Functionality evaluation of mobile hotel websites in the m-commerce era

ABSTRACT

Many hotel companies have launched mobile versions of their official websites in the m-commerce era. These websites are used as online marketing and communication tools for travelers worldwide. Given that mobile websites are essentially different from their desktop counterparts, a new set of evaluation criteria must be formulated in response to the changing technologies in Internet browsing. This study used the hotels in Hong Kong as samples and produced a revised evaluation instrument for the functionality of mobile hotel websites via focus group discussions. Performance scores were calculated to compare the different types and categories of hotels. Managerial implications were also discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Mobile website
• m-commerce
• hotel website evaluation
• website functionality
• information quality
• online marketing
• website performance
• weighted composite score
• hotel industry
• Hong Kong

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.