New survey reveals how mobile technology is revolutionizing Canadian travel habits

• Mobile No.1 – A mobile phone is the number one travel accessory, with more Canadians preferring to travel with their device than their loved one
• Secret Bed-Bookers – All we think about in bed is our next holiday, as nearly 1 in 5 Canadians admit to booking a hotel while between the sheets
• Staying social – Nearly 70 per cent of Canadians spend at least two hours a day connecting on social media while travelling
• Spontaneous Stayers – Thirty-seven per cent of Canadians have made a same-day hotel booking thanks to mobile, with nine per cent even booking their hotel in the airport departure lounge

TORONTO, June 2, 2016 /CNW/ - As mobile devices continue to evolve, the Hotels.com™ Mobile Travel Tracker* uncovers the true impact that the number-one travel accessory, the mobile phone, is having on our booking and travel behaviours. It reveals Canadians are now booking hotels in secret, becoming more spontaneous, staying connected with friends and placing less emphasis on price. 

Global travel summary for 2015

According to the Hotels.com Mobile Travel Tracker, a global study of 9,200 travellers across 31 countries, today's modern traveller makes four trips a year and on average stays in a hotel 13 nights of the year. Although for some, the hotel becomes their home for a month, as almost 1 in 10 spend more than 31 days a year in a hotel room.

Almost a third of people admit that they book more trips than ever thanks to mobile, so as smartphones continue to get smarter, it's no surprise that nearly a third (30 per cent) of Canadians regularly book their hotel stays on a mobile device, with this number rising to 42 per cent for those aged 30 – 40, according to the survey. Short breaks at home (19 per cent), short breaks abroad (16 per cent) and business trips (16 per cent) are the main occasions Canadians make their hotel reservations on mobile.

We're booking our hotels from everywhere

Gone are the days of booking your trip in a travel agent's office surrounded by people, because nowadays hotel bookings are sometimes a more secretive affair, with travellers reserving their hotel room from their bedroom and their bathroom. Seventeen per cent of Canadians say they have booked a hotel while in bed with their partner. Eleven per cent of people also admitted to booking a hotel in the office when they were supposed to be working and nine per cent even confessed to booking a hotel while sitting on the toilet! Over a quarter of people (27 per cent) are multi-tasking mobile users as they have booked a hotel while also searching on multiple devices, according to this survey.

How we pay is more important than how much we pay

For today's savvy traveller, it is no longer simply a case of the price is always right. In fact according to the Hotels.com Mobile Travel Tracker, having the right payment method and offering genuine guest reviews are more important factors when Canadians book a hotel on mobile. (Hotels.com offers 15 different payment methods, including the newly launched Apple Pay available currently in the U.S., but coming soon to Canada.)

Top five influencing factors for Canadians to book travel on mobile:

1. Payment method is right for me – 45 per cent
2. Price is best value – 42 per cent
3. Genuine guest reviews – 40 per cent
4. There is relevant and detailed info on hotel – 37 per cent
5. Lots of hotel photos – 37 per cent

Nine per cent of travellers say having a loyalty program, like Hotels.com™ Rewards, influences their decision when booking on mobile and 11 per cent of people say having a coupon code also influences whether they make a booking. When it comes to the hotel itself, being connected is so important that 23 per cent of people say they only select a hotel if it offers free WiFi.

Mobile technology lets travellers be spontaneous

More than a third of Canadians (37 per cent) say their smartphone makes them more spontaneous when travelling and the fact that 37 per cent of people have made a same-day hotel booking and over a fifth of holidaymakers book less than a week before travel, seems to be evidence our travel booking behaviour is becoming more last-minute. A super spontaneous nine per cent of us have really left booking a hotel to the last minute and actually booked in the airport lounge before departure.

Travellers want to do more with their phones

With mobile technologies developing at such speed, there's no doubt mobile usage for travellers will evolve. The Hotels.com Mobile Travel Tracker looked at what activities Canadians would be prepared to do in the future on their mobile devices while travelling. The most popular future usage for a quarter of people was to use their mobiles as an identification tool, to open hotel doors electronically and to check-in at self-serve kiosks at hotels.

More mobile usage facts about Canadian travellers:

• Two-thirds of Canadians say their mobile phone is their favourite travel accessory.
• The biggest use for mobile devices while travelling is as a camera with 42 per cent of Canadians using their phones to take photos.
• The mobile apps Canadians use most while travelling are dedicated social media apps with 53 per cent of us using them while on the road.
• Sixty-nine per cent of Canadians spend 1-to-2 hours per day on social media while travelling.

The Hotels.com app constantly evolves to meet the needs of travellers

Dan Craig, Senior Director of Mobile at Hotels.com brand said: "We pride ourselves on the booking experience we offer today's modern traveller through our mobile app. As one of the market leaders in the mobile space, we're constantly innovating and adding new features to make our app more personal and improve both hotel shopping and the customer experience. We see a growing number of transactions coming from mobile, so it's fantastic to see that travellers anticipating new mobile technology features. It's also great to see that booking a hotel on mobile is so easy, that 10 per cent of people do it while sitting on the toilet!" 

Hotels.com is continually evolving its in-stay mobile experience and some exciting new features will be revealed in the coming months.

Launched earlier this year, a new home screen design on the Hotels.com Android app now means users have a more personalized experience. New home screen features include the Hotels.com Rewards punch card, dynamic reservations, cross device searches and offline mode.

The Hotels.com mobile app is available for IOS, Android, Windows and Amazon Kindle devices, and already has over 50 million downloads worldwide.

Please visit: http://mobiletraveltracker.hotels.com/ for more insights from the Hotels.com Mobile Travel Tracker.

Notes to Editor 

*9,200 adults from 31 countries were polled by One Poll, commissioned by Hotels.com in May 2016

About Hotels.com

Hotels.com, L.P. operates Hotels.com (also known in Canada as Hotels.ca), a leading online accommodation booking website with properties ranging from international chains and all-inclusive resorts to local favourites and bed & breakfasts, together with all the information needed to book the perfect stay. Special apps for mobile phones and tablets can also be downloaded enabling customers to book on the go with access to 20,000 last minute deals.

© 2016 Hotels.com, LP. Hotels.com, The Obvious Choice, Mobile Travel Tracker, Hotels.com Rewards and the Hotels.com logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Hotels.com, LP in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Hotels.com

Image with caption: "More Canadians are booking travel plans on their mobile device (CNW Group/Hotels.com)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160602_C6562_PHOTO_EN_704233.jpg

Image with caption: "Canadians on-the-go love to stay connected! (CNW Group/Hotels.com)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160602_C6562_PHOTO_EN_704232.jpg