Mobile dominates hotel website traffic, but desktop still wins the booking

Why hotels face a growing gap between where travelers browse and where they convert

Hotel websites are now seeing the majority of their global traffic come from mobile devices, especially smartphones, yet the highest conversion rates continue to come from desktop.

Travelers are researching hotels on the go, scrolling through photos, reading reviews, and comparing properties on mobile — but when it comes to actually booking, many still switch to a larger screen.

This split highlights both an opportunity and a challenge for hoteliers: mobile is now the discovery front door, while desktop remains the place where commitments are made.

Improving cross-device continuity and reducing mobile booking friction will be key for hotels aiming to capture more direct revenue in a mobile-first world.

Key takeaways

• Mobile leads hotel-site traffic: Most global visits to hotel and travel websites now come from mobile devices, reflecting travelers’ shift toward on-the-go discovery and research.
• Desktop remains the strongest converting channel: Hotel bookings are still more likely to be completed on desktop, where users feel more comfortable reviewing details and entering payment information.
• Research happens on mobile, decisions on desktop: The data suggests a two-stage user journey — inspiration and comparison on mobile, final booking on desktop — that hoteliers must support.
• Mobile booking friction remains a barrier: Smaller screens, complex rate structures, and long booking forms can discourage mobile conversions, even when interest originates on mobile.
• Cross-device continuity is critical: Hotels can benefit from features like saved searches, email reminders, and persistent cart/booking functionality to bridge mobile discovery and desktop conversion.
• Mobile-first UX must evolve for hotel direct bookings: As mobile traffic continues to rise, optimizing load speed, calendar usability, images, and payment flows will be essential to avoid losing guests to OTAs.
• The gap signals opportunity for direct revenue growth: Hotels that reduce mobile friction and support seamless cross-device journeys are better positioned to lift direct bookings and depend less on intermediaries.

Source: Statista