Hotel apps for mobile devices are so common now that smart phone and tablet users are drowning in a sea of apps put out by hotel groups and travel sites. To cut through the clutter, mobile websites and applications for hotels are now looking to develop apps that stand out in some way.

Foodler

Foodler: It started out as an online service for ordering takeouts, but after the launch of its mobile website, Foodler has now come up with a “virtual room service” concept for hotels.

If a boutique hotel without a restaurant wants to offer room service to guests, they can get a Foodler Web page specially made for the hotel that will help guests uncover cuisines from local restaurants nearby that are open and able to deliver to them.

“With Foodler at your service, we are adding value for local hotels and inns who may not have their own restaurants or kitchens, but still know that quality dining is a huge part of the lodging experience,” says Foodler co-founder John Jannotti. “Our commitment has always been focused on making online ordering easy and fast for our customers, and this new service truly simplifies the process for hotel guests who are unfamiliar with the city and need a comprehensive resource for food delivery.”

The Mirage: Need room service even if you’re not in the room? It happens in Las Vegas, at least it does at The Mirage. Its Vegas Starts Here app allows guests to order room service when they’re still in a taxi, playing poker or relaxing in a poolside cabana, with the items often ready and waiting by the time guests return to their rooms.

MGM Resorts International (formerly MGM Mirage) last year launched several other iPhone apps, including an augmented reality app called Vegas Reality that allows guests to order room service and take a tour of Vegas hotels, restaurants and attractions.

Hotels.com: Earlier this month, Hotels.com organized an “extreme” stunt by athlete and stuntman JT Holmes to show how easily and quickly users of its Smarter App can book a hotel room from almost anywhere, even at the very last minute.

JT Holmes booking hotel room up in the air

JT Holmes jumped out of a plane at 15,000 feet and booked a room while hurtling down to earth in a 115 m.p.h. free fall, before landing safely on the Lake Tahoe beach of the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort with a confirmed hotel booking.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith: This Plan and Play app has a bucket-load of extras to help make a romantic boutique hotel stay even more enjoyable. The app comes with a risqué game of truth or dare, a get-out-of-work excuses generator (pick an email template, edit and send), and how-to guides for strip poker, minibar cocktail recipes and more.

Photos – Foodler, Hotels.com

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Apple Inc. has filed patents with the US Patent & Trademark Office for two travel related app ideas for directly interfacing with airline and hotel booking and information systems, along with a third one for fashion shopping. The patents were filed last year, but have just been made public by the USPTO.

Apple travel app patent

The travel services app patent (20100190510) deals with “Systems & methods for accessing travel services using a portable electronic device.”

Application summary says this includes “Such services can include, for example, reserving a travel itinerary, checking-in remotely for a reservation, providing airport information, providing for social networking, obtaining dining or entertainment during travel, controlling and requesting cabin services, providing arrival notifications to third parties, providing destination location information, and the like.”

The hotel app patent application (20100191551) summary says “This is directed to systems and methods for accessing hotel services through a portable electronic device.”

Examples of hotel services cited include “that a traveler can interact with a hotel to make a reservation, check-in, order room service, control room settings, use a concierge to identify attractions of interest in the vicinity, purchase entertainment options, check-out, and schedule subsequent aspects of a trip (e.g., order a taxi, reserve a rental car, or check-in to a flight).”

Apple Hotel app patent

The third patent application is for high-end fashion shopping (20100191578), and includes methods for providing information for promotional and invitation-only events, browsing catalogs, availability of fashion items, and view or provide ratings or reviews for stores or fashion items.

If Apple is willing to risk innovation in mobile travel apps with patents like these, it means they’re actively seeking to book a place at the table as a gateway between mobile consumers and travel service providers.

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There’s An App For That?