November 201819 time of booking? How important is listing the country of residence? Reducing the amount of information required will lead to hire funnel conversion rates, and this data can be collected at check-in.Think Mobile FirstThe lion share of hotel bookings are still made on desktop, however mobile continues to gain share. A 2017 study from Hotels Combined showed that hotel bookings on mobile devices increased 67% from the prior year. As mobile bookings increase, consider the following strategies:1. Maintain a persistent booking button on the mobile site- The guest should always be able to enter the booking engine wherever they are on the page. 2. Enable mobile payment- Entering a credit card number, expiration date, and CV2 can be a cumbersome experience on a mobile device. Allowing mobile payment significantly simplifies the credit card transaction and reduces cart abandonment.3. Leverage photography over copy- Guests are less likely to read copy on mobile devices, so mobile marketing should rely more on imagery to sell the product. Copy should be limited to only the most important offer and room type details.Regaining share from the OTAs will not happen overnight, and is an uphill battle. Hotels must remain vigilant in this battle and stay on top of the latest digital trends, as the OTAs will be rapid adopters of new technology. That being said, deploying a direct booking program, simplifying the booking experience, and designing a mobile experience to optimize conversion are effective starting points for hotels to become more competitive and drive direct bookings. Mark Molinari
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