No reservations: It's time for last-minute travel

Floods and rain may have impacted hotels book ings in Chennai, an anomaly this time of the year with Margazhi and holiday season. Fortunately, the holiday spirit of Chennaiites has not been hit. According to travel industry sources, an increasing number of Chennaiites are set ting off on road trips to holiday destinations this weekend.
Stayzilla, an online marketplace for hotels and homestays, has recorded a 30% increase in travellers from Chennai, compared to the previous two weekends.“The destinations are Puducherry, Yercaud, Mahabalipuram and for some ambitious travellers, Ooty,” said CEO Yogendra Vasupal. This includes both normal holiday goers and those who had to alter their plans when the airport was closed due to the deluge earlier this month. “We had booked a trip on December 6 but cancelled it because the airport was shut. We later rescheduled it to the New Year weekend, and we had to book it at the last minute,” said Nandhitha R, a traveller from Chennai.
Industry observers state that holidaying itself is undergoing a makeover. In an age when people are pressed for time with increasing workload at office, last-minute travels seem to be the only resort for many. “Today, many youngsters do not have time. Even at workplace, the window for advance leave is small as sometimes things crop up that require people to stay put,” said Abraham Alapatt, chief innovation officer and head, marketing and service quality of Thomas Cook India. Stayzilla, in fact, has seen an increase in last-minute bookings across the country this year.
Rising smartphone penetration has also contributed to travel plans made in the eleventh hour.
Wi t h ap p s l i ke Stayzilla, Rooms Tonite and Oyo Rooms, travellers can now book hotels with a swipe.

Data from Rooms Tonite, a last-minute hotel booking app, shows that around 30-40% of bookings are by leisure travellers. The app, operational for more than a year, saw a spike in the number of leisure bookings in 2015. “There has been a marked increase in the number of bookings this time, with leisure travellers clocking at 40%, a rise from 15% in 2011,” said Karthick Prabu, chief product officer, Rooms Tonite.
With ratings available for hotels online, travellers are more confident about lastminute bookings. Sidharth Gupta, co-founder, Treebo Hotels said, “We receive most last-minute bookings from 2035 age group. When they have an option to verify ratings, they put more trust on the hotels and tend to book last minute,” he added. However, this practice is predominantly an urban phenomenon.