Mobile Bookings Gain Traction With Canucks

According to Hotels.com’s most recent Hotel Price Index (HPI), booking travel “on the go” is a rapidly-growing trend in Canada, as well as around the world. It’s reported that 1 in 4 global transactions are being booked on a mobile device across the Expedia, Inc brands. Here in Canada, Hotels.com’s HPI reported more than 80% growth in mobile bookings during 2014.

The majority of Canadians booking on mobile devices, more than four-fifths, made reservations at two- or three-star hotels. The data also showed that Canadian travellers are using their devices for all types of bookings, whether it’s staying local, exploring Europe, backpacking in Asia or touring Latin America.

And while Toronto was the top domestic destination for mobile bookings by Canadians, Edmonton was the second most popular, pushing Montreal, one of the traditional top three most popular destinations, out of the third spot, which was held by Vancouver.

On the international side of things, Las Vegas, New York and Orlando were in the top three spots.

Hotels.com findings during the fourth quarter of 2014, showed more than 50% of mobile bookings were for the same or next day stays which could explain why London and Paris, ranked lower among travellers booking via mobile, compared to their overall popularity ranking. The busy, and often expensive, accommodation options in each city may have encouraged more advanced planning via desktop.

For more, go to http://www.hotels.com

Photo Caption: Outside of Canada, Las Vegas was the most popular city booked on mobile devices by Canadian travellers. (CNW Group/Hotels.com)