In the new Mobile in Travel Report series, EyeforTravel talks to travellers and taps its vast database of executives from across the hospitality sector

The Mobile in Travel report series surveyed over 20,000 travel consumers and over 900 executives from the industry to gather fresh data and unique insights into the latest trends. Packed with information, the first in the series titled Mobile in Hospitality will help hoteliers to understand where they can improve the customer experience and drive fresh revenues.

One of the most compelling findings of this report is that mobile has the ability to drive direct sales (up 138% in the UK on 2012), something that most hotels aspire to. Another interesting finding is that while typically consumers have used their mobiles for smaller transactions this is changing too. Online travel agent Travelbag.co.uk noted that the highest-value smartphone order since August 2013 was £7,773.58, and that the average smartphone order value has increased by 71% since the company’s mobile- optimised website launched.

Yet many hoteliers are still not grasping the opportunities. Here are some standout findings from this report that highlight where there is room for improvement.

• 64% of hotel executives believe mobile has helped to drive direct bookings but only 49% say they will increase investment over the next three months
• 50% of the consumers surveyed want to mange their booking across all devices but just a third of hoteliers offer this service
• Over 42% of customers want to check in via mobile but only 8% of hotels are rising to the challenge
• Consumers clearly want to book in room services via mobile but 73% of hoteliers did not know if they would provide mobile room service now or in the next 12 months

Report number two is the Mobile in Air Travel Report - essential reading for anybody working in the challenging environment that is the airline or airport industry. The final report in the series, the Mobile in the Online Travel Agent and Metasearch Industry report, sheds light on the multichannel environment through ten focused industry interviews, an industry wide survey and insights from a global consumer study.

Watch out for snippets of data from all three reports in the coming weeks.