Study Reveals Mobile Still A Small Part of Hotel Reservation Booking

Patrick Clarke
by Patrick Clarke
Last updated: 5:30 PM ET, Mon April 27, 2015

Perhaps unsurprisingly, a majority of travelers tend to make their hotel reservations online using a laptop or desktop computer.

But even in 2015, technology has yet to completely change how Americans book accommodations.

According to a national study conducted by D.K. Shifflet and Associates, which contacts 50,000 different U.S. households per month on average, less than one in 10 hotel reservations made in 2014 were completed with a handheld mobile device.

DKSA's research reveals just eight percent booked with a handheld device. Of that figure, four percent booked with a smartphone, while another four percent made their reservations using a tablet device.

On the flip side, more than one-third of bookings were made via traditional methods, which excludes electronic reservations, with 43 percent of hotel reservations being made offline.

"While many marketers focus their efforts on mobile, it is important to know that most travelers are using other methods to make their reservations including a large majority who still make reservations in more traditional ways," said DKSA vice president Chris Klauda in a statement.

Although techonology is making it easier and faster to search and book hotel rooms, it's clear that smartphones and tablets have yet to catch up, let alone surpass more traditional methods for making reservations.

For many, speaking with a real person is reassuring, while others may be drawn to the convenience of having multiple tabs open on their laptop or deskstop while searching for the best deal at work or at home.

Those figures could change in 2015, but for now it's clear that mobile has some catching up to do.


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Patrick Clarke

Patrick Clarke

Senior Editor

A Maryland native and wanderer who has lived across the U.S. from North Carolina to SoCal, Patrick Clarke graduated from Towson University with a B.S. in journalism. He previously worked for Bleacher

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