Priceline: Nearly 50% of mobile users book hotels while on the go

Priceline.com surveyed travelers using iOS, Android and other mobile devices and released the latest booking trend data. Its 2012 Fall Survey Report put forward some important results: Among users who use mobile devices to book hotels, nearly 50% of the respondents have left home and are on their way to their destination when making a reservation. In addition, for travelers with mobile devices, free Internet service has become a more important additional service than free breakfast and free parking.

The online travel agency surveyed 200 customers who booked hotel rooms through Priceline’s flight and car rental apps for iOS and Android, as well as its mobile website, to find out the data. About 50% of the respondents used Priceline.com’s new Express Deals hotel service, while the other 50% used its Tonight Only Deals service to book rooms.

The survey report pointed out that among mobile device users who used Tonight-Only Deals to book hotel rooms, 43% of users were already in the car when they made the reservation, and 14% of users said they went online to make the reservation through a distant wireless hotspot. Similarly, among mobile device users who used Express Deals to book hotel rooms, 40% of users said they were already on their way to the destination when they made the reservation. Brian Ek, blogger of Priceline.com's travel blog Travel Ekspert, said: "This survey report reflects that travelers with mobile devices often make hotel reservation decisions at the last minute. After installing the Priceline.com app on their mobile devices, they can use the time before starting their trip to search and check the attractions they will visit at the destination and what activities they will do in the destination, because they know that even if they have already set off to the destination, they can still book and purchase low-priced products."

Priceline.com's survey also revealed some of the hotel ancillary services that are most attractive to travelers using mobile devices for booking. Among all the respondents who used Express Deals to book, 47% said that free Internet access was the key factor that attracted them to book a room; 39% of the respondents believed that free breakfast was the most attractive factor; and another 39% of the users said that free parking spaces were more important to them. Other hotel ancillary services that attracted mobile device users to book included swimming pools (26%), fitness centers (17%), restaurants (14%), business centers (13%), and pet-friendly hotels (7%).

Priceline.com released a trend report on American consumers using Tonight-Only Deals in saving booking costs this fall. The results showed that most consumers who use mobile devices to book last-minute products will choose to check in on Sundays, while if they choose to check in on Thursday night, they can save more money. The report also shows that mobile device users who use Tonight-Only Deals to book products get prices that are 41% lower than the retail prices published by the hotel on average. Among users who make reservations, 25% of users get prices that are at least 50% lower than the retail prices published by the hotel. These price differences are obtained by comparing prices from all channels and the latest lowest retail prices published on the Priceline.com official website.

via: traveldaily.cn