Hotel Tonight, launched in 2011, is a mobile app for same-day hotel bookings that has over 12 million downloads and partnerships with more than 10,000 hotels across 28 countries. The app aims to enhance user experience by simplifying the booking process, offering curated choices, and leveraging mobile user behavior insights. Key learnings include the importance of a streamlined sign-up process and utilizing native features to improve conversion rates.

1. M O B I L E : P U T T I N G U S E R S F I R S T
A M A N D A R I C H A R D S O N , H O T E L T O N I G H T
A M A N D A @ H O T E LT O N I G H T. C O M
@ A M A N D A R I C H 0 1

2. A B O U T H O T E L T O N I G H T
• Launched 2011 for same-day, mobile-only hotel booking
• iOS, Android, Windows
• 12+ million downloads, 10,000+ hotel partners, 500+ markets, 28 countries
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3. H T M I S S I O N : T O E N A B L E P E O P L E T O TA K E
A D VA N TA G E O F T H E S E R E N D I P I T Y O F L I F E
3

4. R E I M A G I N E T H E B O O K I N G E X P E R I E N C E F O R U S E R S
W H E R E T H E Y A R E
• On the go and in the moment
• On-demand hotel rooms for users
• On-demand guests for hotels
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5. M O B I L E I S A B O U T T H E U S E R S

6. A N D M O B I L E
U S E R S WA N T A P P S
SOURCE: NIELSEN

7. A N D U S E R PAT T E R N S
C H A N G E D U R I N G T H E
D AY
SOURCE: COMSCORE

8. H O T E L T O N I G H T V 1 | 2 0 1 1

9. O R I G I N A L I P H O N E :
$ 5 9 9 | 3 . 5 ” S C R E E N
SOURCE: BLOOMBERG

10. H O M O G E N O U S
U S E R B A S E
• Limited real estate
• High-end, tech-savvy users
• Slow connections
• Very few devices

11. U S E R S S P E N T M O R E T I M E R E A D I N G T H E
N E W S PA P E R T H A N O N M O B I L E D E V I C E S I N 2 0 0 8
SOURCE: EMARKETER
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12. I N 2 0 1 4 , U S E R S S P E N T M O R E T I M E O N
M O B I L E D E V I C E S T H A N WAT C H I N G T V
SOURCE: BUSINESS INSIDER
12

13. I P H O N E 6 + : $ 2 9 9 |
5 . 5 ” S C R E E N
SOURCE: APPLE

14. M A S S A D O P T I O N M E A N S
D I V E R S E U S E R S A N D U S E C A S E S
14

15. S O W H AT H AV E W E L E A R N E D
F R O M O U R U S E R S
15

16. H Y P O T H E S I S # 1 : M O R E D I V E R S E U S E R S
M E A N S M A K I N G M O R E C H O I C E S AVA I L A B L E
16

17. K E E P I T S I M P L E :
C U R AT I O N
• Historically three hotels
• Grew to 15 hotels to give more
choice

18. K E E P I T S I M P L E :
C U R AT I O N
• Tested length of results up to 25
• Happy spot is about 10 results
• Opposite of web test results

19. 6 % D E C R E A S E I N C O N V E R S I O N
19

20. M O R E C H O I C E D O E S N O T AT T R A C T
M O R E U S E R S . I T J U S T C O N F U S E S U S E R S .
L E A R N I N G # 1 : C U R A T I O N W I N S

21. H Y P O T H E S I S # 2 : A P P U S E R S
WA N T A C C O U N T S
21

22. R U T H L E S S LY E D I T:
S I G N U P
• HT: Three taps and a swipe
• 10 seconds
• Competition: 52 taps
• 109 seconds
1
3
2
4

23. R U T H L E S S LY E D I T:
S I G N U P
• Nearly all apps are based on an
account

24. R U T H L E S S LY E D I T:
S I G N U P
• So did we

25. R U T H L E S S LY E D I T: S I G N U P
• But we watched users in testing
• Accounts confused them
• Mental model was ecommerce not apps
25

26. R U T H L E S S LY E D I T:
S I G N U P
• So we removed it

27. 1 5 % I N C R E A S E I N C O N V E R S I O N
27

28. E V E N W H E N Y O U H AV E T H E
S L I M M E S T F U N N E L , C U T A G A I N
L E A R N I N G # 2 : R U T H L E S S LY E D I T

29. H Y P O T H E S I S # 3 : PAY M E N T I S
N O T A P R O B L E M

30. G O N AT I V E :
PAY M E N T S
• What’s so special about three taps
and a thumbprint?

31. 2 6 % I N C R E A S E I N C O N V E R S I O N

32. G O N AT I V E : PAY M E N T S
• Push for native feature adoption
• Make it simpler and consistent for users
• Capture early adopter segment
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33. I N V E S T I N G I N N AT I V E T O O L S W I L L H E L P
E V E N T H E L E A S T L I K E LY P R O B L E M S .
L E A R N I N G # 3 : P U S H F O R N A T I V E F E A T U R E S

34. H Y P O T H E S I S # 4 : M O B I L E D ATA
G I V E S I N S I G H T S I N T O U S E R N E E D S

35. M O B I L E F O C U S :
L O C A L I Z E D O F F E R S
• Patterns in user behavior can drive
features

36. M O B I L E F O C U S :
L O C A L I Z E D O F F E R S
• Study and leverage user patterns
• Focus on what’s only possible with
mobile

37. 1 2 % I N C R E A S E I N C O N V E R S I O N

38. M O B I L E F O C U S : L O C A L I Z E D O F F E R S
• Confident in the idea and potential
• Measure impact in reverse
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39. F O C U S O N M O B I L E - O N LY
D I F F E R E N T I AT I O N A S A N A D VA N TA G E
L E A R N I N G # 4 : I N N O VA T E F O R M O B I L E

40. K E E P I T S I M P L E

41. G O T O Y O U R U S E R

42. Q U E S T I O N W H AT Y O U K N O W
B U T N O T W H AT Y O U B E L I E V E

43. M O B I L E I S A B O U T S E R V I N G
Y O U R U S E R
M O B I L E I S N O T A B O U T B E I N G M O B I L E

44. T H A N K Y O U
A M A N D A R I C H A R D S O N , H O T E L T O N I G H T
A M A N D A @ H O T E LT O N I G H T. C O M
@ A M A N D A R I C H 0 1