SMARTPHONES and tablets are giving travelers a reason to wait until the last minute to book a hotel: discounts if you reserve a room for the same day using an app.
Kayak, Priceline, Orbitz, Travelocity and Expedia all offer apps that let travelers search for available hotel rooms, often discounted 10 to 50 percent for stays that begin the day you book. The apps have different features — and flaws — but they basically use a device's GPS to show where you can find a room near you. The information is displayed on a map or a list that you can sort by price, distance or rating.
For travelers who are stuck in a city for an extra night or just planning a last-minute getaway, this mobile booking option is quite handy. I used a few apps on my iPhone on a recent driving trip and was surprised at how helpful it was to be able to zoom in on a map and choose a hotel that was affordable and close to a highway exit. Back in New York, these apps turned up hotels available in Manhattan in September for about — and sometimes even under — $200 a night. While your stay doesn't have to begin the same day, the best discounts tend to be for last-minute rooms.
Here are some pros and cons of the apps I've tried.
Expedia
Expedia's hotel app (expedia.com/app) will detect your location and show you nearby hotels, or you can enter the name of a city. Results can be filtered by distance, price or star rating, or you can view them on a map where you select a pin to see the hotel's price and name. "Mobile exclusive" deals are marked with a flag indicating how much you're saving.
RECENT DEAL Element New York Times Square, $126 with taxes (versus about $462 booking through various online agencies two weeks in advance).
PROS The app scrolls through photos of the selected property; hotel descriptions include nearby attractions, guest ratings and a list of amenities. Check-in/checkout policies and fees for things like Internet access and parking are also displayed.
CONS You can't filter the list of hotels by neighborhood. Initial prices displayed do not include taxes.
AVAILABLE FOR iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad (all with iOS 5.0 or later), Android.
Kayak
With Kayak's app (kayak.com/mobile), you can choose "Hotels near me — Find a deal for tonight," or enter a destination. As with other apps that pinpoint your location, the results can include options that are nearby but not necessarily convenient (for example, New Jersey if you're standing in Manhattan), so choosing the map view lets you zoom in on a specific area like downtown or Midtown Manhattan. Robert Birge, Kayak's chief marketing officer, said mobile bookers can save 25 percent or more by using the app and booking at the last minute.
RECENT DEAL Park Central New York, $170 including taxes (compared with about $295 when booking through various online agencies two weeks in advance).
PROS The map view shows each hotel's base rate in balloons above the street where it is (most competitors show pins, without prices). Once you select a hotel, Kayak displays rates available from different travel agencies, including taxes and fees, making it easy to find the lowest price. There's also a "call hotel" link if you prefer to book by phone.
CONS Using the list view, you cannot sort the results by neighborhood and price at the same time.
AVAILABLE FOR iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Mobile 7, Kindle Fire.
Orbitz
I tested the Orbitz Hotels app (orbitz.com/mobile) with my iPhone 4, but if you have a newer iPhone (iOS 4.3 or later) or Android device, you can download a version of the app that also lets you book flights and cars. Chris Brown, an Orbitz vice president, said all the company's apps display "mobile steals" — last-minute hotel rooms that are up to 65 percent off regular rates. A funnel icon at the bottom of the screen lets you filter the results by amenities, area (one neighborhood at a time), hotel chain and rating, and then you can sort the list from lowest to highest price.
RECENT DEAL Sheraton TriBeCa New York, $232 including taxes (versus about $404 booking through various online agencies two weeks in advance).
PROS Orbitz automatically scrolls through a set of photos of the selected property, with descriptions of amenities.
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