Hotel marketing has diversified to adapt to the ever-changing landscape, targeting platforms defined by digital evolution in this information age. Suffice to say that marketing strategies are also heavily influenced by emerging media and platforms. For hotels to foster growth and bring their brand to more people, taking advantage of new media, particularly mobile devices such as cell phones, PDAs and Wi-Fi enabled devices, is an important task.

Many people have been immersed in the mobile culture. The development of high-speed data transfers through 3G networks (EDGE, HSDPA, etc.) and through the mobile Internet has created a dynamic lifestyle for those who can afford it. As it turns out, these people are also perfect for the role of potential hotel guests: more than a billion potential guests, to be exact.

The most attractive thing about mobile marketing is that the information is received first hand, delivered directly to the browsers or mail clients of the users’ personal mobile devices. In this way, mobile marketing is not simply an extension of social media marketing or internet marketing, it becomes a whole new business that benefits from already established strategies.

The emergence of the mobile platform as a feasible avenue to attract new clientele is so massive that the HSMAI Travel Internet Marketing Special Interest Group (SIG), together with Internet marketing firm TIG Global, has published a white paper that Focus on mobile marketing. In fact, many industry experts are touting mobile marketing as a multi-billion dollar industry in 5 years.

“Just as the Internet has completely revolutionized the way consumers book travel, now the immense and growing reliance on mobile devices is bringing about a second shift in the way travel is purchased,” said Fred Malek, Global CEO of TIG. “Today, rarely does anyone leave home without their mobile phone, and twice as many people use SMS worldwide compared to email.”

Malek added that it is “imperative for hotels to take advantage of this growing market,” something his company hopes to provide by being able to “leverage the power and revenue potential of this new distribution channel.” With that, it’s clear that people are already aware of the untapped resources that mobile marketing is capable of providing.

However, mobile marketing is not an easy task. There’s tons of work to be done, even outside of marketing itself. Tons of research and studies are needed to formulate effective strategies and generate the desired results.

Hotels, of course, benefit from simply earning more revenue due to the influx of customers. The improved user experience and potential for post-stay customer interaction is also a definite plus for hotel management. It’s somewhat similar to what the internet already offers, albeit on a more personal level, with user-generated reviews and comments, along with comments and perhaps some additional reservations for the future.

Mobile marketing is, as they say, today’s New Frontier for hotel marketing, as well as many other industries. Leisure travelers and traveling businessmen alike get the vital information they need right at their fingertips, allowing them to enjoy a simpler and more hassle-free hotel experience.