Airbnb launches concierge services

by McLean Robbins on

Think booking a home reservation instead of a hotel means that you’ll be lacking in services? Think again. Today, Airbnb launched their new concierge service, a completely free add-on to their reservations platform, allowing 24/7 access to the site’s team of research experts.

They’ll be on hand to help with everything from finding dinner reservations or a new phone charger but can also help with pre-trip services like weather advice, rental cars and even last-minute travel re-bookings.

Although it’s called Airbnb Concierge, the service really is more like that of a full-service travel agency. They’ll even file a police report, refill prescriptions or help replace lost credit cards.

Combine this with highly competitive pricing options for overnight stays and Airbnb has just jumped up a notch in our overall travel ratings book. It will be interesting to see if other rental sites follow suit.

[Flickr via ilovememphis]

Marriott makes life easier with new smartphone app

by McLean Robbins on

It seems like everywhere we look, a hotel brand or travel company is launching a new app – not that we’re complaining. Marriott is the latest to debut an app to assist travelers. The app, conveniently available on platforms ranging from iPhone to Blackberry to Android, allows travelers to: Marriott, JW Marriott, Renaissance, Edition, Autograph, Courtyard, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn, TownPlace Suites, SpringHill Suites and Ritz-Carlton hotels and:

• View and modify upcoming reservations
• Access your Marriott Rewards account and make Rewards reservations
• See hotel photos and maps
• Find hotels near your current position with GPS functionality
• Browse city guides with helpful tips about your destinations
• Call a hotel or get help immediately with reservations
• Do all this securely just like you would on Marriott.com

Like most branded apps, this one is free. While it isn’t as visual as some we’ve seen – those are primarily geared towards the iPad – it’s a useful feature for travelers with Marriott brand loyalty and those who want the convenience of being able to book from their smartphone.

Abercrombie & Kent creates iPad app

by McLean Robbins on

One of our favorite parts about the “internetization” of travel (yes, we made that word up) is the feeling that you can travel the world without ever leaving your desktop. We reported earlier this year on flash sale darling Jetsetter’s iPad app. Now luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent has joined the fray with a free application for iPad that allows users to plan exotic adventures, family travel, cultural explorations and nature/wildlife trips. With each tap of an image, users can explore a particular experience in depth.

One of our favorite parts of the app? “Virtual Visits,” 60 to 90-second videos with a day-in-the-life approach that capture the sights and sounds of a destination. Visits range from views of Cappadocia via hot air balloon, Pushkar Fair, a camel and cattle sale in a holy city and natural ice sculptures off the coast of Antarctica.

Users can also create a personalized travel map of countries they’ve visited and wish to visit. These destinations can be exported to Google Earth, which provides a satellite tour of each destination. There’s also easy integration with Twitter, Facebook and Abercrombie & Kent destination specialists.

Gawker’s Worst 50 States

by Elizabeth Seward on

I’ve been following Gawker’s newest series, The Worst 50 States. I’ve been enjoying following this series. In an effort to pin down not only the best states in the US of A, but, more importantly, the worst states, Gawker compiled a Gawker-invented rating system in order to rank our fair fifty. Granted, this rating system consists solely of the viewpoints of those on staff for Gawker, so the viewpoints are just about as biased as you would deem Gawker (Which might be not at all according to you!), but there’s some interesting stuff in there. Yes, they’re focusing on the bad more than the good, those damn pessimists, but all in all, fact or fiction, the commentary on the 50 states is makes me laugh. And, I’ll just throw this in there, I’ve been to 48 of the 50 states and much of every summary they make rings true to me. They’re not done wrapping up the states yet, but check out their analysis of most of the states here.

If you’re inflamed, saddened, or curling over with laughter after reading what’s so bad about your home state, come back here and tell us in the comments how Gawker made you feel.

United Kingdom: 3G service survey crowdsourced

by Alex Robertson Textor on

This morning, the BBC released a survey regarding the reach of 3G service across the United Kingdom. The BBC obtained its data the newfangled way, via crowdsourcing. In July, almost 45,000 people downloaded an Android app that allowed their mobile phones to be tracked for the survey.

And the outcome of the survey? The BBC found that about three-quarters of the time people in the UK appear to be able to access 3G coverage, though “notspots” (where users can access much slower 2G service) exist in many places. These notspots include a surprising number of areas within central London. There are also wide swaths of the country where no data came back from the crowdsourcing phone users.

The BBC’s multimedia survey allows readers to check coverage in their home postcodes. I found my own postcode (E2) to be generally well blanketed with 3G coverage, though not without its 3G-lacking pieces of the map.

The survey also points out that the country’s roads and railways are also undersaturated, with notably bad service along some heavily-used highways and train routes.

The BBC mentions the research of a startup called OpenSignalMaps, which has carried out a similar survey. OpenSignalMaps found that 3G is accessed just 58 percent of the time by users in the UK; furthermore, they have located 22,000 mostly rural places in the UK with no 3G service. Gwynedd in north Wales and Cumbria in northwest England are especially lacking in 3G service.

[Image: Flickr | William Hook]