IPads Account For 86% Of Four Seasons Mobile Revenue

　　NEW YORK - In yet another example of how a single mobile device - the iPad - is revolutionizing travel, luxury hotel operator Four Seasons has found that the tablet computer accounts for 86% of its mobile room revenues.

　　In the five months since the Toronto-based company unveiled its website better geared for mobile travelers, it also found that people using iPads are more likely to make a transaction than those using mobile phones, Four Seasons marketing chief Susan Helstab told me last week over breakfast at the Four Seasons hotel in Midtown Manhattan.

　　USA TODAY POLL: What"s your top iPad task in hotels?

　　MORE ONLINE: iPads account for most room-service orders at Bel-Air

　　MORE ONLINE: Hotel occupancy levels, rates rise

　　How much more likely? The so-called "conversion" of website visits to revenue on an iPad is five times that of a mobile phone, she says.

　　This is a screen shot of Four Seasons" newly improved website.

　　CAPTIONBy USA TODAY The stats appear to validate the company"s digital marketing strategy. Four Seasons in January launched an updated and upgraded website for iPads, iPhones and Androids - instead of releasing one or multiple apps like other chains. The effort cost $18 million.

　　JOIN BARB DELOLLIS: On Twitter

　　SUBSCRIBE TO BARB: On Facebook

　　PHOTO GALLERY: Washington DC"s newly revamped Madison hotel

　　Among other things, Four Seasons" new site recognizes customers and lets them save their interests, incorporates customer reviews from other websites, provides more chances to book to prevent the hassle of going backward, and incorporates user-photos.

　　So why is the conversion rate so much higher on the iPad than on mobile phones?

　　"It has the content that people look for," Helstab told me, "but also allows for spontaneous decisions. Even if you are already at a hotel."

　　The content also looks big and beautiful on the tablet - in short, so good that you want to buy the dream.

　　Most Four Seasons customers - 60% - own the pricey gadgets, according to Four Seasons" internal research.

　　Apps will play a role

　　Four Seasons plans to invest more in mobile - and apps will play a role, Helstab says.

　　Apps will be a good fit for specific interests, such as weddings, which have a long planning period that require repeat visits and the saving of content, she says.

　　Just last month, Four Seasons released its weddings app that lets brides connect with gown designers, learn about diamonds, and understand the time table for wedding planning, she says.

　　iPad owners: Are you more likely to book travel on your iPad than on your mobile phone? Why or why not?