MAXIMIZING YOUR MOBILE PRESENCE: A TOTAL OPTIMIZATION CHECKLIST FOR HOTELS / 1

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To ensure your hotel is on the right track, we’ve created a checklist of the essential elements for total mobile optimization. The checklist is easy, simply start by pulling up your hotel website on a smartphone and tablet. Now consider if your website includes the following features:

is your mobile site optimized?

a Include a media gallery with rich visual content such as videos, virtual tours and photos

a Ensure the media loads as quickly as possible

a Display media that will fit the screen in both landscape and portrait

Consumers expect to see visuals, even on the smaller screens of their smartphones and tablets, because it helps them imagine the experience they could have at your hotel.

Visual Experience

The mobile market is booming as travelers are turning to their smartphones and tablets throughout the shopping journey. Mobile traffic has grown 125% in the last year, and this growth is expected to continuea. With this increase comes the duty for your hotel to create an optimized mobile website that offers an easy-to-use shopping experience. Google’s research shows that if your website is not mobile optimized, travel shoppers will leave in search of a site that is. With smartphones now being used by 91% of adults, it’s time to ramp up your mobile marketing strategiesb.

Desktop Website on Mobile Device Mobile Optimized Website

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Promote offers exclusive to mobile website visitors

Link special offers directly to your mobile optimized booking engine

Promoting special offers on smartphones and tablets not only grabs consumer interest and attention, but it will also encourage them to book through your mobile website.

Special Offers

Ensure your mobile website will fit into the screen size of a smartphone

Make certain to fully utilize the viewing space of a tablet

Incorporate navigation designed for touch screens – swipe, zoom, stretch

There are a number of different operating systems available to travel shoppers, so it’s important to ensure travelers experience a mobile website that is optimized for their device.

Optimized Browsing by Each Device

Make your descriptions short and concise

Use an appropriate text size and font that is easy to read on mobile devices

Descriptions should accompany each of the items in your multi-media gallery to provide context and give travelers a greater understanding of your property.

Description of Amenities and Services

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Providing interactive contact information gives travelers the chance to easily connect with you when they are on-the-go.

Just as you would on your main website, make it easy for your mobile website visitors to connect with you through social media and share your website with their friends and followers.

All About You

Offer a click to call option on smartphones

Provide an ‘e-mail now’ tab for smartphone and tablet users

Include the hotel address that links to a map and directions

Have a social sharing widget allowing travelers to easily share your website

Social Sharing

It is important to maintain your mobile website so that it accurately reflects your hotel to meet customer expectations and ensure satisfaction.

Incorporate an easy-to-use process to update new media, special offers and information

Real-Time Updates

Include a prominent ‘book now’ button on every page

Add a link to a mobile optimized booking engine

To ensure you are not losing any traveler business, create an easy booking process for your mobile customers.

Booking Enablement

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About LeonardoLeonardo is a technology and online media company for the global hospitality industry. We provide e-marketers at hotel brands, management companies and hotel properties with technology, sales conversion tools and a global travel media network that enables them to better visually merchandise their hotels to millions of in-market travel shoppers monthly. Our core products, the VScape® Digital Asset Management System and VBrochure™ Online Merchandising System, leverage the VNetwork™ - the largest media syndication network in the industry. It includes all major search engines, Global Distribution Systems, online travel agencies, travel research and supplier websites, search portals, review, travel editorial, local directories and major social media and video sharing sites. For more information about Leonardo, visit www.leonardo.com.

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To create an optimal shopping experience, it’s important for your hotel’s website to be able to cross off all of the boxes on this checklist. Producing a mobile optimized website is the most beneficial solution to ramp up your hotel’s online mobile presence.

A VPowered Mobile Hotel Website that provides mobile users with a seamless, multi-media experience on their smartphones and tablets is included with VBrochure Ultra Premium. VFM Leonardo helps hotels like yours develop and amplify their visual stories reaching prospects with engaging content. With powerful visual storytelling features and an easy-to-use web interface, Leonardo’s VBrochure™ is an ideal solution for hotels looking to deliver consistent, visually rich stories to travel shoppers across social media channels and beyond. Request a consultation.

SOURCES a http://www.brightedge.com/brightedge-mobileshare-report-august-2013 b http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/06/06/cell-phone-ownership-hits-91-of-adults/

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