MidEast hotels must get mobile urges tech expert

As more people rely on mobile handsets for internet access, the number of global hotel bookings through mobile devices is increasing, according to internet marketing and website development firm Sabre Hospitality Solutions.

“Worldwide, more than five billion people have a mobile phone. By the end of 2015 more people will access the internet through mobile devices than they will through a regular computer,” US-based president Felix Laboy told Hotelier Middle East during a recent visit to the region.

“So we’re seeing the amount of bookings through mobile grow. In the past you’d see someone going on an iPhone or a Blackberry and the only option was a small page of information. Now mobile technology is robust and dynamic.

“Booking engines are one of the fastest-growing components of mobile [technology].”

While the Middle East market still makes up less than five percent of Sabre Hospitality’s global client-base - with existing local clients including Jumeirah - Laboy said this figure is growing, particularly in the area of mobile technology.

“Mobile is prevalent here so hoteliers are looking at making sure they try to get presence on mobile. The region is not behind the times, it’s just a little slower.”

Karin Sheppard, InterContinental Hotels Group senior vice president for sales and marketing - Asia, the Middle East and Africa said the group had seen a “huge acceleration” in the number of mobile bookings from the region, which she expected to continue.

“IHG has had a lot of focus on mobile-booking applications – particularly in a region like the Middle East where there is a burgeoning new population and the average mobile ownership is close to two handsets per person.

“We’ve developed mobile applications for each of our brands, which put you right in the hands of people – making it easy for them to make a reservation.”

However, Sheppard added that there was a tendency in the Middle East for people to browse online and book offline.

“But you need to cater to that and make sure the website is there to help in the booking process,” she said. 

Laboy reiterated that it was just as crucial for hotels to offer adequate information and searching capabilities on their mobile applications to enable potential guests to make a decision, even if they eventually went offline to make the booking.

“Hotels need to be on the mobile platform as consumers are changing the way they interact with hotels,” he asserted.