Mobile devices are taking up a considerable share of internet use, and that’s a trend expected only to increase in the next 2 years. It’s no wonder that businesses across all industries are freaking out about mobile, and the best way to use it to engage with customers. Be careful, though — there a lot of pitfalls and mistakes to avoid with your mobile strategy.


Source: https://www.marketingcharts.com/digital/mobile-phone-80796/attachment/zenith-mobile-share-internet-use-digital-adspend-2017-2019-oct2017

Specifically for hospitality, your use of mobile can’t stop with advertising and search results. If you’re not integrating every aspect of a guest’s visit with their mobile device, you could find yourself a long way behind the competition. Search results, however, are a great place to start. Let’s look at some ways you can optimize a guest’s experience through responsive mobile design.

Make It Easy to Find You on Mobile

2014 marked the first time that time spent on mobile was greater than desktop internet use. Since then, the ubiquity of mobile devices and device use has been growing.

One big reason for this is that people rely on mobile devices to find local alternatives. Local search is a big component of the ease and usability of mobile. Between maps apps and local internet searches, it seems to be the go-to device for people who are looking for something nearby. So if someone is looking for an accommodation nearby to recommend to friends or colleagues, chances are they’re doing it on mobile.

Being easy to find on mobile isn’t just about optimizing your site. You need to make sure you’re verified to show up in the local search and on the Google Maps app. Then you need to start thinking about a user’s journey through your website on mobile. Just because it’s designed to display well in mobile doesn’t mean you’re taking all of a mobile user’s needs into account. How easy is it for them to use booking calendars? How long does it take your room galleries to load on mobile? There are a lot of questions you need to think about.

Mobile Booking and Payment Should Be a Snap

It’s very difficult to get users to download apps these days. The novelty has worn off, and users generally won’t download your app for the fun of it anymore. But apps do have their place, and when there’s an opportunity to provide an exceptional customer service experience, a well-designed app can really make the difference.

In the case of making bookings and payments, adjusting your current website to work well with mobile could be a challenge. Calendar availability and booking systems especially can be a real challenge when it comes to mobile usability. There’s a lot of information to fit on a small screen, and you might have something that works well on desktop but becomes unwieldy on mobile. If you’re going to have to spend development time on this anyway, you might want to consider an app that lets users perform those more complex functions like selecting dates and making bookings.

Once you have it, you can further encourage users to keep and use the app by integrating its use into their stay.

Have Guests Use the App During Their Stay

Mobile can be used to great effect in the hospitality industry to simplify and streamline a guest’s experienced. Mobile services that make a guest’s stay more pleasant can make a big difference! Consider functions like in-app check-in and check-out. What about keyless entry to their room using the app? Ordering room service, setting a wake-up call, selecting a breakfast option? The more they can accomplish on their own personal device, the more reason they’ll have to use the app.

If you can make the experience as mobile friendly as possible, you’ll be endearing yourself to your guests with convenience. Interacting with them through the app can also improve the sense of personalization with their stay — especially if you include ways for them to provide their feedback during and after their visit.

With the hospitality industry in particular, it’s quite to possible to give a guest access to everything they might need in the palm of their hand. You have a lot to benefit from when it comes to mobile, as you’ll be able to interact with customers on their device for the entirety of their journey, and even post-journey, after check-out. Send them a survey, or create an in-app points system to keep them engaged.

However you go about it, you can’t ignore mobile at this point! Mobile isn’t coming — it’s already here.

About the Author: Avery T. Phillips is a freelance human being with too much to say. She loves nature and examining human interactions with the world. Comment or tweet her @a_taylorian with any questions or suggestions.