Attention Hoteliers: Smartphone An Essential Item For 40% Of Travelers
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
Survey Reveals that 1 in 10 Travelers spend 70 hours online while on vacation
According to research conducted by IHG Rewards Club, roughly 40 percent of travelers say their smartphone is the most important item to take on holiday, while 67 percent state that they will use it every single day. In all, 1 in 10 travelers spend an average of 70 hours online while on vacation - almost one-fifth of the actual time spent on a two week getaway.
The research, released by InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), questioned more than 10,000 travelers across 13 countries worldwide, and reveals that the must-have item for a summer holiday is your smartphone. This information is relevant to hoteliers who are trying to engage their guests.
IHG Rewards Club is the first and largest hotel loyalty program in the world, with over 80 million members worldwide. IHG is one of the world’s leading hotel companies, with over 4,700 hotels around the world and a family of nine trusted hotel brands.
IHG surveyed more than 10,000 of its members worldwide in order to gain further insight into their relationships with their loyalty program and to learn more about their travel needs.
The top ten uses of smartphones by holidaymakers are:
- Checking work emails – 68 percent
- Navigation / Maps – 67 percent
- Texting – 64 percent
- Taking holiday photos – 51 percent
- Making calls – 42 percent
- Snapping pictures of meals – 35 percent
- Updating Facebook / Twitter – 32 percent
- Skype-ing friends/family – 32 percent
- Playing games – 27 percent
- Taking selfies – 25 percent
The survey found that the smartphone is fast replacing the traditional postcard, with 64 percent of respondents saying they use it to text friends and another 32 percent to Skype friends and family back home during their vacations. Recounting vacation stories friends and family still remains one of the most enjoyable ways of sharing a getaway, however, with one in ten travelers saying this is as enjoyable as the vacation itself.
And planning a trip is nearly half the fun, according to the survey, with 45 percent of all travelers say it is the best part of a holiday and more than a third (37 percent) spend over a day researching a holiday.
Susanna Freer Epstein, Senior Vice President Customer Loyalty Marketing, IHG said: “IHG is a brand and consumer driven company. We use insight to anticipate consumer trends and behavior. This research shows how mobile technology is revolutionizing the holiday experience – from enabling travelers to dream about and plan their holidays, to helping enjoy the trip itself and share their experiences with their friends and family.”
The survey also uncovered that 42 percent of travelers check social media every day while on vacation, with one quarter of them even saying they always check Facebook before going to sleep. Taking selfies is also increasingly becoming one of the most popular ways to share experiences, with 25 percent of travelers surveyed saying they use their smartphones for trip selfies.
As part of the global survey, IHG Rewards Club has launched a digital hub at www.ihg.com/rewardingexperiences that showcases the experiences available to over 80 million members worldwide.
Hoteliers can maximize their guest engagement by tapping into the opportunities provided by this connection to smartphones, providing apps and technologies to improve the total guest experience.