Orbitz introduced Orbitz Hotels for the iPad, sticking with the high-margin hotel business for its first mobile implementation on a tablet.
As with its Orbitz Flights, Hotels, Cars apps for iPhone and Android devices, travelers using Orbitz Hotels for iPad can use GPS functionality to view their location and book nearby hotels from an interactive map.
The Orbitz iPhone and Android smartphone apps, launched in November 2010, however, also cover flights and car rentals. Orbitz claims it "was the first (and is still the only) full-service online travel company to offer hotel, air and car shopping and booking capabilities within native apps."
One of the key differentiators between the Orbitz hotel features on the iPad versus its iPhone and Android smartphones apps is the user interface, says spokesman Brian Hoyt.
"The ability to compare hotel choices is simpler from a UI standpoint," Hoyt says. "It is an important design feature."
Hoyt adds: "It may sound corny, but it really is the most comfortable, mobile way to find a hotel room -- the right hotel room for you."
Orbitz states its iPad app enables users to shop for hotels and book them "in just three taps."
To mark the debut of its iPad app, Orbitz is giving away an iPad 2 daily from July 6 to July 12.