Priceline has been up to more than simply letting Captian Kirk rep their online travel services. With the inclusion of a mobile app for Android, Iphone, and Ipad, Priceline was able to track the hotel and auto rental preferences of it’s customers based on which device they used as well as as how last-minute those decisions were.

The same study had been conducted previously, when owning an iPhone was more of a luxury and still considered elite. Their data suggested that there was a correlation between affluent iPhone owners and their choice of hotel accommodations (almost exclusively 3 and 4 star hotels). With the vast majority of mobile users now connected to the internet via their device, usage of Priceline’s app’s has grown considerably and their latest batch of data presents some interesting tidbits on traveler tendencies.

Apparently, renting a car turns out to be last on traveler’s lists when it comes to planning a trip!

  • “Rental cars are a spur-of-the-moment decision for many mobile-equipped travelers. 41% of rental car bookings made through priceline.com apps were same-day. Of those bookings, 48% were made within 2 hours of pickup.”

In addition, the vehicle preferences for mobile customers reflect a more diverse range of choices that reinforce the dynamically changing online mobile market:

  • The top 5 vehicle choices of mobile-equipped rental car customers are: #1 Economy, #2 Intermediate, #3 Full-Size, #4 Compact, and #5 Standard.

From their data, Chief Product Officer John Caine deduced that, “Today, we’re seeing more mobile devices in the hands of mainstream Americans, whose hotel booking preferences more closely parallel desktop-equipped hotel bookers. This is another indication that the mobile marketplace for travel services is broadening as the popularity of mobile devices grows.”


As more and more business travelers and regular folks alike are hopping on the mobile train, it will be interesting to see how the travel landscape develops. PC Housing is here to stay ahead of the game but we’d love to hear your own stories regarding mobile travel booking! Ever tried it? Easier, faster, more convenient? Sound off in the comments below!

Images: HotelHub, RobbieAbed, BigHill