Hostelworld.com Launches iPhone App (Jan 2010)

Hostelworld.com Launches iPhone Application (Jan 19, 2010)
http://www.webreservationsinternational.com/pressrelease.php?PressID=684

Key value features of the application include the following:

• FREE to download through the iPhone application store;
• City map view of hostels, showing users current location;
• Advanced sorting and filtering accommodation options in line with user requirements;
• Ability to compile a list of favourites and save personal preferences all in one place;
• Offline mode allows users to access downloaded properties for chosen destinations;
• Ability to book multiple room types simultaneously
• Users can store bookings, allowing them to generate a history of previous bookings that can easily be referred to.

..."A recent survey we conducted highlighted that 87% of our customers bring a mobile phone with them on their travels, demonstrating how our customer demographic is much closer to their mobile phones than a lap top. This app is the first in a series of developments aimed at delivering real value to our customers by meeting their actual needs when on the road, enabling them to 'sleep easy' with the service that we provide".

Hostelworld already had an iPhone optimized website -- this new release is an actual downloadable program that gets installed on the iPhone. It looks like it is able to use GPS to locate nearby hostels.