The last-minute hotel booking app expands to ten new destinations in the US and the UK, and more items in our roundup of the stories that are making news and driving opinion on 29 August.
HotelTonight hits 3 million downloads
Since its January 2011 launch, the same-day, mobile-first hotel booking tool has added ten cities, bringing its coverage to more than 50 destinations in the US and the UK.
New hotels for HotelTonight include Ace Hotel & Swim Club (Palm Springs) and The Hoxton (London). The startup has more than $35 million in funding.
Says Heather Leisman, managing director of Europe, HotelTonight:
“We’re hitting the ground hard in Europe, and expanding quickly thanks to the phenomenal response from hotels. Europeans are big travellers and the continent’s vast array of easily accessible destinations means that impulsive mini-breaks or business trips are as feasible as planned-in-advance summer holidays."
United wings clipped in computer glitch
This morning, United Airlines seems to have recovered from the network collapse that plagued its website and operations yesterday, leading to the delay of 200 flights.
When was the last time a major GDS experienced a similar shutdown? Just saying.--Sean
Gogo heads to CanadaGogo Inflight Internet service says it will expand beyond the US to Canada in late 2013, with seamless service for customers flying between the two countries. USA Today's Today in the Sky blog had the scoop.
Carsolize teams up with Sixt
This autumn, vehicles from Sixt, the international rental car chain, will appear along with other car hire, flights, and hotel listings in the booking engine Carsolize, an Israel-based B2B startup we've written about before.
Viator launches iPad app
On 23 August, the leading tours and activities site launched its specially-built-for-the-Retina-display Viator iPad app. Apple's US site spotlighted it as a featured app, and Gizmodo UK picked it as an App of the Week.
Viator has previously launched free iPhone app has already been a success, with more than one-third of bookings placed within 72 hours of the activity starttime. The company even had a Las Vegas wedding through the app.
Tips for how luxury hotels with mainly business travelers should design their mobile apps
Philipp A.L. Patzel, the general manager at the Viennese Austrian design and boutique hotel Hollmann Beletage, reveals the practical lessons in app design that he learned in this useful EyeforTravel article.