Hotel direct booking rates are stabilizing, with mobile gaining market share

Direct bookings are above pre-pandemic levels but growing more slowly than expected, with mobile emerging as a key channel for reservations

Oct 24, 2024

These are some of the key findings from H2c’s latest study, « The Hotel Direct Booking Acceleration, » to be released on October 30. The report explores the technologies and strategies that are shaping the future of direct bookings.

Key takeaways

• H2c found that direct online sales are stabilizing after a post-pandemic spike in 2022, with revenue growth in line with pre-COVID patterns and now on a « sustainable trajectory. » Online direct bookings will increase from 19 percent in 2019 to 21 percent in 2023.
• Mobile bookings are expected to continue to outpace desktop. Five years ago, mobile accounted for 36% of direct online revenue for participating hotels; last year, it rose to 42%, and H2c predicts that mobile could soon account for nearly half of all direct bookings.
• AI is becoming a critical element of direct booking strategies, helping hotels with personalization, chatbots, and yield management.
• The study surveyed 88 hotel chains of various sizes, representing 3,885 hotels and 578,653 rooms.

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