Over 50% of business travelers book hotels using mobile technology

New findings released by business services company Travelport show that more than half of business customers now rely on mobile technology to help plan their business travel and even more expect their accommodation to reflect their business communication needs.

The modern business traveler is mobile in more than one sense. Travelport’s research, which polled over 600 corporate travel buyers, agents, hospitality, and travel professionals globally, highlights how much business travelers rely on mobile technologies to search out hotels and book rooms.

Their needs don’t stop there.

The vast majority of those polled (80%) stated they’d like to see mobile applications offering suggested restaurants and bars within close proximity to a hotel, and over two-thirds (67%) would like similar apps offering suggestions for recreational activities.

Moreso, business travelers want their accommodation to be kitted out in a way that enables them to easily continue to work while back in their hotel room. Almost three-quarters (71%) of business travelers polled said WiFi was an important requirement in hotels, and 82% expect it to be in all rooms within five years.
“The responses seem to indicate that hotel rooms are no longer a place of rest but an extension of the office when traveling for business and as such it is important to move with the times and provide these services in a way that travelers want and expect,” said Niklas Andréen, global vice president of hospitality and partner marketing at Travelport.