map-based searches

OTA = Online Travel Agency, which means those sites that sell the booking and take the payment for you.
Nigel Goodwin
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Joined: Thu Apr 04, 2013 3:50 pm
Location: Newquay Cornwall
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map-based searches

Post by Nigel Goodwin »

Apart from the issue of properties not being in the correct location etc., i have been reviewing how different sites do map-based searches, and how they are linked with property lists.

Here are my findings. In summary, despite their massive investments, the large OTA's do a terrible job.

This is not exhaustive, many listing sites are very similarly bad.

i mention going back to the server because it is important for responsiveness for large numbers of properties. When you start having 50,000+ properties performance matters.

Any pointers to a listing site which does a good job?

Which of the following are the worst? TripAdvisor?

Groupaccommodation and Streeteasy use Leaflet and Mapbox, with Groupaccommodation also using Leaflet Markercluster for clustering. I quite like them, and they certainly perform for large numbers of markers.

The others use Google Maps, I think.

airbnb
  • -Map only shows the 18 shown on the page
    -Zoom/pan map changes markers and the page
    -Mouse over property on page highlights the marker
    clicking marker brings up small window which shows the set of pictures. clicking marker seems to go back to server. Scrolling through pictures goes back to the server for each picture.Clicking on this window brings up the full property listing.
    -Hover over marker no effect
TheHolidayLet
  • -Just a map, no link with a page
    -Markers update with pan/zoom
    -Mouseover brings up a line of text eg. 'chatueax from 600 euros per night, click for details' or 'click to display 5 properties' for cluster markers.
    -Clicking brings up small window with one picture and description. This goes back to server. Clicking this window brings up full property listing.
    -Each small window remains, so you may end up with lots of small windows. Small windows have close icon.
    -Small window has option to save to favourites, or full details.
www.Groupaccommodation.com
  • -Map shows all properties, page shows subset
    -Pan/zoom does not change page
    -Hover over individual marker shows location description e.g.'mas de la serra eastern Spain'
    -Hover over cluster shows bounding polygon for cluster
    -Hover/pan/zoom does not seem to go back to server
    -Clicking cluster zooms into that cluster and shows markers. It seems to go back to server for this, don;t know why.
    -Clicking individual marker bring up small window with one picture, name, country, sleeps, bedrooms. Seems to go to server the first time but not second time. Very slight pause for picture on first time, immediate second time.
    -Clicking on small window brings up full property details.
    -Small window has close icon. Also only one small window at a time. Pan/zoom keeps the window open, but clicking somewhere closes it.
Homeaway
  • -Map shows markers only for properties on page
    -Pan/zoom of map updates page
    -Nothing happens on hover over marker
    -No marker clustering
    -Clicking marker brings up small window with picture and some details. Goes to server for this. Can scroll pictures - seems like the second picture goes back to server, but then subsequent pictures do not. Second pictures retrieves all remaining pictures?
    -Markers clicked shown in slightly different colour. Hover over small window makes markers go orange,
    -Clicking small window bring up full details.
    -Hover over property on page displays marker in orange.
Trip advisor
  • -Map shows all properties, no clustering, marker is small green circle. But a few properties have larger icon marker, don't know how they are distinguished.
    -Mouseover marker shows small window with brief description and reviews summary.
    -Pan/zoom map does not update markers or property page.
    -Hovering over property on property page brings up small window on map
    -Property page is actually a long scrolling list, without paging.
    -Filtering on e.g bedrooms goes back to server and pause before map markers are updated. Same with price.
Booking.com
  • -Map and list are a bit separate, overlayed.
    -Map shows all markers, with different style for available or not. small markers (circles). Clustering.
    -Hover over marker brings up very small window with brief description. Goes to server every time.
    -Clicking on marker brings up bigger small window with scrollable pictures. Once this window is open, scrolling pictures does not go back to server.
    -Any selection of filters (e.g. price) goes back to server.
Interhome
  • -It takes long time before markers first appear.
    -Pan/zoom goes back to server.
    -Seems completely bonkers. Clicking on Switzerland brings up list of properties in Dubai.

Streeteasy.com
  • -Nice
COYS
Posts: 795
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2015 1:24 pm
Location: Greek Islands

Post by COYS »

Just my opinion but I hate map based searches. Bunched up markers, tiny maps, awful for zoom or scroll on touch screens & on a mobile device (as half the world is permanently attached to) way too small to be informative or useful.
I still prefer to type a location & get a list of properties returned to compare side by side on a page list.
I can't see how map based searches are an improvement on this as any that I decide to shortlist/view will almost certainly have its own google map pin in its location reference.
The HA/OD one that constantly changes the list on scroll is the worst, especially on iPad/tablet as it's positioned just where most right handers would move the page. Unless you unclick it, you are doomed to repeatedly re-entering information.
They look fancy, but by the look of that list Nigel, none too reliable so I'm dubious if it's an upgrade or a step backwards.
This time next year Rodney, we'll be millionaires.
Nigel Goodwin
Posts: 707
Joined: Thu Apr 04, 2013 3:50 pm
Location: Newquay Cornwall
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Post by Nigel Goodwin »

God point COYS, any map based search should be in addition to a non-map based search.

I think streeteasy achieves this nicely.
ManxRed1
Posts: 229
Joined: Mon Jul 25, 2016 9:52 am
Location: Polperro, Cornwall, UK

Post by ManxRed1 »

COYS wrote:Just my opinion but I hate map based searches. Bunched up markers, tiny maps, awful for zoom or scroll on touch screens & on a mobile device (as half the world is permanently attached to) way too small to be informative or useful.
I still prefer to type a location & get a list of properties returned to compare side by side on a page list.
I can't see how map based searches are an improvement on this as any that I decide to shortlist/view will almost certainly have its own google map pin in its location reference.
The HA/OD one that constantly changes the list on scroll is the worst, especially on iPad/tablet as it's positioned just where most right handers would move the page. Unless you unclick it, you are doomed to repeatedly re-entering information.
They look fancy, but by the look of that list Nigel, none too reliable so I'm dubious if it's an upgrade or a step backwards.
Although worth bearing in mind that this is a lifesaver for us 'Online Booking' rebels, as this is the only thing on HA that allows you to exclude the hundreds of irrelevant properties from 50 miles away that HA insert ahead of our properties to make sure we're unfindable!
ManxRed1
Posts: 229
Joined: Mon Jul 25, 2016 9:52 am
Location: Polperro, Cornwall, UK

Post by ManxRed1 »

COYS wrote:Just my opinion but I hate map based searches. Bunched up markers, tiny maps, awful for zoom or scroll on touch screens & on a mobile device (as half the world is permanently attached to) way too small to be informative or useful.
I still prefer to type a location & get a list of properties returned to compare side by side on a page list.
I can't see how map based searches are an improvement on this as any that I decide to shortlist/view will almost certainly have its own google map pin in its location reference.
The HA/OD one that constantly changes the list on scroll is the worst, especially on iPad/tablet as it's positioned just where most right handers would move the page. Unless you unclick it, you are doomed to repeatedly re-entering information.
They look fancy, but by the look of that list Nigel, none too reliable so I'm dubious if it's an upgrade or a step backwards.
Although worth bearing in mind that this is a lifesaver for us 'Online Booking' rebels, as this is the only thing on HA that allows you to exclude the hundreds of irrelevant properties from 50 miles away that HA insert ahead of our properties to make sure we're unfindable!
Nigel Goodwin
Posts: 707
Joined: Thu Apr 04, 2013 3:50 pm
Location: Newquay Cornwall
Contact:

Post by Nigel Goodwin »

Couldn't make head nor tail of Trivago's system. What is on the map and what is on the page of the list seem completely disconnected. No idea what symbols on the map mean. No clustering at all, as far as i can see.
COYS
Posts: 795
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2015 1:24 pm
Location: Greek Islands

Post by COYS »

ManxRed1 wrote:
COYS wrote:Just my opinion but I hate map based searches. Bunched up markers, tiny maps, awful for zoom or scroll on touch screens & on a mobile device (as half the world is permanently attached to) way too small to be informative or useful.
I still prefer to type a location & get a list of properties returned to compare side by side on a page list.
I can't see how map based searches are an improvement on this as any that I decide to shortlist/view will almost certainly have its own google map pin in its location reference.
The HA/OD one that constantly changes the list on scroll is the worst, especially on iPad/tablet as it's positioned just where most right handers would move the page. Unless you unclick it, you are doomed to repeatedly re-entering information.
They look fancy, but by the look of that list Nigel, none too reliable so I'm dubious if it's an upgrade or a step backwards.
Although worth bearing in mind that this is a lifesaver for us 'Online Booking' rebels, as this is the only thing on HA that allows you to exclude the hundreds of irrelevant properties from 50 miles away that HA insert ahead of our properties to make sure we're unfindable!
Indeed it is. I rather like that 'glass half full' approach.
This time next year Rodney, we'll be millionaires.
Nigel Goodwin
Posts: 707
Joined: Thu Apr 04, 2013 3:50 pm
Location: Newquay Cornwall
Contact:

Post by Nigel Goodwin »

ManxRed1 wrote: Although worth bearing in mind that this is a lifesaver for us 'Online Booking' rebels, as this is the only thing on HA that allows you to exclude the hundreds of irrelevant properties from 50 miles away that HA insert ahead of our properties to make sure we're unfindable!
Also Airbnb's policy of putting my properties in the nearby sea is helpful for those who want to wake up for an early swim.
Nigel Goodwin
Posts: 707
Joined: Thu Apr 04, 2013 3:50 pm
Location: Newquay Cornwall
Contact:

Post by Nigel Goodwin »

I quite like this:

http://www.poolvillasjavea.com/holiday-rentals-javea

particularly the way that, if you click on a marker with multiple properties, a list comes up, then moving your mouse over that list brings up individual property summaries and photos.

But the map view and the list view do not appear to be linked.

Similar capability on

https://www.akomgo.com

(I think the two sites are connected by the same company or something).
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