Convenient Access to Mobile Content Increasingly Important to Consumers Booking Hotels
According to a nationwide survey from Smith Micro, 81 percent of travelers desire access to mobile video content at hotels, and 55 percent indicate the availability of mobile content influences their hotel or resort selection process. Additionally, over half of consumers bring tablets with them while traveling, up 18 percent from the same survey conducted last year. The new survey results underscore the need for the hospitality industry to advance guest engagement via consumers' own mobile devices, and increase revenue by offering them on-demand entertainment access.
The research, conducted by uSamp and Smith Micro Software, Inc., polled smartphone and tablet users across the US about their current travel and video consumption habits and preferences. Over two-thirds of travelers (67 percent) never purchase Pay-Per-View entertainment when staying in a hotel, versus 50 percent of guests who said the same in 2012. While travelers are increasingly sensitive to the price of in-room entertainment, 41 percent noted they were very likely to purchase Pay-Per-View content if they could access it on their mobile devices. Additionally, two-thirds of travelers noted they were very likely to access mobile content if it was bundled with hotel Wi-Fi, an increase of five percent year-over-year. The survey results underscore a growing opportunity for hotels to achieve increased revenue by offering bundled of video content and hotel Wi-Fi to guests.
The research, conducted by uSamp and Smith Micro Software, Inc., polled smartphone and tablet users across the US about their current travel and video consumption habits and preferences. Over two-thirds of travelers (67 percent) never purchase Pay-Per-View entertainment when staying in a hotel, versus 50 percent of guests who said the same in 2012. While travelers are increasingly sensitive to the price of in-room entertainment, 41 percent noted they were very likely to purchase Pay-Per-View content if they could access it on their mobile devices. Additionally, two-thirds of travelers noted they were very likely to access mobile content if it was bundled with hotel Wi-Fi, an increase of five percent year-over-year. The survey results underscore a growing opportunity for hotels to achieve increased revenue by offering bundled of video content and hotel Wi-Fi to guests.