We're living in a mobile world, and travelers are, by definition, no
exception. So what do travelers want from their apps? According
to a recent survey from Omni Hotels & Resorts, business
travelers ranked adjusting travel plans, making dinner reservations and
checking into hotels as three of the top four “must-have” mobile
applications.
The survey asked road warriors about mobile and social application
preferences and usage, and it found that access to these tools were an
integral part of time management on the road. Beyond taking care of
travel matters, the survey also revealed that business travelers
utilized mobile and social applications to take care of personal items,
explore the local area, and connect virtually with friends and family.
When asked what hotel Wi-Fi is used for at night other than work, 61
percent of business travelers who participated in the survey said they
randomly surf the web, while others said they use the time to catch up
with life outside of work. Also in the survey, 49 percent of
business travelers pay bills online and 34 percent Skype or chat with
their family at home. Meanwhile, nearly one third of younger business
travelers, ages 25 to 34, were more likely to order perks that make
their hotel stay more comfortable; more than 40 percent tweet about
their travels. Sixty-five percent said they enjoy updating Facebook to
letting everyone know where they are. Among those who said they would
tweet during a hotel stay, positive experiences, such as free room
upgrades (70 percent) and free Wi-Fi (62 percent) were more likely to
incent a tweet than negative ones.
So, business travelers, what applications are important to you?