With mobile bookings expected to more than double in the next two years, the hospitality market has high expectations for mobile managed travel. Hotel guests are taking full advantage of the latest apps to ease and enhance their travel experience while managers are using digital technologies to help control their travel programs and direct travelers toward the right tools and devices when booking trips. From every perspective, mobile managed travel appears to be a win-win:
From the traveler’s perspective. Mobile technologies are adding convenience and easing headaches associated with travel. Business and leisure travelers are gaining more flexibility and freedom to manage their travel due to the prevalence of mobile devices and new travel apps continually hitting the market. It is now considered the norm to be able to manage itinerary and flight status updates in real time, book hotel rooms on-the-go, and communicate preferences from mobile devices. Apps that enable these capabilities will continue to be in-demand!
From the hotel manager’s perspective. Mobile managed functionalities are also impacting hotel operations for the better. Forward-thinking hoteliers are integrating technologies into their hotel PMS that enable real-time mobile alerts for functions such as housekeeping and check-in. For example, guests enjoy the convenience of receiving a text as soon as their room is clean and ready instead of waiting indefinitely. Or, guests are given the option of using their smartphone as a room key. These mobile managed functionalities provide efficiency from a hotel management standpoint and convenience from the traveler’s point of view. Again, a win-win.
From a global perspective. While mobile booking is somewhat impacted by cultural differences and varying levels of smartphone penetration, it is a global trend that is clearly on the rise. Note that travelers in specific regions value different aspects of mobile managed travel. For example, travelers in Asia Pacific and Latin America highly value mobile booking on-the-go – more than their North American and European peers. Europeans consider well-being, productivity, and compliance to be the most important aspects of mobile managed travel. Meanwhile, North American managers and travelers alike identify ease of doing business, productivity and traveler well-being as key benefits.
Rising trends to watch. There’s no doubt that mobile booking is a fast emerging trend on the managed travel and hospitality market. Watch for technologies that help minimize travel disruptions and further ease the travel experience. For example, expect high consumption on apps that push out travel options to customers in real-time in the event of flight delays or hotel cancellations. In addition, look for “power apps” that offer multiple essential travel tools and features integrated within a single app.
Mobile managed travel takeaway. The hospitality market is ready and waiting for new digital technologies to enhance the travel experience. With managed travel apps becoming increasingly more sophisticated and accessible, managers and travelers in the U.S. and abroad will have a bevy of digital tools at their disposal that will compliment mobile travels solutions already in place.
