Technology

Expedia execs detail booking numbers

13 Dec, 2011 By: Andrew Sheivachman

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One of the most interesting trends to emerge from my time at Expedia's annual Partner Services' conference last week is the sheer speed at which booking behaviors are shifting in the wake of increased global and mobile distribution.

"The booking window is changing," said Dhiren Fonseca, co-president of Expedia's Partner Services Group. "We've seen a 28 percent growth in sameday transactions. This speaks to the growth weve seen in our mobile business; 65 percent of mobile transactions are happening same day and travelers are taking shorter trips. Travel is down three percent in length of stay, and guests are buying down to lower star properties."

In addition, Expedia's global presence has given the company an enormous amount of data on the influx of outbound travelers from the Asia-Pacific region and their digital booking habits.

"You are managing your product, trying to get heads in beds... it requires knowledge of how to navigate all these different platforms," said Gary Fritz, co-president of Expedia's Partner Services Group. "As mobile device proliferate, we see this is the day-to-day experience people are choosing."

Fritz cited a 274 percent projected increase in Chinese inbound U.S. travel from 2010 to 2015, coupled with 1 trillion mobile transactions worldwide by 2015, as vital trends for American hoteliers to explore.

"If i was an entry-level revenue manager today, it would be exciting but a lot of the precepts are getting challenged," said Fritz. "It's just a reality. You've got to think about how to distribute content locally, tailor content for local channels and how to drive brand impressions through all of these channels. This is so much more complicated, but potentially more rewarding."

For technology-friendly American hoteliers, the rise in mobile booking will be a key to driving revenue and bookings from Asian travelers in the coming decade.

Topic : Expedia, Asia-Pacific
External Source : Hotel Management