As 2016 draws to a close, there has been one movement that has arguably surpassed them all during the last 12 months – mobile.

There are more than 128 million Google search results for 'mobile hotel bookings', and guests are increasingly shifting to smaller screens.

More than 52% of travellers booking trips in 2016 will have done so using a mobile device, according to eMarketer.com. That percentage was 43.8% last year.

Google is the dominant driving force behind this shift and has made strong hints around its development in this area.

Recently, Google made headlines with the news that it is testing a new mobile-first index. The search giant wants its results to reflect the majority of users, who are searching on mobile devices.

As a result, Google's mobile-first index will rank hotel websites on the mobile versions – even for listings that are shown to desktop users.

With almost two out of five mobile consumers abandoning a travel booking due to a poor user experience, the recommended action for hoteliers to improve is to get responsive.

Google says if your website is already mobile-responsive, then you won't need to change anything. However, if your website doesn't look great on a smaller screen, the time to act is now.

MOBILE MICRO-MOMENTS AND DAYPARTING ARE THE ONES TO WATCH

A new report from 'Think with Google' suggests that mobile micro-moments and dayparting will inspire new hotel marketing and distribution strategies in 2017. But, how are they defined?

  • Micro-moments = An immediate response to an impulse driving your guests to act on their needs in-the-moment on a smartphone.
  • Dayparting = By dividing the day up into parts, hoteliers can pay closer attention to strategies and be extra-relevant to guests in their micro-moments.

Smartphones allow your guests to act on any impulse at any time. They take immediate action whenever they want to learn, find, do or buy something. When guests act on their needs in-the-moment, their expectations are high and patience is low.

This makes the quality, relevance, and usefulness of hotel marketing more important than ever. Your guests preferences and purchases are shaped in these 'micro-moments'.

Ultimately, the hotel brands that do the best job of addressing a guest's needs in each moment will win the booking.

Dayparting changes how hoteliers, like you, shape your sales and customer relationships. Hoteliers are typically trained to be sensitive to the seasons of the year and how booking demand fluctuates during those peak and off-peak times.

But Google says that when time of searches and bookings are analysed on a daily basis, incredibly relevant insights and moments are realised.

Google's report urges the hotel and travel industry to pay attention to the seasons of the day. Hoteliers can divide the day into parts – dayparting – and be extra relevant to prospective guests as they shop around in their micro-moments.

HOW TO TAILOR YOUR HOTEL DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY FOR MOBILE-FIRST TRAVELLERS

We believe there are three key steps for ensuring your hotel's marketing and distribution strategy is set up to be mobile-first:

  1. Create a mobile-friendly website
    Your website should have a responsive design that adapts to mobile platforms and offers simple mobile booking options. It's important your content remains the same page-by-page from your desktop to your mobile site. Google recommends this approach.
  2. Fill it with useful information
    Above all, make sure your website is informative. Transform your website into a local guide. Provide information about transportation, local restaurants, shopping options, excursions and day trips
  3. Implement a mobile-friendly Internet booking engine
    The booking experience has to be just as mobile-friendly as your website. So, make sure your software provider has a responsive Internet booking engine. It needs to be as simple as possible for guests to complete their reservation using their preferred device.

WHY SEAMLESS INTEGRATION FROM LOOKING TO BOOKING IS KEY

To increase your bookings and generate more revenue using micro-moments, you need to make it as simple as possible for guests to book directly with you on mobile devices – as quickly as possible.

For example, a website builder such as SiteMinder's Canvas allows you to create a search engine-optimised website. And, paired with a fully-integrated online booking engine, you will be in the best position to accept direct online bookings to attract and convert those impulsive travellers online.

Use these top 4 tips for direct booking success:

  1. Make sure the booking experience is seamless.
  2. Have no more than two steps for a quick reservation process.
  3. Do not redirect your guests to another website, or force them to wait for a confirmation.
  4. Allow your guests to book directly with you and provide them with automatic confirmation of their booking.

To learn more, join SiteMinder, Duetto and StayNTouch at 1.00pm EDT, 6th December for our live webinar on the '3 Hotel Technology Trends to Capitalize on in 2017'. Click here to register.

About SiteMinder

SiteMinder Limited (ASX:SDR) is the name behind SiteMinder, the world's leading hotel distribution and revenue platform, and Little Hotelier, an all-in-one hotel management software that makes the lives of small accommodation providers easier. The global company is headquartered in Sydney with offices in Bangalore, Bangkok, Barcelona, Berlin, Dallas, Galway, London, Manila and Mexico City. Through its technology and the largest partner ecosystem in the global hotel industry, SiteMinder generates more than 120 million reservations worth over US$50 billion in revenue for its hotel customers each year. For more information, visit siteminder.com.