In 2011, Booking.com customers completed more than $1 billion in transactions on mobile devices. Additionally, the volume has been surpassed in the first six months in 2012, proving that consumers are increasingly turning to their mobile devices to book their vacations.

“Booking.com wants to ensure its customers can search for and book the best places to stay anytime, anywhere, and on any device,” said Anoeska van Leeuwen, director of corporate communications at Booking.com.

“With the launch of our new Windows 8 app, we believe Windows users around the globe will benefit from the enhanced overall booking experience on Booking.com,” she said.

Mobile booking
Through the Windows 8 mobile app, consumers can view detailed descriptions of more than 240,000 places to stay in over 41,000 destinations worldwide.

Additionally, consumers can check out more than 17 million reviews from real guests to see what they have to say about past stays.

The app is also available in 22 languages to make sure it is accessible to as many consumers as possible.

Moreover, users can sort and filter search results when looking for a specific place and switch between map and list view for more seamless experience.

“We can’t speak for all marketers, but we want to be on those platforms that matter and are relevant for our customers all over the world,” Ms. Leeuwen said.

“We already have more than 10 million mobile users to date and we believe these numbers will continue to grow in the foreseeable future,” she said. “The Windows 8 platform will contribute to this too.”

Mobile past
Booking.com has been ramping up its mobile initiatives over the past year.

Most recently, the company rolled out an application for iPhone and iPod touch devices to let travelers find quick savings at nearby hotels.

“Mobile is an integrated part of our strategy especially since many of our customers use multiple devices to search, book and access their bookings at the same time,” Ms. Leeuwen said.

Final Take