The short answer
The loading speed of a hotel website affects how many visitors complete a booking. Google rates a page as good when its largest visible content appears within 2.5 seconds at the latest, the page responds to input within 200 milliseconds, and the layout barely shifts. A 2020 study by Deloitte commissioned by Google found roughly 10 percent more conversions on travel websites when mobile loading time fell by just 0.1 seconds.
Key takeaways
- Google measures user experience with three Core Web Vitals: LCP, INP and CLS.
- Google treats LCP up to 2.5 seconds, INP up to 200 milliseconds and CLS up to 0.1 as good.
- In the Deloitte study “Milliseconds Make Millions”, conversions on travel websites rose by around 10 percent when mobile loading time fell by 0.1 seconds.
- The biggest drags on hotel websites are usually large images, embedded booking forms and plugins.
The three values Google measures
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) measures when the largest visible element has loaded; on hotel websites, that is almost always the header image. Interaction to Next Paint (INP) measures how quickly the page responds when someone types, for example in the calendar. Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) measures how much content jumps while loading, for example when a booking window appears late and pushes the button down.
Google’s thresholds for a good experience are: LCP up to 2.5 seconds, INP up to 200 milliseconds and CLS up to 0.1, each measured at the 75th percentile of page views.
What the study found for travel websites
In 2020, Deloitte, on behalf of Google, analysed mobile data over four weeks from 37 brands across retail, travel, luxury and lead generation. For travel websites, conversions rose by around 10 percent when mobile loading time improved by 0.1 seconds. The study measures averages across many websites. For your property, it is an indication of the direction, not a promise of a specific result.
What typically slows down hotel websites
- Header images at full camera size: a photo of several megabytes is the most common cause of a poor LCP on smartphones.
- Embedded booking forms: a third-party window loads its own scripts and fonts and often shifts the layout.
- Plugins and tracking: every add-on brings its own code, including on pages that do not need it.
- Third-party fonts: they load late and can make text briefly invisible.
- Sliders and videos at the top of the page: they look good and cost loading time.
Why hotel websites are especially affected
Hotel websites live on large images, and rightly so. Guests want to see rooms, views and the breakfast room. Add widgets for booking, reviews, weather and maps, each with its own code. On a current laptop in the office, this hardly shows. On a smartphone on a mobile network, in the evening on the sofa, the guest first sees an empty area.
There is also the moment of research: many guests compare several properties across several tabs. The site that shows something first and states the price fastest has an advantage. Portals are optimised for exactly that, and your website competes against them at that moment.
What loading speed cannot fix
A fast site does not sell on its own. If prices, availability or cancellation terms are missing, even the best loading time does not help. That is why we always measure both: loading time and the number of steps to the booking. Which investment a dedicated booking website requires depends on the solution; the comparison costs of direct booking websites shows this. Which other points on hotel websites regularly cost bookings is covered in the overview of typical weak points on hotel websites.
How to check your site yourself
- Open PageSpeed Insights: enter the address of your home page and of a room page, and check the “Mobile” view.
- Read field data: the top section shows real data from Chrome users, provided there are enough visits.
- Test a booking: on your own smartphone, over a mobile network, run through a stay up to the payment page and time it.
How we build fast sites
Our direct booking websites are generated as finished pages when they are published. Images are delivered automatically in suitable sizes and modern formats, fonts are hosted on our own server, and the booking flow is part of the page rather than an embedded window. If you want to know where your site stands, request the free technical check.
Sources and further reading
Häufige Fragen
What is a good loading time for a hotel website?
Google rates a Largest Contentful Paint of up to 2.5 seconds as good. The aim should be to stay below that on a smartphone. Test your site on a phone, not only on a desktop, so that you see what guests on mobile networks see.
Why is my site fast on the computer but slow on my phone?
Smartphones have less processing power and often a slower connection, so large images and a lot of JavaScript weigh more heavily there. A fast office laptop on Wi-Fi hides the problem, which is why the same page can feel quick on one device and slow on the other. Check your site on a phone over a mobile network to see the difference.
Does a faster host help?
Sometimes a little. The biggest gains usually come from smaller images, fewer scripts and a booking flow without embedded third-party windows. Start by checking what loads on your pages, then decide whether the host needs to change too, and measure again after each step.
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