TravelClick: Hotels to invest more in mobile, social marketing

As increasing numbers of consumers pack the power of a smartphone in their pocket the travel industry has taken notice. Hotels, in particular, are investing more in mobile website and social media initiatives.

by Helen Leggatt

A new poll by TravelClick reveals that half of hoteliers around the globe intend to invest more marketing dollars in mobile marketing, mobile websites and increased staffing to support social channels next year.

Around a quarter (24%) of the 455 hoteliers surveyed intend to keep mobile marketing spending levels in 2012 the same as this year and just 3% will decrease spend. Some 22.5% of hoteliers have no mobile website or strategies in place and have no intention of implementing any next year.

"Not only are hoteliers increasing budgets for mobile websites and marketing, but they are also increasing staff in areas such as social media," said Jason Ewell, Senior Vice President, E-Commerce, TravelClick.

"Hoteliers are recognizing how important mobile and social media are to guests, and they have begun to put more resources towards creating and maintaining these channels through staff additions and marketing increases," he added.

Of the 50% of hoteliers planning to increase staffing levels, 30% indicated they intend hiring staff to perform social media roles.

Recent research from performance marketing company Efficient Frontier found that click-through rates for travel searches on mobile are 61% higher than from other Internet connections. However, conversion rates were 49% lower than from a fixed-line computer, indicating that mobile searches are conducted to research travel information rather than with intent to purchase.

Tags: hospitality, hoteliers, marketing budget, mobile insights, mobile marketing, smartphone, tourism, travel