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Kayak launches Hotel for Tonight tool with new app

Kayak launches Hotel for Tonight tool with new app

Analysis put together by Kayak.co.uk has shown that half of hotel bookings on its app are booked within 48 hours of the hotel stay, compared to just 15 per cent on a tablet device globally.

London is the most searched destination by British travellers on the APP for last minute hotels booking.

Change in consumer activity has led Kayak to extend their app to include a tool called ‘Hotel for Tonight’, available on Android app version 8.0 and will be available for iOS in March 2015.

The tool shows hotels in the immediate proximity of the user, which have three stars and have been highly rated by other travellers.

To simplify the booking process when searching, users will be able to see pictures, prices, amenities and location and then book directly at one glance.

Kayak has also seen how behaviour changes between using an app and tablet.

Consumers tend to use smartphones for last minute booking, whilst using tablets for research, travel inspirations and advanced planning.

Along with this Brits are one of the slowest in Europe to book last minute hotels on their app at nine minutes, compared to the European average of eight minutes.

The fastest nations are Spain and Italy at seven minutes.

Kayak Explore now also features in the Kayak App, available on the Kayak Android app and soon to be on Kayak iOS.

Kayak Explore features show an overview of the cheapest flights on a map of the world, with a filter that can limit or extend results according to the traveller’s personal holiday budget.

Loella Pehrsson, regional managing director UK, Ireland & the Nordics of Kayak said: “In today’s fast-paced world, we are increasingly seeing Brits are no longer pre-planning trips and are leaving hotel booking to the last minute.

“While more and more of us are booking flights, car rentals and hotels on our smartphones, we are also wanting much more from an app than a place to book a holiday; we want a travel companion.

“As a result, our app now supports the user in every facet of their journey: from price comparisons and flight, hotel and rental car bookings, to mobile travel plans, real-time information about the flight status, airport maps and taxi assistants.”