NEEDHAM, Mass., May 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor^®, the world's largest travel site* from reviews to bookings, today announced a new streamlined experience for its native iOS app available in Apple's App Store. Now travelers can more easily plan every aspect of their trip on the TripAdvisor app, including finding the lowest price for the right hotel, as well as get the best value on flights, vacation rentals, restaurants and other things to do in-destination.

"Travelers want to know they're getting the best value on a hotel and other parts of the trip, and we have now redesigned our app to make sure they do just that," said Stephen Kaufer, chief executive officer and co-founder of TripAdvisor, Inc. "The new TripAdvisor app experience allows travelers to effortlessly compare prices and book their hotel, find great things to do on the go, and unleash the full potential of their trip."

Improved TripAdvisor Experience
The new app better supports the needs of millions of hotel shoppers increasingly coming to TripAdvisor to compare prices and book. Travelers visiting the new native app will notice a simpler and more streamlined design, as well as greater consistency across TripAdvisor's various travel categories.

From a new homepage that makes it easier to find the right hotel for a traveler's trip, to newly enhanced hotel search pages that put price comparison front and center, TripAdvisor has created a best-in-class experience for travelers.

TripAdvisor has also updated its "Things to Do" and "Restaurants" categories, which now adapt to user preferences and make customized recommendations based on machine learning.

Travelers will find it easier than ever to access essential travel insights, including more than 500 million reviews and opinions covering seven million accommodations, airlines, restaurants and attractions globally. They will also find it easier to get the lowest price on every hotel search, as TripAdvisor searches more than 200 booking sites.

New TripAdvisor App Features

• "Best Value" hotel rankings: To ensure travelers get the best bang for their buck, hotels are now ranked and sorted based on a combination of a number of proprietary factors, including traveler ratings, hotel rates, booking popularity, brand affinity and location. A "Traveler Ranked" filter also remains available to help travelers search for top-rated hotels based on quality, quantity and recency of reviews on the site.
• Itinerary & trip collaboration: Travelers now have the ability to save and create trips, and collaborate with friends and family on the must-dos through a new feature called "MyTrips."
• 360-degree photos: In addition to the more than 98 million candid traveler photos available on the site, new 360-degree photos give travelers a first-hand look inside hotels around the world.
• Safe & secure booking: A vaulted credit card feature makes TripAdvisor's instant booking platform safe, easy and quick for users looking to save money on the right hotel room for them.

Beginning today, the new iOS app is available across 48 markets where TripAdvisor operates. TripAdvisor will roll out a redesigned user experience with the new features and design elements on TripAdvisor's Android native app, as well as the company's mobile and desktop websites in the near future.

New App Design and Future Roll Out Across TripAdvisor a Result of Community Feedback

With average monthly unique hotel shoppers reaching nearly 150 million, up 9% year-over-year, TripAdvisor continues to be a highly-loved and heavily-visited travel brand.

To ensure that the world's largest travel site continued to meet customer shopping and price-comparison needs, TripAdvisor solicited feedback from thousands of users through consumer research, A/B testing, focus groups and usability studies. The research showed that consumers wanted an easier-to-use experience that more clearly showcased the best prices, location, amenities and user reviews and ratings when they choose a property—all elements that will be found in the new redesign. Since testing began, users have lauded the revamped TripAdvisor platform for "saving me money," "getting the best price," and "finding the lowest prices compared to other sites."

"Consumer insights from our traveler community was a crucial part of our redesign process," said Barbara Messing, chief marketing officer, TripAdvisor. "We are a resource for travelers by travelers and it was important to make sure we were getting our community's input as we evolved our experience."

About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel site*, enables travelers to unleash the full potential of every trip. With more than 500 million reviews and opinions covering the world's largest selection of travel listings worldwide -- over 7 million accommodations, airlines, attractions, and restaurants -- TripAdvisor provides travelers with the wisdom of the crowds to help them decide where to stay, how to fly, what to do and where to eat. TripAdvisor also compares prices from more than 200 hotel booking sites so travelers can find the lowest price on the hotel that's right for them. TripAdvisor-branded sites are available in 49 markets, and are home to the world's largest travel community of 390 million average unique monthly visitors,** all looking to get the most out of every trip. TripAdvisor: Know better. Book better. Go better.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP), through its subsidiaries, manages and operates websites under 22 other travel media brands: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.citymaps.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, ww.thefork.com, (including www.lafourchette.com, www.eltenedor.com, www.iens.nl and www.dimmi.com.au), ww.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.housetrip.com, www.independenttraveler.com,  www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com, www.onetime.com, www.oyster.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.tripbod.com, www.vacationhomerentals.com and www.viator.com.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, December 2016
**Source: TripAdvisor log files, Q1 2017

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SOURCE TripAdvisor