Online travel agency Expedia has unveiled its free iPhone and iPod touch app, Expedia Hotels. This is the first app introduced by Expedia since the company acquired mobile travel apps specialist Mobiata in November 2010.

Published: 24 Mar 2011

Online travel agency Expedia has unveiled its free iPhone and iPod touch app, Expedia Hotels. This is the first app introduced by Expedia since the company acquired mobile travel apps specialist Mobiata in November 2010.

Expedia Hotels is the first in a series of mobile initiatives that the company will roll out in 2011.

The company says “Expedia Hotels is simple, streamlined and graphically slick”.

The app automatically uses GPS to find available hotels within walking distance of the traveller. In addition, travellers can research and book hotels anywhere in the world.

Key features include:

An interactive map view shows all hotels in the area. Hotel choices can be narrowed by price, rating, popularity or distance.

• The hotel ratings are provided by TripAdvisor; the highest rated hotels are clearly marked.
• For each hotel, amenities and details have been summarised, complete with a hotel slideshow.
• Just four taps are required for a traveller move from research to purchase.
• Once booked, travellers can tap for directions to the hotel, share their confirmation via email, and add the reservation directly to their iPhone calendar.
• The app is being released worldwide, with 20 local currencies supported.