Hotwire updated its iOS app to support iPad displays, and it works well, according to CIO.com blogger James A. Martin. But Hotwire is just one of many iOS and Android apps that can help reduce hotel costs. I recently spent a weekend with an old college friend in Charleston, S.C., where I’d negotiated a good hotel deal—or so I thought—two months in advance of our stay. Hanging out by the hotel pool one afternoon, I struck up a conversation with a young couple. Turns out, they got a better room at a much lower rate than I did. How? They booked it at the last minute using Hotels.com’s mobile app. I’m not really a make-reservations-at-the-last-minute-kind-of-guy. But if you’re willing to play that game and assume some risk, another, similar mobile app, called Hotwire, which recently updated its iOS app to take advantage of iPad screens, could also be perfect for you. Hotwire gets you get discounts at hotels that are trying to fill up available rooms at the last minute. Unfortunately, you don’t know the hotel’s name until you pay up front for a non-refundable reservation. That’s where the risk comes in. The good news: Hotwire’s iPad app is good looking and easy to use. The app displays a list of hotels on the left of your tablet’s screen. To the right, there’s a map that shows hotels’ general locations. The listing for each hotel includes main amenities, such as fitness and business centers; a star rating based on customer reviews; hotel chains that are representative of specific star ratings; and reviews. You can filter hotels by star rating and minimum recommendation, and you can sort by price, star rating and distance from your GPS location. Hotwire isn’ the only player in the last-minute-hotel-deal game, of course. Other similar free apps: * Priceline for iOS and Android app has a snazzy interface, but its hotel map is cluttered until you zoom in closely; * Hotels.com for iOS and Android serves up “Tonight’s Local Deals,” which are only available to mobile users; * Hotel Tonight for iOS and Android promises a “vetted” assortment of hotels for last-minute deals; * And if you’re looking for last-minute deals at “premium boutique hotels across Europe,” Blink for iOS and Android is the app for you. All of these apps can be useful, but they can also quickly turn finding a hotel-room bargain into a science project. In general, I’d stick to one or two apps: Hotwire if you’re willing to take a little risk, Hotels.com if you’re not. Related content brandpost Sponsored by DataStax Ask yourself: How can genAI put your content to work? Generative AI applications can readily be built against the documents, emails, meeting transcripts, and other content that knowledge workers produce as a matter of course. By Bryan Kirschner Dec 04, 2023 5 mins Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence feature The CIO’s new role: Orchestrator-in-chief CIOs have unique insight into everything that happens in a company. Some are using that insight to take on a more strategic role. By Minda Zetlin Dec 04, 2023 12 mins CIO C-Suite Business IT Alignment opinion Fortifying the bridge between tech and business in the C-suite To be considered a tech-forward company today, there has to be a focus on tech fluency across the C-suite, which creates a unique opportunity for CIOs to uplevel their roles and expand their footprint across the enterprise. By Diana Bersohn and Rachel Barton Dec 04, 2023 7 mins CIO Business IT Alignment IT Strategy brandpost Sponsored by G42 Understanding the impact of AI on society, environment and economy By Jane Chan Dec 03, 2023 4 mins Artificial Intelligence Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe