Travelocity claims that more than half of its mobile bookings come in via the iPad, making an app an essential step in the company’s digital strategy. In addition to the iPad app, Travelocity also has apps for iPhone, Android and Windows Phone 7 devices as well as a mobile site.

“We think the app provides a fresh experience for searching and booking travel and addresses a customer need,” said Jason Fulmines, director of mobile at Travelocity, Southlake, TX.

“In particular the app combines air, hotel and car rental bookings into one experience,” he said.

Travelocity helps consumers plan and book trips with airline flights, hotels, car accommodations, cruises and travel packages.

Tablet travel
The Travelocity iPad app lets users search for flights, hotels and cars by entering their destination city and dates of travel at the top of the page.

Users can filter the results by categories including price. Orange banners indicate that certain deals are mobile-specific.

According to Travelocity, approximately 70 percent of hotel bookings are made for same-day reservations, making last-minute deals a natural addition to the company’s offerings.

Unlike other travel-related apps that cut down the number of results for mobile consumers, the Travelocity iPad app includes a detailed list of travel options. This helps give users choices and takes advantage of the larger size of the tablet.

Users can also submit reviews of hotels, which fits in with Travelocity’s goal to use consumer advice to help travelers make plans.

Consumers can also browse hotel information and photos via the app to help users narrow down their travel choices.

To check out, users can log-in to their Travelocity account and view their travel history. Consumers can change rooms and details about their trips.

Mobile holiday
As tablets continue to evolve, more brands are taking advantage of the increased size and the different opportunities that it presents.

For travel companies such as Travelocity, a tablet app is a great way to bolster sales. Additionally, by giving consumers the option to find mobile-only deals, it gives users an added bonus for using their devices.

Travelocity is not the only online travel site that is realizing how mobile can help increase bookings.

Orbitz recently rolled out a new mobile site and added mobile deals to its products to entice travelers (see story).

“It is important for us to understand the needs of people on the go and provide them with the experience they want and expect,” Mr. Fulmines said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York