Hotel representation company Utell has launched a mobile customer service and reservation tool so agents and customers can view hotel information, see rates and images and make bookings.
The microsite, www.mobile.utell.com, will offer a simplified reservation process with real-time booking.
Utell senior vice president sales and marketing Diana Banks said: “Mobile technology makes booking a hotel on the move swift and safe. There is huge potential in the UK and in developing markets for mobile products to provide hoteliers with a direct link to their potential guests. In China and Korea, two markets currently demonstrating market growth, mobile usage already outpaces desktop computer usage.â€
She added: “Over 100 properties currently benefit from Utell mobile and we continually develop ways for our partner hotels to reach new customers.â€
Business and technology strategists Forrester Research have predicted that 125 million Europeans will access the internet regularly through mobile devices by 2013 while current research by internet analysts eMarketer estimates that there are currently 500 million mobile internet users worldwide.
PhoCusWright now predicts that mobile penetration will reach 50% this year thanks to buoyant markets such as China, India and Korea where consumers are more likely to be able to access a phone than a PC.
By Dinah Hatch
