Top 5 Best accommodation apps (2022 Travel guide)

Top 5 Best accommodation apps (2022 Travel guide)

Accommodation is one of the factors of a vacation that can either turn it into a memorable one or a nightmare. Apart from flights, accommodation is one of the biggest expenses that are associated with a vacation.

Make sure that you are using the best tools to plan this accordingly.

There are significant benefits to using an international prepaid SIM card.

What is an accommodation app

A travel accommodation app is a software application, which has been specifically designed to run on a mobile device – most commonly a smartphone or a tablet.

Planning an international vacation? Make sure that you are using a top travel app.

Further reading: Top 110 Best travel apps (2022 International tourist guide).

Benefits of accommodation apps

There are a number of benefits to using an accommodation app.

  1. Useful Safety Information. Trip planning apps help us get the important notices on strikes or weather-related disturbances and give us 24-hour emergency service, so we can have a safe vacation with our friends and family;
  2. Instant Hotel and Ticket Booking. There are many apps that can help you find hotels. They provide details such as the rates, distance to the tourism site, and much other information;
  3. 24/7 Accessibility. The need for travel apps is eminent because of their features and functions. Travel apps are always there to provide any kind of information useful to travellers at their convenience and at the right time;
  4. Networking and Sharing. Travelling is all about sharing and networking. You cannot travel alone these days, thanks to apps. With numerous travel apps and social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter), you are always connected to your dear ones;
  5. IoT based Decisions. Getting lost in a new city isn’t fun in general and can be hard when you are a tourist. That is where IoT-based decisions such as geolocation come into play.  IoT-based solutions play a vital role in travel apps to provide suggestions and guides according to users’ choices;
  6. . Travel Cashless. Thanks to travel tech and the use of apps, it has become pretty easy to book a flight, buy your tickets, book hotels, and even order food while traveling without any need of carrying cash;
  7. Special Services. Travel mobile apps are beneficial for both business owners and users. The most popular features of such apps are the capabilities they have to record and store the data of users;
  8. Customized Apps. When a travel mobile app development company offers a customized, user-friendly app, it becomes popular and gains a competitive advantage over its rivals. However, the most effective apps can be customized according to the front-end and the back-end requirements.

Do you want to find out what the most downloaded apps are?

Further reading: Top 10 most downloaded travel apps (2022 Tourist guide).

Kayak

Kayak is a metasearch engine for travel deals that scrapes third-party travel sites to show customers the best deals available.

Best Features:

  • The site displays results from over 2 million properties and millions of verified guest reviews
  • users can apply various filters and compare the same hotels to get the best hotel deal

Pricing: free

Downloads: KAYAK: Flights, Hotels & Cars (Android) 4.6 star rating and 10 million downloads | KAYAK: Flights, Hotels & Cars (iOS) 4.8 star rating.

Everybody needs a travel app, and the reasons are simple.

Further reading: What are travel apps & why every tourist needs them.

Orbitz

Orbitz is a travel fare aggregator website that allows you to plan various parts of your vacation in one place.

Best Features:

  • Orbitz offers a generous rewards program and a unique LGBTQ-welcome filter for hotels.
  • Every time a traveller uses Orbitz’s rewards program they earn “Orbucks”, where one Orbuck is worth $1 and can be redeemed for hotels.
  • Travelers can earn 3% for hotels booked via a desktop, and 5% for bookings made via the Orbitz app.

Pricing: Free

Downloads: Orbitz Hotels & Flights (Android) 4.1 star rating, 5 million downloads | Orbitz Hotels & Flights (iOS) 4.8 star rating.

Do you know how international roaming works?

Further reading: What is international roaming & how it works.

Expedia

Expedia is an online travel agency that offers a rewards program with bonus points.

Best Features:

  • Expedia features exclusive offers, and no blackout dates for reward redemption.
  • Guests also earn two Expedia points for every dollar spent.
  • Guests can also benefit from split-rate hotel bookings, which are two separate reservations made at the same hotel and tend to be cheaper.

Pricing: Free

Downloads: Expedia: Hotels, Flights & Car (Android) 4.4 star rating, 10 million downloads | Expedia: Hotels, Flights & Car (iOS) 4.8 star rating.

Want to avoid international roaming charges?

Further reading: How to avoid roaming charges (2022 Travellers guide).

Priceline

Priceline is an online travel agency that helps guests find discounts and cheap hotel deals, with multiple options for booking the lowest price hotels.

Best features:

  • One of the options is the Express Deals, where the details of the hotel are kept a secret until the booking is complete.
  • Although the bookings are pre-paid and non-refundable, the best-price guarantee means guests will receive a 100% refund of the price difference if they find a better deal within 24 hours of the reservation.

Pricing: Free

Downloads: Priceline: Hotel, Flight & Car (Android) 3.9 star rating, over 10 million downloads | Priceline – Hotel, Car, Flight (iOS) 4.8 star rating.

What to find out more about a travel sim card?

Further reading: What is a travel SIM card? (2022 international travellers guide)

Accommodation App 5: Hotels.com

Hotels.com is a hotel booking site that allows you to plan, book, and manage last-minute hotel stays.

Best Features:

  • When a guest books 10 nights from the app, they’ll receive the 11th night free.
  • Rewards members can also unlock “Secret Prices” that are not available to non-rewards members.

Pricing: Free

Downloads: Hotels.com: Travel Booking (Android) 4.7 star rating, 10 million downloads | Hotels.com: Travel Booking (iOS) 4.8 star rating.

There are significant benefits to using a travel SIM card.

Further reading: Benefits of a travel SIM card (2022 International tourist guide).

5 Best accommodation websites

NameDescriptionBest ForSearches on GoogleCost
KayakKayak is a metasearch engine for travel deals.Finding the best deal on hotelsOver 100 million searchesFree
ExpediaExpedia is a metasearch engine for travel deals.Booking various aspects of your international vacation in one placeOver 5 million searchesfree
Priceline
Priceline is a metasearch engine for hotel deals.
Finding a good hotel dealOver 100 million searchesfree
MomondoMomondo is a travel metasearch engine.Sorting through deals on other websites to help you find the best price.Over 10 million searches 
Booking.comBooking.com is an accomodation booking website.
Accessing the websites low price guarentee.
Over 100 million searchesFree

There are significant benefits to travelling abroad.

Further reading: 20 Benefits of travelling abroad (2022 International tourist guide).

Most downloaded accommodation apps

Accommodation booking apps are proving to be a popular way to book one of the most expensive parts of a vacation.

Below are the most downloaded accommodation apps:

  1. Booking.com;
  2. Hotels.com;
  3. Priceline;
  4. Expedia; and
  5. HotelsCombined.

Accommodation booking FAQ

  • How do I know that the hotel that I am booking will look like the pictures that I see on the app?

Hotels go through a lot of effort to feature on a accommodation booking app because it is one of the main ways that they secure bookings. With the review feature on apps being open to the public, hotels cannot afford the reputational damage of false advertising

  • How do I know I am getting the best price?

Most apps offer a lowest price guarantee which means that if you find the same price on another app when using their basic service and not a rewards or loyalty programme.

  • Will my booking be secure if I use an accommodation booking app?

Accommodation booking apps are the future of the hotel industry. You will receive the same guarantee as if you are booking through a website or a travel agent.

  • Is there a difference if I book close to my desired date or a month in advance?

Some accommodation booking apps look for last minute cancellations and offer deals on them. However, this is not a common practice

  • Will my desired accommodation app be available in my app store?

Most popular accommodation booking apps are available on both Android and iOS.