DALLAS, hotels.com(R), the leading provider of lodging worldwide, announced its new application for iPhone and iPod touch is available on Apple's new App Store. The free application offers a richer mobile experience for researching and booking lodging and was built using Apple's iPhone Software Development Kit.

"At hotels.com, we are focused on providing a beneficial service to users where and when it's most convenient for them," said Scott Booker, chief hotel expert and guest advocate. "We are pleased with the initial response to our web application for the iPhone and iPod touch, and hope new enhancements with the native application add greater value to booking with these mobile tools."

The application has three main areas:

• Search - users can search properties based on their proximity to their current location. They can also locate hotels close to an airport, landmark or street address
• Sort - users may organize search results by price, guest rating, star rating, property name or hotels.com picks
• Register - users can create, view and modify their hotels.com profile, as well as book lodging as a registered user

The hotels.com application enables people to search, view and book lodging directly and iPhone users can also speak with a hotels.com specialist for additional assistance. The full hotels.com lodging portfolio of nearly 80,000 properties is available, with selections ranging from full service hotels and all-inclusive resorts to vacation rentals and bed and breakfasts.

The hotels.com application is available free from Apple's App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/.