Priceline, Travelocity and Expedia Compete With iPhone Apps

Priceline.com unveiled its Hotel Negotiator and application for iPhone and iPod Touch last week, joining Travelocity.com’s and Expedia.com’s applications at the Apple Online Store. 

Priceline’s offering features William Shatner as the Priceline Negotiator, and operates much like the Web site offering a variety of last-minute hotel rooms at discounted prices. The application also features hotel listings, customer reviews, maps, pictures and weather.

However, competitors Travelocity and Expedia launched their applications earlier this year so Priceline looks like it’s coming late to the game. Not so, said Priceline.com spokesman Brian Ek, who said most of online travel agency competitors are supplying  ”reskins” of their Web sites, or simply the Web site with a slightly different look. Ek says that Priceline did the same thing until its latest launch on Oct. 26.

However, how much profit can be gained from such applications are difficult to measure (and Priceline refused to tell me.) One company executive told me that usage rates and booking travel are still pretty low.

Get the full story at: Bnet