When Fleeing Hurricane Matthew, Evacuees Used Mobile and Click-to-Call Technology for Hotel Reservations

LEHI, Utah, Oct. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Those recently evacuating the path of Hurricane Matthew looking for hotel accommodations used their mobile device at an unprecedented level, according to Reservation Counter, a leading provider of hotel accommodations. Voluntary and mandatory evacuations were called in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina last week when the National Weather Service warned of extremely dangerous and life-threatening conditions.

Reservation Counter, a leading hotel booking site that is part of TravelPass Group, showed a 233 percent increase in hotel searches by people in the four states that were in Hurricane Matthew's path during the days before Oct. 7. The data show two distinct groups of evacuees:

1. Those who booked hotel rooms earlier in the week, ahead of the storm. Reservation Counter had a more than 50 percent spike in hotel bookings before the hurricane landed.
2. Those who tried to find and book accommodations while they were evacuating by searching on their mobile devices. Reservation Counter showed a 2,650 percent increase in those using 'click-to-call' options directly from their mobile phones.

"Our agents were inundated by calls from those who couldn't find a room or hotel during that time," said Daniel A. Nelson, Executive Chairman of TravelPass Group. "When other major travel sites or even hotel websites showed 'sold-out,' our agents went to work and found rooms that otherwise couldn't be found online. Our patent-pending call technology enables our agent to see what consumers are looking for, so we were able to be their search eyes and their search fingers while they fled the storm—directing them to the nearest, safest hotel with availability."

Research shows that in normal circumstances more than one in three who have researched travel on a smartphone call to book or to get more information. Reservation Counter's click-to-call technology and best-in-class reservation centers have been featured and recognized for helping travelers using their mobile devices search thousands of hotels and supplier choices.

"The ability to understand what people are searching for and why they are calling is significant," said Nelson. "The TravelPass Group family of brands has among the most exhaustive and complete inventory system in the industry. Most customers don't realize that even official hotel websites can often show 'sold out,' while certain wholesalers are still sitting on pre-purchased, unsold rooms. We have integrated with every inventory source we can, so the fact is that our sites are the last to run out of availability, and are often the lowest price. This benefited thousands of customers who called us and repeatedly thanked us for finding what they were unable to find--a safe and affordable room."

About Reservation Counter

Reservation Counter is a leading provider of hotel accommodations. Based in Utah, Reservation Counter is part of TravelPass Group, which operates travel-related websites, books more than 10,000 hotel room nights every day, and generated 84 million travel inquiries in the last 12 months. Partnerships with independent and brand name hotels, wholesalers, and the largest travel agencies allow it to represent a combined inventory of more than 1 million properties worldwide.

Media Contact: Jason Burgess, TravelPass Group, 801-341-1759, jburgess@travelpassgroup.com

News distributed by PR Newswire iReach: https://ireach.prnewswire.com

SOURCE TravelPASS Group