MakeMyTrip has released Hotel-booking trends in its2015 Summer Hotel Tracker. In good news for travellers, hotel tariffs remain flat compared to this period last year. However, the Advance Purchase period has also reduced from last year.
Elaborating on the findings, Mohit Gupta, COO – Online, MakeMyTrip.com said, “As the largest player in the online hotel-booking segment, we have seen the market explode thanks to increasing mobile penetration and adoption, especially for last-minute hotel bookings. We offer the largest domestic hotel inventory with over 25000 properties in India, across categories, including homestays and service apartments. Whatever be the customer need, they can find a hotel online – quicker and cheaper. Due to relatively flat tariffs and lower advance purchase cycles, travellers who have not booked their summer holidays can still get great deals online and via mobile.”
Commenting on customers’ hotel-booking behavior, Gupta added, “Hotel-booking on the move via mobile devices is really popular this season. We have seen the share of (domestic) hotel bookings on mobile grow to 41% of online bookings (compared to 29% last year). This has also promoted the trend of last-minute bookings, with nearly 70% of bookings made within a week of travel. Of this, nearly 50% is made in the last three days of travel. This trend is especially visible for nearby and drivable destinations compared to those that take 9-10 hours to reach. Interestingly, check-ins over long weekends see a 2x spike, showing how the last-minute bookings are also fueling weekend getaways.”
Speaking on the destination trends, he said Goa, Ooty and Jaipur continue to be top-sellers for hotels this summer season, but smaller destinations such as Landsdowne, Khajjiar, Yelagiri and Ganpatiphule have gained the highest thanks to the reach of online listings. Customers and Hoteliers are finding value in utilizing web and mobile-based interactions.”
