Looking for the best iPhone apps for finding great hotels or private homes to rent? Your iPhone can make finding, booking, and paying for a hotel room or rental property simple, but that doesn't mean all booking and reservation apps are created equal. Whether you're traveling for business or looking for a something for your next vacation, the App Store has a lot to offer. These are the very best apps for finding, booking, and reading reviews on hotels and home rentals!
Airbnb
Airbnb lets you rent a private home or a room within someone else's house, providing a different experience than traditional hotels. You can even list your own space if you've got one. Within the app, you can read reviews from other guests, communicate with property owners in a secure way, and much more. With over 600,000 listings in over 34,000 cities around the world, it's almost a certainty that you'll find something in your price range, no matter where you want to go. You can also add your stays to the Passbook app for easy access to addresses, directions, and host information. Airbnb additionally supports Apple Pay for payments and Handoff so that you can pass listings back and forth between devices and Safari.
If you'd prefer an entire home or apartment rental, or you just want something other than a traditional hotel, look no further than Airbnb.
- Free - Download Now
Hotel Tonight
Hotel Tonight is a great app for those times when you're in a pinch and need to book a room on short notice. The app takes advantage of hotels trying to book out vacant rooms, as this is typically when they offer greater discounts—hotels would rather fill rooms then let them sit empty and make nothing. Hotel Tonight is also selective about their partner hotels, which means that you shouldn't be disappointed in the accommodations you book. Hotel Tonight supports booking for up to 5 nights at a time and also supports Apple Pay for quick checkout.
If you're a procrastinator and need a room right now, Hotel Tonight offers some of the best deals for last-minute shoppers.
- Free - Download Now
Foursquare
While you can't book a room using Foursquare, I've personally never chosen a hotel without first checking out Foursquare reviews. We all know that many hotels are guilty of doctoring pictures on their own websites or only showing things from one side; with Foursquare, you can read hotel reviews from folks who have already stayed there and view photos and tips that may help you avoid an accommodation disaster before it happens.
If you prefer to read reviews of your hotel before booking, you should definitely check out your choices on Foursquare.
- Free - Download Now
Gogobot
Gogobot is one of my absolute favorite travel companion apps, largely because of its excellent database of places to stay. And since Gogobot bases its recommendations off your personal tastes, you're more likely to only see results that are relevant to you. You can also follow other Gogobot members based on categories they're knowledgeable in so that you can pick up travel tips and info catered to your style.
For a way to discover hotels that's catered to your specific tastes, budget, and style, you want Gogobot.
- Free - Download Now
Hipmunk
Hipmunk lets you search for both flights and hotels. For hotels, Hipmunk provides a more traditional experience but also integrates TripAdvisor reviews so you have two different rating systems in one place. I prefer using Hipmunk over the actual TripAdvisor app since it pulls in the best parts of the service, but leaves the cluttered interface of the actual TripAdvisor app behind. Hipmunk also shows listings from home rental services such as Airbnb too.
For an all-in-one flight and hotel app that additionally includes hotel and apartment rentals from several services, try Hipmunk.
- Free - Download Now
Your favorite hotel finding and booking apps for iPhone?
If you've used your iPhone to help you book a hotel or rental property, what app — or apps — did you use? And if you use something else that you think deserves to be on this list, be sure to let me know that too!
Note: Originally published April 2014. Updated November 2014.
Olivia Wilde
Megan Fox
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