Hotels.com and Imagini: Picture your perfect holiday
Hitchhikers on the A3 have stopped holding up pictures of thumbs. That, friends, means winter's over and it's time to start thinking about the summer holidays
Maybe we're imagining things, but winter seems to be on the retreat. The feeling has returned to our fingers, nobody in the office chipped a tooth drinking soup yesterday, and hitchhikers on the A3 have stopped holding up pictures of thumbs. That, friends, can only mean one thing -- it's time to start thinking about the summer holidays.
Being the geeks that we are, we don't want to slave through endless holiday sites haphazardly guessing which locations have the fewest chavs, so we've resorted (geddit?) to something new -- the Imagini Visualiser tool on Hotels.com.
It all works via the medium of images. The site displays a series of questions related to your stay, alongside a set of pictures, which you click to give your answers. Once complete, it'll build a personal profile -- or 'VisualDNA' -- and display a list of recommended hotels based on your input.
We clicked the 'beach' option, a picture of a room with two adjacent single beds, a picture of somebody lying by the pool, some revellers partying on the dancefloor, and hit the "I don't know my destination -- just surprise me" button. The site then came back with a list of places where we can share a room with our buddies, chill by the pool, and rave our asses off come nightfall. Sweet.
You'll have to arrange your own flights, insurance and sun-tan lotion, but on the whole, we think it's a great tool. Give it a go if you're going away this year -- if nothing else, it'll take some of the stress out of booking your hols.
If you're at a loose end, you can also experiment with more Imagini VisualDNA-based goodness -- personality tests and the like -- by visiting Youniverse.com.
Happy clicking.