TechCrunch reports on the launch of the new metasearch, hotelicopter.com, noting that it is the first to provide "Facebook Connect integration, which it can use to power social hotel recommendations and to also let your friends know where you’re staying" as well as cool April Fool's day stunt to get attention.
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The site has a clean interface, allowing users to use sliding bars to narrow down their search results by price, star rating (based on reviews from TripAdvisor), and checkboxes for amenities you might want (internet access, included breakfast, etc). Prices are clearly noted next to rooms, and users can directly book their rooms without having to jump through other hoops.
All in all, it seems to work well, but there just doesn’t seem to be a whole lot distinguishing Hotelicopter from other sites like Kayak
. That said, the people behind Hotelicopter clearly have a good sense of humor (and marketing), so they may be able to make a name for themselves in the crowded space.
