Exclusive Feature: Just how important is mobile booking to the hotel industry? If the new report from Priceline is any indication, hotels should be paying special extra-special attention to the amount of business generated from on-the-go travelers.

Priceline.com recently released its booking trends data for mobile travelers. Priceline.com compiled this information from surveys submitted by 200 customers who booked hotel rooms through the Priceline mobile app (available for iOS and Android), and through priceline.com's web-based mobile site.

About half of the surveyed customers used priceline.com's new Express Deals(sm) hotel service, while the other half booked their rooms using priceline.com's Tonight Only Deals(sm) service.

Among the key takeaways, priceline.com found that almost half of the mobile hotel bookers surveyed were on the road when they made their reservations. Not surprisingly, free Internet access was the number one most important hotel perk for mobile travelers.

Other findings from the survey showed:

• 43% of mobile bookers where in their car when they booked a room through Tonight-Only Deals.
• 40% of mobile bookers were on the road when they booked Express Deals through Priceline.
• 14% said they booked from a remote wi-fi hotspot.

The priceline.com survey also discovered a new shift in what mobile bookers feel are the most important hotel amenities.

Of all the Express Deals customers surveyed, 47% said the free Internet access was a factor in convincing them to book a room, while 39% cited free breakfast and 39% pointed to the free parking. Other perks attracting mobile business included a pool (26%), fitness center (17%), restaurant (14%), business center (13%), and pet-friendly (7%).

What can hotels take away from this survey? Sure, mobile bookings are fast on the rise and yes, hotels need to be thinking about (if they haven't already launched) and effective mobile booking site. But the most important takeaway might just be the fact that mobile is dominating.

Travelers today - both business and leisure - using turning to their mobile devices to make immediate purchasing decisions. Having a mobile site for your hotel isn't just an effective booking tool, it's a value-add to your guest's on-the-go lifestyle.

This is strictly an exclusive feature, reprints of this article in any shape or form without prior written approval from 4Hoteliers.com is not permitted.

Melanie Nayer is a hotel reviewer and expert on luxury travel around the world. She has covered all aspects of hotels including corporate restructures, re-branding initiatives, historical aspects and the best of the best in luxury hotels around the world.

Melanie writes a weekly exclusive column for 4Hoteliers.com