2020 is a year that most hotels don’t want to remember, with many closing their doors in both the first and second waves of the pandemic.

From a different viewpoint, consumer behavior changed dramatically and hotels had to adapt. As mobile bookings increased, so too did the need to improve mobile conversion for hotels.

In this article, we analyze the rise of mobile bookings in 2020. We also share how we tested and improved our booking engine to help Hotels respond to this demand.

2020 – The Year when Hotel Mobile Bookings took off

Although overall booking pace remained in line with 2019 at 57 days, for confirmed reservations the booking pace declined to a mere 8 days in 2020. This was likely due to changing travel restrictions which forced most guests to cancel longer-term bookings and confirm their stays last-minute.

Hotels tried to stimulate bookings with flexible cancellation policies, but the environment forced consumers to book last-minute, doing so successfully. This is a behavior change that we expect to become a part of the ‘new normal’ once the pandemic is over.

Read the full article here