UK hospitality businesses not doing enough to attract the mobile market

Hospitality businesses must do more to allow guest to book on the move, with over half not offering booking through mobile devices, research has found.

The TripBarometer Mobile and Social Trends survey found that over two in five (44%) UK hoteliers allow bookings through a mobile device, while almost the same amount (40%) have ensured that their website is viewable on a mobile phone.

Hoteliers are already using social media fairly well, according to the report, although there is some room for improvement. Nearly three quarters (72%) say they use it to engage with current and potential guests; of this, 67% use Facebook (compared to the global percentage of 78%), Twitter 38% (compared with 30% globally), 15% Google+ (19% globally), and 12% use YouTube (21% globally).

However, nearly two in five (38%) say they don't optimise their websites for mobile, and 41% say that they don't feel they had the knowledge to do so.

The figures come at a time where use of social media and online tools are regularly used by a quarter of global travellers. Nearly three quarters of travellers who used social media looked for recommendations (72%), for pictures of where they're going (67%), to find inspiration for what to do and see (60%), and to look for deals (45%).

President of TripAdvisor for Business, Marc Charron, commented: "Travellers' reliance on mobile devices and social media is consistent with the trends we're seeing at TripAdvisor.

"TripAdvisor has 79 millio average monthly mobile unique visitors, an increase of more than 216% from last year. More than 50 million people have installed our various apps, and we see that travellers are using them not only for planning but during their trips."

He added: "One in three TripAdvisor reviews are submitted by Facebook connected users, demonstrating that travellers are still keen to share their experiences via social media platforms after their trips."

The online survey collected answers from 10,469 accommodation business owners and 19,692 adults over 18 who have booked travel online and taken at least one trip in the past year, across 26 countries worldwide, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, UK and USA.

This included 1,761 travellers and 878 accommodation business owners from the UK.

TripAdvisor tops online search for UK boutique hotels >>

TripAdvisor poll shows UK travellers prioritise trips away >>