Travel and Hospitality portals across the world are re-inventing themselves every other to keep up with the changing trends. While some improving upon their automation tools, others are opting for AI-powered chatbots and apps. Increased in-app booking and a growing keenness for mobile experiences are also on the rise.

Mobile customer experiences are gaining importance in every industry, but the mobile travel and hospitality segment has seen significant growth in online bookings. Growth rates between the years 2011 and 2015 reported an increase of 1700%, accounting for 18% of online revenues.

The 2017 Travel and Hospitality Industry Outlook from Deloitte predict that travelers have already felt the real power of mobile for hotel booking, check-in, and getting itinerary updates. Very recently, the SnapTravel app has raised $8 million for the hotel booking service that works over chat.

The users can book rooms via SMS and Facebook messenger. Most travel and hospitality portals in India aim at a striking design with integrated booking functionality and easy site navigation. Many of them offer attractive loyalty programs for returning visitors. The

Desovrani website, for example, is a sure shot winner with its spectacular designs, integrated room booking functionality, and easy navigation. The integrated booking engine shows easy accessibility features such as high-contrast skins, technology support, and keyboard navigation.

While most website developers are crazy about overseas travel destinations and package deals, Nativeroute website steals the show with moment sharing. It includes some of the most widely traveled places in India, presented in a way that seems to have been created by a traveler.

The site with its remarkable design and information content renews interest to explore the unknown in the known premises. Automation for Travel & Hospitality When it comes to effective and efficient marketing, automation is the trump card. Make sure your CRM is set up to respond to the different actions your audience takes on your website.

You must have the automatic follow-up email set up to send once they book a stay. The Chocolate Hotels website is a great example. Also, marketers are making the checkout process much easier by sending guests an email that allows them to check-out directly from their phone.

This is also a great way to ask for a review while everything is still fresh in their mind. Most online portals are automating their internal sales process. If someone submits a contact form on the website asking for more information, this can trigger an internal email to one of your salespeople to reach out and answer their questions while gathering more information about what they are looking for.

This ensures that you deliver both context and personalization as the customers decide on the right hotel for their travels. The New Zealand travel website for Ecotravels is a winner, both in terms of design and online information listing. Its integrated booking system making New Zealand travel through Ecotravels more enjoyable than ever.

The northstarhotel.in website wins with its simplistic layout and delightful designs. Easy site navigation and integrated online booking feature are some of the other things worth mentioning.

The name wildflowersikkim stands true to its name. The booking calendar booking shows availability, allows bookings with a few easy steps, accepts online payments, and lets you manage reservations and bookings, with just a few clicks.  

But, what if the user decides to move on?

Driving direct bookings is one of the biggest challenges in the travel and hospitality industry. Recent reports show numbers of up to 81% of booking abandonments. Well, leaving the booking page does not mean the end of everything. In fact, it makes way for booking retargeting. As a marketer, you can retarget abandoning customers and catch up with cart abandoners on other marketing platforms.

For example, if your customer has shown interest in a booking, but left your booking funnel before sealing the deal, you can redirect their attention back to you on other online marketing platforms through paid search ads, and on-screen prompts Artificial Intelligence for Travel & Hospitality Portals Of late Artificial intelligence has created ripples in online travel applications.

In recent times, chatbots, travel apps, and personal assistants have not just predicted customer choices, but have also influenced pricing applications. Mezi, an AI-powered personal travel assistant has chatbots that automate more than 60% of conversations about flights, hotels, and dining options. Apps like Google Flights have come with “predictive pricing,” which provides consumers with suggestions on when they might find the lowest price.

Closing thoughts: The travel and hospitality industry is growing by leaps and bounds, with newer and better strategies. Thus, brands that keep up with current marketing trends will have a competitive advantage over those that settle for old-fashioned marketing and advertising. It is therefore vital to adjust your marketing strategies to meet changing consumer expectations.