Have you asked yourself lately – or better yet, extensively tested – how well your website and your hotel booking engine perform on a mobile device? If the answer is no or not that recently, the following stats regarding the ever growing link between a responsive website and revenue streams for your hotel are certain to be of interest.
According to a 2017 survey, over half of all traffic to hotel websites now comes from a mobile device such as a smartphone or a tablet. Google itself backs up this finding and has published numerous reports which explore the rise of travellers researching, and in some cases – particularly that of the Millennials generation – booking their whole trip from a mobile device.
The 2017 survey results have important ramifications for both hotel responsive web design and hotel revenue management services. Here are a few of the key findings to inform your strategy:
Browsing can turn to booking
A dive into your Google Analytics data will reveal what percentage of bookings come from a mobile device. The 2017 survey however shows that 51% of traffic to hotel sites originates from a mobile device. There was also a 19 percent year-on-year increase in the number of guests who book after checking availability on the site booking engine.
To capture this emerging trend, your hotel responsive web design must encompass your booking engine. Consider how mobile friendly it is. How easy is it to select calendar dates and room types from the smaller screen of a smartphone for example? Can available rooms easily be seen without the need for excessive scrolling? If the answer is no, it’s time to call in professional hotel revenue management services as you’re likely missing out on mobile bookings.
Responsive sites generate more revenue
Revenue is 16.5% higher per site on average for responsive websites according to the survey. Look to book rates were also higher, at 5.5% for responsive sites compared with just 3.9% for sites that are non-responsive. Clearly, if your site is difficult to use on a mobile device, bookings will be a likely casualty.
What’s the industry standard?
The 2017 survey threw up one surprising result, despite the strong link between a mobile friendly site and revenue generation. Around 40% of hoteliers maintain a separate mobile site, rather than investing in hotel responsive web design.
The performance benefits of a responsive site are clear; they offer a more seamless user experience, they offer mobile SEO advantages and separate sites require more time, resources and budget to maintain.
Of course, one of the key areas to focus on when it comes to responsive web design is the hotel booking engine itself. Because responsive sites automatically resize to fit the device the content is being displayed on, being aware of mobile users when it comes to choosing your booking engine is absolutely crucial. If your website or booking engine isn’t responsive, get in touch with Digital Hotelier to find out how we can help you make more bookings and generate better revenues this year.
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