ONLINE accommodation booking website, Hotels.com, which recently launched its third Xtreme Booking video as part of a communications campaign to underscore the convenience offered by its booking app, has reported “healthy growth in mobile bookings across Asia-Pacific”.
Abhiram Chowdhry, senior director of marketing with Hotels.com Asia-Pacific, revealed that 20 per cent of global transactions today came from mobile devices.
To-date, the Hotel.com booking app has been downloaded 15 million times.
Chowdhry added: “We have found that almost 70 per cent of mobile bookings are for same-day stays. This is particularly true for countries where people take a lot of driving vacations. There is a growing trend for last-minute bookings through the Hotels.com app as customers embrace smartphone and tablets to book trips on the move.
“In many Asian markets we have also found that people are booking longhaul trips using mobile (devices) and with a longer booking window as well.”
Australia, Japan and South Korea contribute the most outstanding growth in mobile bookings in Asia.
Chowdhry declined to reveal booking figures for India, a gargantuan market of 27 million smartphone users in urban districts according to a Nielsen study, but said there was “healthy growth”.
“Many of these bookings are domestic bookings, so the book-as-you-go phenomenon is certainly catching on in India. On top of using mobile (devices) to research and book their hotel stays, many (Indian) users are also using that to share their bookings with friends and family.”
Hotels.com’s Xtreme Booking video series had been successful in capturing consumers’ interest, noted Chowdhry, who revealed that the first two videos scored “millions of views”.
The first video debuted in 2011, showing the Hotels.com app being used while sky-diving in the US. The second, launched last year, featured a hotel booking being made by a user involved in a Spanish bull run. The latest instalment shows Japan’s shock jock comedians, the Tokyo Shock Boys, booking a hotel using the app while surging down mountain rapids and free-falling down a seven-metre waterfall.
He said: “The video demonstrates that even in the most extreme situations… our app can help you find the perfect last-minute deal, many of which are exclusive to the mobile.”
