy customers; it’s fun and interactive.

According to Complete, Inc., more than four in ten mobile users would find trip planning apps useful if they notified them of schedule and rate changes, consolidated itineraries, or helped manage loyalty programs.

The hotels that emerge as leaders in the mobile space will be those that use mobile apps and social media to grow brand awareness, cultivate guest loyalty, and specifically meet guest needs.

With so many booking channel options, the recipe for success is in the right mix of channels, so don’t let your shifted focus on mobile deter your efforts on the Web and traditional channels. Create the channel mix that works best for your target demographic and remember that in the end, efforts should lead shoppers directly to your website, still your most cost-effective channel. Most importantly, know your potential customers and where they shop.

As new mobile-specific channels find their way into your marketing mix, implement those that are relevant to your customers’ personal and business travel habits—while developing strategies to differentiate your properties’ presence throughout the shopping and reservation process.

(TRAVELCLICK (www.travelclick.net) describes itself as a “leader in hotel ecommerce solutions.” The company provides a continuous flow of high-value online bookings to hotels worldwide as a one-stop solution.)