Facebook application to plot friends' check-ins

This app might be appealing for some of your guests.
HRS adds Facebook application with heatmap to plot friends’ check-ins

Next time you’re hitting the road for a conference, exhibition or just a few days away here’s a cool Facebook application showing users where everyone has stayed in the past.

The HRS friends app, which is in beta, shows users a map of where their Facebook friends live or where they have recently checked-in using the social network.

The app also enables users to view available hotels in the area where friends or people within their group live or search for properties with those ‘liked’ by friends highlighted in the results.

Facebook check-ins and data from Foursquare are also used to create a heatmap of areas of interest in a city enabling travellers to draw on friends’ experiences before finalising plans.

You could encourage your guests to "like" your hostel and “check in” online. It would be good for your immediate social media presence, put your name out for other travelers that they will meet, and help you turn up on this app.

This might be cool for us when we finally step out of our hostels and go travel too! Just think of how many friends you have made in the hostel who have said, “If you’re ever in my area, look me up and you can stay with me!” This app might make it easy to take them up on their offer. Even if you don’t stay with them, it would be cool to go to a city and know which of your facebook friends are around the area. It would replace general status updates like “Anyone around NYC this weekend?” as a means to get in touch.

I wonder how it determines where your friends live though. Number of logins from one location? It’s not like anyone is likely to check in at home, are they? (I picture an unkempt young man in his boxer shorts beaming with pride as he boasts, “I’m the Mayor of my own house! Woohoo!”)