The percentage of consumers who book hotel rooms with mobile devices continues to increase, and the mobile channel is something that hoteliers are playing close attention to when it comes to distribution. And within the past few years, last-minute booking apps such as Hotel Tonight, Eleventh Hour, and others from online booking channels such as Hotels.com, and Booking.com have been popping up all over the place.
Last week, a writer for the New York Times studied and utilized a few of these apps when planning a European trip to see whether or not the apps really translate into savings for consumers. According to the article, the rates highlighted on last-minute apps were 10 to 40 percent lower than those listed on hotel websites.
But while the savings were substantial, the time and effort needed to compare and evaluate different apps to get the best deal takes away some of the appeal. Writer Seth Kugel also explained that barely any of the apps let consumers save credit card information, and when booking with last-minute apps, there is no guarantee of getting a good room.
Read more over on the New York Times.
