Does your Hotel have a Mobile Optimised Website?

With a recent forecast from Gartner predicting that by the end of 2011, over 85 percent of handsets shipped globally will include some form of browser it seems that the trend for consumers to access the web on their mobile devices will continue to grow.

This trend would seem to be of particular relevance to hotel owners and hotel marketing professionals, who’s customers may need to access their website when travelling. For hoteliers, having a mobile SMS marketing strategy, an in particular providing a dedicated mobile optimised website specially designed to provide an excellent user experience in a mobile environment is something worthy of serious consideration.

So what is a mobile optimised website?

Traditional websites are optimized for large desktop monitors. In contrast a mobile optimised website takes into account the much smaller screen size of your mobile phone. But creating a good mobile website is not just about ensuring your existing website looks good on a smaller screen.

If a traveller is browsing your website on their phones, it is likely they are looking for some specific information about your hotel or the surrounding environment. So think what kind of information could they be looking for. Some likely examples include:

- Your Hotels Address.

- Your Phone Number.

- Your contact e-mail address.

- Directions to your hotel from the airport/train station.

- Directions from where they are (e.g. using google maps or a technology such as PinPoints).

- Check-in time, Check-out time or Restaurant opening hours.

- Special promotional offers.

- Nearby restaurants and attractions.

The traveller accessing your website on their mobile device does not need to access your whole website. It is more important to ensure they can access the basic/important information you identify in a quick, seamless manner with the minimal amount of scrolling and mouse clicks to ensure a quality user experience.

Why not review your websites Google Analytics Statistics to see how much of your traffic is coming from mobile devices/browsers. You can then make an informed decision on how important a mobile optimised website is to your business.