CHENNAI: In an offensive against rival tech giant Google’s city-guide and travel service Google Trips, Facebook has launched city guides of its own. The firm has even gone a step further than Google by including the option of booking a hotel, restaurant or tour.
According to the firm, the feature was launched within a Facebook update quietly and enables users to book their hotel room or make reservations in select cities directly through the app via a Book Now button.
While, Google Trips was also created as a mobile trip planner, with a travel itinerary option included, a city guide and tips on how to get around, Google Trips stops just short of allowing users to book reservations.
According to experts in the field, Facebook’s booking feature is an important step by a company with a mammoth user base. The app also takes a page out of the geo-locating app Foursquare, showing users lists of cities their friends have visited, along with recommendations on the best places to visit and things to do. The feature is enhanced due to Facebook’s already existing check-in feature.
The application also boasts a section called “Places the Locals Go,” which is made up of the most popular, highly-rated spots within Facebook.
The feature is a direct descendent of a feature launched last year, when Icelandair launched a new service allowing passengers to book their flight through Facebook Messenger.
Meanwhile, became the first carrier to partner with Facebook in a new feature that allows fliers to check-in, get their boarding pass and receive flight status updates directly through Facebook Messenger.
The launch of the feature is seen by industry observers as another saga in the ongoing war between the two technology giants to capture and retain users.