Unique Road Deals SM feature uses app technology to pinpoint and automatically refresh exclusive geo-targeted hotel deals along a route.
NORWALK, CONN. – It's been a record year for road trips fueled by low gas prices, consumer confidence, and access to evolving mobile technology. According to AAA, more travelers hit the road on Memorial Day, July 4th and Thanksgiving than in the year prior and the numbers continue to rise as consumers increasingly rely on and trust mobile tools to empower them to travel for work, fun, and family. Today, leading online and mobile travel company priceline.com announced the in-app launch of Road Deals, a new feature that replaces the need to plan hotel stops on-the-go. This feature is exclusively available in priceline.com's free iPhone® app. What makes this road trip feature so unique is that travelers can get in their cars, enter a destination, and immediately see one-of-a-kind deals and deep discounts in real time along their route. As the user travels, hotels are automatically refreshed on the route ahead of them and can be booked within seconds.
The Road Deals feature enables app users to set preferences based on budget and star-level, receive hotel recommendations, and book same-day accommodations en route to their final destination. The new feature is prominently displayed on the home screen with the question "On the Road? Find a hotel for tonight on your route." Users can input the start and end points of their journey and scan their mapped route for hotels available that day while the map continuously updates hotel availability in real-time.
iPhone users will have access to all priceline.com deals including Express Deals® and mobile exclusive deals, providing travelers with an overview of the best deals and options in their searched area. Whether they opted to take a spontaneous weekend getaway, their road trip is taking longer than expected, or the kids need a break from the car, the Road Deals feature powers the ability to stop anywhere, anytime and easily find hotels within minutes on any mobile device and on any budget.
"As a power-traveler, I plan and budget everything down to the wire but if I'm tired earlier or later than I thought and need a hotel just a little bit further down the interstate – that's the ease-of-mind and power that the Road Deals feature gives our customers," said Karen Tepper, priceline.com's Vice President, Product and Mobile. "Following extensive research into what consumers look for in travel apps, we wanted to build something that allows travelers to see hotel deals effortlessly. It's for the couple making the spontaneous stop to visit that new vineyard they heard about or the salesperson who didn't hit traffic and got further across the country than she thought she might. The Road Deals feature will satisfy the needs of the power traveler and the leisure traveler because it highlights the best deals that fit your budget as you drive to your destination."
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
