New Wotif hotel search iPhone app: a mobile must-have

Hotel search engine Wotif has released its much-anticipated iPhone app (that'll also work on your iPad) for its popular hotel-finding website, and it's so handy that we're sure it'll find its way onto the phones of business travellers across Australia.

If you're familiar with Wotif, you know how it works: like a regular hotel search site but with extra special hidden deals, where you get a "Wot Hotel?" mystery hotel in exchange for a reduced rate.

Here's how that looks on the iPhone:

The bonus with the iPhone version is the "hotels near me" function. That'll be an absolute lifesaver the first time you're stuck on the plane, at the airport or in town and need a room pronto.

We're sure you've seen how a hotel search app works, so we won't run all the way through it -- especially since it's free on the iTunes store and a slim 3.9MB to download if you want to take it for a test-drive.

The one thing to note is that it's all too easy to tap either "back" or "Hotels" when you're in the middle of searching. That'll take you right back to where you started, so be careful when and where you tap.

Overall, though, it's a slick app that's already found itself a home on my iPhone.

John Walton

Aviation journalist and travel columnist John took his first long-haul flight when he was eight weeks old and hasn't looked back since. Well, except when facing rearwards in business class.