Hotels.com and Columbus Internet have announced today the launch of their new Facebook app, ‘Hotels WithMe' in Asia Pacific.
The ‘Hotels WithMe' app enables friends, families and colleagues to get together through Facebook and collectively choose and book a hotel, ensuring that everyone is happy with the choice. For the first time, groups can collaboratively choose a hotel without having to sit in front of the same computer together.
With the ‘Hotels WithMe' Facebook app, selected friends can be invited to join a ‘trip', from where they can search for hotels together, as easily as if they were all looking at the same computer screen. Members of the ‘trip' can perform a hotel search and show all the results to other ‘trip' members who can pick any hotel they like and add them to a shortlist of potential hotels which everyone can vote on. All the ‘trip' members can discuss the hotels they're looking at just by using the integrated chat.
The app automatically keeps track of prices and the availability of all the hotels on the shortlist. Hence if a room-type becomes unavailable or the price changes, the updated information is shown immediately in Singapore Dollars. Once all members of the ‘trip' agree on the hotel, a quick click on the "book" button links straight through to the Hotels.com booking page.
'Hotels WithMe' is perfectly adapted for the social-media generation, letting travellers plan trips together," said Andrew Sittermann, CEO at Columbus Internet. "We are very proud to be working with Hotels.com to provide the first application on the web which lets people research and book hotels together in real-time."
Abhiram Chowdhry, Marketing Director of Hotels.com in Asia Pacific comments, "The new app will make the process of choosing and booking the perfect hotel for groups of family, friends, and colleagues simple and straightforward, and most importantly a truly collaborative experience. We are pleased to be working with Columbus Internet so travellers in Asia Pacific can access our outstanding hotel offers and deals through this app."
‘Hotels WithMe' users have access to more than 135,000 hotels available on Hotels.com. From five-star resorts and city-centre boutique properties to local independent guesthouses and bed-and-breakfasts, Hotels.com offers recommendations in hundreds of locations around the world. The hotel information on the app includes high-quality photos and detailed descriptions of the facilities. Google Maps and Google Streetview are also integrated, so users can research the location and area surrounding their accommodation.
