TripAdvisor helps iphone users find gourmet delight

TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel community, today announced a version of its Local Picks restaurant finder will be available for free at the launch of Apple’s new App Store today. The Local Picks application, utilizing the iPhone’s location-based capabilities, will allow people to find the best restaurants, as rated by locals, based on their current location.

“We want to make TripAdvisor content available to as many people as possible in as many ways as possible,” said Christine Petersen, CMO, TripAdvisor. “Creating a version of Local Picks that takes advantage of the iPhone’s location-based capabilities allows us to offer a simple and portable way to stay connected to TripAdvisor and get relevant content that can be used immediately.”

At the tap of a screen, users will be able to see the restaurants closest to them listed according to TripAdvisor’s popularity index, a way of dynamically ranking establishments based on customer satisfaction. Each restaurant listing will include information about the establishment’s distance from the iPhone user and its rating, based on TripAdvisor member feedback. Because epicurean adventurers may not just want to see the top rated local eateries, TripAdvisor is also incorporating filters into the application that will allow searches to be conducted by rating, radius and price.

In order to learn more about a specific establishment, iPhone users can select a particular restaurant and a map will be provided that shows the location of the eatery. While viewing the map, users can not only see the restaurant’s cuisine type and address, but also tap on its phone number to be instantly connected to the establishment. People seeking even more insight can view TripAdvisor reviews of the restaurant to help them find their ideal dining experience.

Local Picks is available free beginning today from Apple’s App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at itunes.com/appstore.