Booking a hotel for your vacation used to be fairly boring. Unless you were rich you would probably end up staying in some Super–8 or Holiday Inn (my apologies if these aren’t well known outside of the US) leaving a lack of variety and only the promise of a free ‘Continental Breakfast’ getting you through the trip.

Jetsetter is going to change that. While the name implies that the app is focused on getting you to your vacation, Jetsetter is actually an app that allows you to view sales for places that you can stay while you’re on your vacation.

Exploring the App

Half the fun with the application is with viewing the properties that they have to offer. The main view shows a grid of properties organized either by date or by the Jetsetter featured sales. The Featured Sales section gives you access to some limited-time offers and 360-degree views.

The app's main view from the Featured pane.

With the 360-degree views, Jetsetter claims that they have created brand-new technology that ‘effectively doubles the resolution of the iPhone or iPad’ and allows you to get a view of where you’ll be staying. This view is actually shown when you first launch the app, giving you a taste of how gorgeous Jetsetter is before you’re even browsing properties.

Jetsetter's interactive launch screen.

Even if you have no intention of booking a hotel, the app is worth getting just for the beautiful photography. Everything is done professionally, and seeing some of these pictures will allow you to take a mini vacation in your daydreams, giving you that one little bit of sanity to make it through the work week.

Viewing a Property

Each property is viewed in the same way: a slideshow of photos at the top, with a short description underneath and a percentage of users that would recommend the property and some tags associated with the location, such as Art & Culture, Nightlife, and Elegant.

The top of the property page.

Scrolling down gives you some lightning-fast tidbits, including a ‘What we love’ section and a ‘What to know’ section along the left hand side, which will give you an idea of what the experience is like without going too in-depth. This is useful if you’re quickly browsing through a bunch of properties and want to see if there’s something that you should know right away, but where Jetsetter really shines is with the reviews.

Tidbits of information.

Jetsetter Reviews and User Reviews

Going more in-depth than the little blurbs above, the Jetsetter reviews are easily digested but thorough. Combined with the photos next to the reviews and the already-provided information, Jetsetter gives you a good idea of what the experience will be like at each location. That most (if not all) of the properties have this sort of review is fantastic, as you aren’t left wondering about a property before you decide to book it.

The Jetsetter review is a decent length; not too short and not too long.

User reviews are treated a bit differently; they’re essentially the ‘What we love’ and ‘What to know’ sections but filled in by other Jetsetter customers. They can help flesh out the experience a bit more, but it didn’t seem that many locations had user reviews. When they’re present they’re helpful, but Jetsetter does a good job of allowing you to get a feel for the location even without them.

The user reviews pop-up.

Other Information

You can already tell that Jetsetter really goes above and beyond, right? On top of the information that they give you about the property, the app goes even more in-depth by telling you how to get to that location, allowing users to add comments, and showing nearby attractions.

These can vary from the ‘did they really mean that?’ to the genuinely useful and are definitely worth checking out. Each item is presented as a button that expands to take up about a third of the screen.

Let’s just say, then, that you still aren’t satisfied after reading all of the little blurbs, the Jetsetter review, and any user reviews that might be present. Jetsetter will still help you out with the Other Details button, showing you specific details about different rooms, included services, and policies for children and additional adults, the size of the bed, etc.

Booking Your Room

Choosing to book a room is as easy as a few taps. First you tap the bright orange button that lists the price of the room, choose the configuration that you would like (there are multiple tiers/options for most locations) and then choose your check-in and check-out dates.

Choosing the check-in and check-out dates as well as which package you'd like to purchase.

You enter your card info from directly within the app, and you’re shown the applicable policies, taxes, and dates along with your total charges. You can also cancel from the same screen, which is handy if you’re a poor writer that had to check out an expensive room.

The complete details of your trip.

It’s Like Having Your Own Travel Agent…for Free

That’s how I feel about Jetsetter. Aside from offering great deals, the app has gorgeous photography, excellent reviews, and all of the information that you might want about a property before you rent it.

Some of the properties are on the expensive side, but they’re cheaper than they might be from other places. Aside from the gorgeous locations that they list, the Jetsetter team have created an absolutely gorgeous app with an excellent design and great responsiveness.

Even if you can’t afford a vacation right now, Jetsetter is worth a download. Take a look at some properties, enjoy the panoramic view, and give yourself a mini vacation with your iPad. You deserve it.