Author Archives: Karen Shulman

Hi Everyone,

Not sure if any of you have heard of the Planet Money podcast, but I’m a bit obsessed. I heard a great episode the other day about the Birth of Accounting and thought you might enjoy. It has definitely given me a new appreciation for double-entry accounting.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/09/28/161948981/episode-407-a-mathematician-the-last-supper-and-the-birth-of-accounting

Enjoy,

Karen

A recent Wall Street Journal article,  explained that more than 65% of mobile-equipped travelers waited until 2:00pm on December 31st to book a New Year’s Eve hotel room. Out of these travelers who used the Priceline.com mobile app to snag a hotel room on New Years’s Eve, 42% waited until 5:00pm, while a remaining 13% risked the wait and booked after 9:00pm.

These numbers come from a Priceline.com study which suggests that many travelers, often who are already in their destination cities, will use their mobile devices to make travel reservations in the last minute.

John Caine, priceline.com’s Chief Product Officer says that, “Travel apps like Priceline can be game changers for hotels on holidays like New Year’s. It gives them that one more shot at selling last-minute rooms to mobile-equipped travelers who already may be in, or close to town, having dinner, clubbing, or watching the fireworks.”

Priceline.com gathered their data by looking at bookings made through its Priceline app and its Tonight-Only Deals service for the app. This app allows travelers to find hotel discounts up to 35% or more for check-in that night. This service differs from Priceline’s Name Your Own Price, since every Tonight-Only Deal shows the exact hotel one can book, along with the specific location and pictures.

This is great advice for anyone looking to book a cheaper hotel room and is willing to take a little risk.

For more information check out the article, “Now That’s Last Minute: New Priceline.com Study Shows That Almost Half Of Mobile-Equipped Travelers Waited Until After 5:00 P.M. To Book Their New Year’s Eve Hotel Rooms” at http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20130128-909129.html?mod=crnews