StayHIP™ Named to Travel + Leisure’s Top Travel Apps for 2010 Lis

TRAVELCLICK®, the leader in ecommerce solutions for the global hotel industry, along with Mobiata, the developer of today’s best-selling travel applications, launched StayHIPTM less than three months ago.  But it’s already made it to the top, voted a Top Travel App for 2010 by Travel + Leisure (T+L).  The first bookable app for boutique hotels, StayHIP is included as one of the two featured hotel apps in the T+L list, which includes a range of standout travel apps.   StayHIP targets trend-savvy travelers who want to search for—and book—a more stylish or chic hotel experience directly from their mobile device.

“We’ve scoured the virtual aisles of the Android, Blackberry, iPhone, Palm, and Windows stores for our 53 favorite travel apps,” T+L notes in introducing its list. “Use StayHIP to see instant listings—and slide shows—of more than 400 boutique hotels in your immediate vicinity or in any location in the world.  Just enter a city or click on a destination on a map to find available rooms and rates; bookings can be made right from the phone.” 

Introduced to the market in May 2010, StayHIP features hundreds of hotels across more than 205 cities in 49 countries worldwide and is available for free download to Apple’s iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, as well as Google Android-powered devices.  Mobile guests have multiple ways to search for their stay, including by city name, price, or keyword.  StayHIP’s “Hotels Near Me” feature instantly finds the nearest hip boutique hotels using guests’ GPS location.

Hotel listings feature property details, including a description, photo gallery with images viewable at full screen with one touch, as well as streaming video where available.  StayHIP users can also choose to view rates, room types, and availability—all accessed in real time, directly in the application.  When a guest decides to book a stay, the booking is completed 100 percent within the application.  Email confirmations are sent based on personal contact information.  Guests have the option to quickly share their booking information with friends on Facebook and Twitter.  For future reservations, guest information is securely stored on the guest’s device for a faster, more efficient booking process.

"The fact that Travel + Leisure is reviewing the best travel applications is a testament to mobile’s promise as an emerging booking channel,” said Robert Post, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at TRAVELCLICK. "Many established distribution entities, perhaps because of their technology and distribution limitations, have not yet grasped the rising power of the online consumer.  At TRAVELCLICK, we see things differently.  By definition, hoteliers provide personalized hospitality and by extension, should provide personalized tools that enable guests to book anytime, anywhere. StayHIP enables hotels to showcase their unique value and stay experience to the perfect-fit consumer—and avoid the risk of getting lost in the midst of a thousand other hotels on third-party travel applications.”  

StayHIP is the latest addition to TRAVELCLICK’s integrated distribution and digital agency solution sets, which help hotels drive demand and enhance booking volume through all electronic channels.  It works exclusively with TRAVELCLICK’s iHotelier® Central Reservation System platform, and is available to only the hippest iHotelier hotel customers.

To learn more about StayHIP, visit http://www.travelclick.net/hotel-mobile/applications-stayhip.cfm. The app can be downloaded directly from Apple’s App Store or Google’s Android Market.

About TRAVELCLICK, Inc.
TRAVELCLICK (www.travelclick.net), the leader in hotel ecommerce solutions, provides a continuous flow of high-value online bookings to hotels worldwide. A uniquely comprehensive one-stop solution, TRAVELCLICK offers business intelligence, distribution, and digital marketing solutions delivered with personal attention and local market expertise. With revenue optimization experts in every global market, it helps clients make better business decisions, generate greater demand from the right mix of channels, convert more shoppers to high-value guests, and increase revenue and profitability. Serving the hospitality industry since 1999, TRAVELCLICK has more than 15,000 customers in 140 countries with offices in Baltimore, Barcelona, Chicago, Dubai, Houston, Melbourne, Shanghai, and Tokyo. Follow us on www.twitter.com/TRAVELCLICK and www.facebook.com/TRAVELCLICK.

About Mobiata
Mobiata (www.mobiata.com) creates best-selling mobile travel applications for smartphones and emerging devices. Since its founding in December 2008, Mobiata's applications have been featured by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Washington Post, TechCrunch, USA Today and in Apple TV and print ads. Mobiata's apps include the best selling FlightTrack, FlightTrack Pro, TripDeck, and HotelPal applications. Mobiata also offers mobile travel design and development services, enabling third parties to easily launch a well-crafted mobile strategy. Mobiata is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

© 2010 TRAVELCLICK.  All rights reserved.  TRAVELCLICK is a registered trademark of TRAVELCLICK, Inc.