New online search tool matches hotels to users’ ‘VisualDNA’

Hotels.com, the accommodation website, is launching a brand new search tool designed to match travellers with hotel recommendations using a simple series of pictures.

Developed with technology company Imagini, the Hotels.com Visualiser assesses each user's responses to a series of questions, with only visual prompts for answers. These responses create a personal profile or VisualDNAâ„¢ for the traveller which is then used to make hotel recommendations that match their needs.

Travellers choose from a series of photos to describe what kind of style and experience they are looking for. These steps include activities they hope to enjoy plus the style of hotel and restaurants that best suit their tastes.

The Hotels.com Visualiser then cross-references the Hotels.com database according to the activity, design and food choices made, and selects hotels to match those choices.

Travellers can then book a stay at any of the recommended hotels using the normal Hotels.com booking process.

Nigel Pocklington, Managing Director of Hotels.com, says: ‘We are always looking for new and innovative ways to improve our customer experience and help our users to choose a hotel that perfectly matches their requirements.

‘The speed and functionality of the Visualiser coupled with the vast array of hotel accommodation on Hotels.com means that we are able to make the user experience faster and more efficient than ever before.’

Visit Hotel.com’s website to see how Visualiser works.