How wonderful would it be to book your hotel stay instantly with just a wink or a click? How the hotel shopping and booking process can be streamlined to meet the demands of the connected customer.

In the sitcom, I Dream of Jeannie, Jeannie was able to cross her arms, nod, and give her signature wink and immediately transport herself or anyone anywhere. How can hoteliers provide a similar instant service to shoppers while they navigate their website? And while we're at it, could we just wink and get transported to our destination, skipping the security lines at the airport?

We live in a world where customers want instant service, and the ability to book on the fly. The connected customer wants to find a hotel's website, access the information they are looking for, be inspired, and be able to book right now. Why not? They can do this easily on Amazon with 1- click ordering. And now Apple had redesigned their shopping interface, so that the buying experience is woven into the site instead of linking shoppers off to a different page to shop. With apple's new redesign, you can actually purchase products on the same page you are doing your research… does this sound familiar? In-Context shopping! The SynXis Booking Engine In-Context suite does the same thing for your hotel; it connects your booking engine directly on the pages your web visitors are searching and allows them to book right there and then.

In today's connected world, instant gratification is not a nice-to-have service, it's a must. Travelers want to be able to plan a trip and book in the moment they need it. Not only does this meet traveler's expectations, but it also shortens the path to purchase reducing attrition along the way.

Booking on the fly... with a wink (or a click).
Here are some ideas to simplify the end-to-end booking process for travelers:

• Use known traveler preferences and loyalty information to filter queries and provide unique discounts to travelers in line with their preferences.
• Encourage spontaneity by offering limited time deals for reduced rates.
• Narrow down options presented based on travel type (business or leisure) or traveler types.
• Enable travelers to securely upload and save their preferred payment information to enable booking within a few taps.
• Auto-fill basic information like name, room and amenity preferences, and payment information from guest profiles across devices to facilitate one-click booking.
• Provide elements like comparison shopping, deal sourcing and one-click purchase options.
• Leverage emerging payment technology such as google wallets or one click shopping similar to amazon.

We are all pressed for time and want instant gratification. We all wish we could do a lot with just a magical wink, and purchasing travel is no exception! Read pages 24-33 of the Future of Hotel Booking for additional insights into leveraging the Instant Service trend.

Your hotel's booking engine should dynamically sell across any device while enhancing conversions and optimizing your guest's experience. Contact your Sabre Hospitality account manager to learn how to implement or optimize your booking engine.