Major travel site Expedia has yet to have a mobile experience that matches its respected web presence, but the new Expedia Hotels & Flight app is its strongest attempt yet. The new app hits iOS and Android phones today.
It isn’t Expedia’s first app: TripAssist by Expedia has been an iOS mainstay, but it simply tracked information on items already booked. If users wanted to book through Expedia, they would be sent to the mobile website. Customers didn’t like the setup: AppData puts the average iOS rating at 2.5 out of 5 relative to newcomers like TripIt (4 out of 5) or even proprietary travel apps like United (3 out of 5).
The new Expedia Hotels & Flight app is a self-contained service with both hotel and flight booking all under the same roof. The app was developed by Mobiata, the travel app start-up Expedia acquired in 2011. Mobiata was best known for FlightTrack Pro.
According to Expedia, the app has more than 200 airlines, 140,000 hotels and mobile-exclusive deals. The numbers are more impressive considering that the app only supports America, though Expedia promises it will go international by year’s end. It also will be doing a tablet version, a smart move considering Travelocity and other competitors have been on the iPad and Android tablets for several months, if not years.
Just out today, Expedia Hotels & Flight app hasn’t come on AppData yet, but both its ratings and chart position will likely surpass its own TripAssist by Expedia app in short order.
Travel is definitely a hot e-commerce area right now. Yesterday Gogobot launched a site revamp for its 2.5 million registered users, partnering with OpenTable, Google Maps and DealAngel.