Smartphones have revolutionized the way in which we do many things, and traveling is no exception. The smartphone has become our favorite travel companion; no longer do we need to spend hours at a travel agency or call around to various hotels and hope that their standards live up to their promise upon arrival. Today, we simply flip out our phone and explore a world of possibilities from within the palm of our hand.Finding a place to stay when you are traveling is easier than ever and with the right app it is no problem to plan and book your entire trip within the same app. New York City is among the world’s most popular travel destinations, and with nearly 70,000 hotel rooms to choose from, finding one that fits your requirements can seem daunting. Therefore, we have created a selection of the most popular apps to ensure that your travel goes smoothly.
 Expedia – For the classic travelerExpedia is one of the most popular travel apps; and with good reason. Its interface is clean and beautiful, and provides you with the most necessary information about available hotels and flights. When you search for a hotel for a particular date, it shows you the price, number of rooms available at that price, and ratings based on user reviews. It also allows you to sort through results based on popularity, price, ratings, or special offers and see your results laid out on a map. When you click on a hotel it shows you information on the hotel’s amenities and allows you to call the hotel or book the room directly from within the app. |
Kayak – For the effective travelerKayak has become a widely popular travel app and is very easy to use. In addition to booking hotel rooms, the app allows you to easily track and book flights, rent cars, receive price alerts, convert currencies, and create packing lists – all within the app. Kayak does not provide as much information about hotels compared to some of the other popular travel apps like hotels.com andbooking.com, but its intuitive interface makes it easy to navigate and the geo-location tracking allows you to book a nearby hotel on immediate notice. |
Hotel Tonight – For the last-minute travelerThis mobile-only service is one of our favorite apps for same day booking at significant discounts. The app’s design is slick and extremely easy to use. Hotel Tonight carefully selects participating hotels and adds categories to each hotel: “luxe” “solid” and “hip.” While the app does not show user reviews, it asks for feedback on each stay. On a recent booking we were able to stay at a beautiful New York Design Hotel for half of the published fare. Hotel Tonight has fewer hotels than most other booking apps but those on offer are more carefully chosen. If you are planning a longer stay, one of the other apps might be better as Hotel Tonight only supports booking for a maximum of 5 nights. Hotel Tonight has recently expanded into international markets. |
Jetsetter – For the spontaneous travelerShort on cash and up for an adventure? Then Jetsetter is your best option. This app specializes in last minute deals, but bear in mind that you will have no idea which hotel you end up in before you have booked it! Jetsetter has a feature called “Tonight” that shows you the general area of hotel and randomly places you in one of them for last minute deals. But rest assured, Jetsetter verifies the hotels and properties they partner with so that you know you will end up in a decent hotel within that area. In most cities, deals for Tonight are available after 1 p.m. the same day, so if you’re willing to take the risk for a little extra savings, you better be ready to gamble! |
 Airbnb– For the local travelerThis service has become hugely popular and especially among young, urban travelers who like to experience a city from a local’s perspective. Airbnb does not offer hotel rooms but rental properties owned by individuals. Anyone can list their apartments or a room in their home on Airbnb and rent them out to travelers for days, weeks, or even months. Staying at an Airbnb location is generally cheaper than a hotel room and because Airbnb verifies many of their listings you can be reasonably sure that you will arrive at a place that meets your expectations. Visitors are also encouraged to leave reviews so that you can read about the place before deciding to make it your temporary home. |
Booking.com – For the conservative travelerBooking.com is made for dealmakers. It allows you to watch for secret, late, and value deals to make sure that you don’t overspend. You can also search for any landmark in the city you are planning to visit and find hotels nearby, so, for instance if you know that you want to be near the Empire State Building, it will show you the hotels that are located closest. If you are planning ahead, you can add properties to a wish list and revisit them later. One of the best features is that it enables you to see how many rooms are available, how many people are currently viewing them and when the room was most recently booked. The app’s extensive amount of search filters allows you to locate hotels that meet your special requirements – such as valet parking, airport shuttle service, or spa facilities. |
Hipmunk – For the traditional traveler This is one of the more traditional travel apps, and similar to many of the others, it allows you to search for both flights and hotels. One of its special features includes the integration of TripAdvisor reviews so that you can be confident that overly polished photos of the hotels’ amenities are not scamming you. The interface is simple and easy and provides map details, reviews, and images including the ability to book a room within the app. |
It is worth noting that prices of the hotel rooms differ within the various apps, so it may be beneficial to check in regularly and try a couple of them before you decide which one works best for you. Bon voyage and sweet dreams!