New search options on Google Maps

Google's Lior Ron has posted to the Google Lat Long Blog to let us know about a great new way to search on Google Maps. An option to select the type of search you want to do has been added!

Here is where to find it:


Click "Show search options" to the right of the "Search Maps" button to reveal 4 new search options:

• Locations - Searches addresses, places of interest or other locations with that name Businesses - Searches only businesses with that name
• User Created Content - Searches My Maps and other user-created content such as KML
• Everything - Mingles all content types together in one search result

This new change will put let you further customize your Google Maps experience and really put it to work searching ONLY the type of content you want to find. When you only want to search for a specific city name in your country, it will only deliver results for that city name. If you're looking for a specific retailer that you want to know the location for, results for other content won't cloud your view. For those you creating My Maps and other maps content that want it to be more discoverable, the "User-created content" search option is especially exciting. I just used it to narrow down a list of user-suggested tapas restaurants for my upcoming trip to Barcelona, Spain!
[Via: Google Lat Long Blog]

Related:
Panoramio photos, YouTube videos, Google Books added to Google Maps search
Community Maps added to Google Maps search
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18th Century France on Google Maps

One of the landmarks in the history of map making is César-François Cassini's 18th century map of France. The 182 sheets of the map took Cassini over thirty years to complete. Thanks to GeoGarage you can now view all 182 sheets on their Cassini Map.



The Cassini map of France has been added by GeoGarage as an overlay on top of the Google Map of France. This means you can now view the oldest map of France on a topographic scale using Google Map’s zoom and navigation tools.

The transparency of the Cassini map overlay can be set at three different levels. Therefore you can compare Cassini’s map to contemporary France. For example, if you compare 18th century Paris to the present day Google Map of the city you can see how little the centre of Paris has changed in the last 250 years.

Another very useful feature of the map is the ability to adjust the satellite layer. If you set the map to satellite view you can also adjust the transparency of the hybrid view. You can therefore view the Cassini layer with various transparencies of the Google satellite and map views underneath.

The original images of the Cassini map have been provided to GeoGarage courtesy of The David Rumsey Map Collection. Many of David Rumsey’s maps can also be viewed in Google Earth. You can find them via the Gallery layer in Google Earth.
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Explore a world location with Mapdango!

I found this excellent Google Maps mashup called Mapdango that lets quickly, and easily get local information about any city or town in the world:

The clean interface on Mapdango is super easy to use.. try it out; Enter any place name. Maybe a place you'll be traveling to soon or the place you live: Singapore, Louisville Kentucky, Auckland New Zealand etc.. and hit GO! On the results page Mapdango places a Google Map to the right and and mashed up content to the left. Content gets marked by color across the map. Data sources are few but valuable for any locaiton. They include:

• Weather - By Weatherbug
• Photos - By Flickr
• Articles - By Wikipedia
• Week's Events - By Eventful
• Concerts - By Grüvr (post)

Mapdango is quick and easy to use and will provide you with good, useful local information. Now, do you want to take this a step further and impress your friends and family by becoming a super geoweb traveler? Combine the following sites with Mapdango to know everything there is to know about the location you're in:

• Google Maps and Google Maps for Mobile- Local business and Community Maps Searching
• Wikimapia - User created wiki-descriptions of everything around you
• Weatherbonk - Local weather and live cameras
• OnGMap - Endless source of mashed up content for any point on Google Maps
• Add Content to Google Maps - Create a customized Google Maps travel mashup for yourself with content (mapplets) from all over Google Maps!

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Canada Google Maps Mashup Roundup (Jan.30/08)

Century 21 launches Google Maps Mashup in Canada:

Century 21 Canada's new website is a complete Google Maps mashup. It makes Google Maps the primary browsing experience as you search for listings or agents at a provincial, regional or city/town level. The single page application allows you to easily filter location, price and other specs without page reloads and combination of the on map info-windows and sidebar present a LOT of information about the agent or a listing. This is a great new national real estate mashup that should definitely be used if you're house hunting anywhere in Canada! (Check other Canadian real estate mashups by clicking the "Canada" label below!)

Wineries of Ontario Mashup:

Anton Umnikov's new wine mashup is helping to get the word out about the world's best kept wine region secret: Ontario, Canada! The Niagara region of Ontario is not known only for one of the wonders of the world, but it's also home to many world class wineries. Actor Dan Aykroyd is among many who have recently invested millions in the region. Take a look at this helpful mashup to help you plan a wine tour for your next visit to Toronto, Ottawa or Niagara Falls! (More worldwide wine mashups found here!)

Canada City Count: 3!

• Vancouver, BC (TransLink)
• Fredericton, NB (Fredericton Transit) [Press]
• Montréal, QC (AMT)

Since Google Transit is now an integrated part of Google Maps, this means that when you search for Driving Directions in any of these cities on Google Maps you will also be presented with transit directions as an option!
Related: New Montreal Metro Map (Simple maps of Metro stations)



Putting Canada on the map (Globe and Mail - Dec/07) - Father of digitized mapping recounts how a stroke of luck led him to develop the world's first geographic information system
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UK Google Maps Mashup Roundup (Jan. 30/08)

thelondonknowledge - Do you need to find a nightclub in Central London for Friday night? Perhaps you would prefer a more intimate meal for two on the Thames. With over 3,000 reviews of bars and restaurants and 5,000 listings of clubs, theatres and cinemas the online entertainment guide map thelondonknowledge can help you plan the perfect night out.

Searching this impressive map you can choose from a number of options, including cinema, nightclubs, music, theatre, comedy, art or ‘something different’. You can search by a specific day and by area and when you find what you want thelondonknowledge will even give you travel directions via Transport for London’s Journey Planner. Now you really have no excuse for staying in.

Via Mapperz.blogspot.com


Little Legends - This guide to what's on for kids uses Google Maps to highlight child friendly locations in the UK. Parents have added schools, nurseries, children's activities, clubs and restaurants that will appeal to kids.

You can search by keyword or location and the map will show other user added places near by. The social sharing features on this site, including user comments and user ratings, should provide an invaluable tool for parents in planning how to entertain their little ones.


PetrolPrices.com - This Google Maps mashup will help solve the perpetual problem of where to buy the cheapest petrol. To search just enter your address or postcode and the map will show the five cheapest petrol stations within a given radius of your address. You can define whether you require diesel, premium diesel, unleaded, super unleaded, LPG or LRP.


Sam Knows Broadband - Samknows.com is a UK website dedicated to tracking the progress of broadband across the UK. Their new mapping service Sam Knows Broadband can help find the fastest broadband connection that is available for your current address.

To use the map you can enter your address by search box or you can just zoom into an area and choose a street. Once you click on the road you live in and have entered your house number you are informed of the broadband options available for your home. The broadband speed is given for each of the available options as well as the names of the providers.

This is a really useful tool not only for checking the speed of service available to you but for finding out which broadband providers are available where you live. I never knew that I could choose from over twenty providers!


Tubejp - At present Google Maps only provides driving directions for London so this London journey planner could prove very useful for finding your way around the capital.

Enter a start and end point for your journey and the map calculates your route via underground, train or bus. The directions appear in a side panel and include the estimated time of the journey and the number of stops on the way.


UKPropertyVision is another example, similar to twittervision and Google’s own Google Maps Recent Edits Viewer, of a map that updates place markers in real-time.

The map uses the UK property search engine Nestoria to find homes to buy or rent in the UK and then adds them to the map in real-time. There is definitely something hypnotic in defining your location and price-range and watching the found properties appear and disappear on the screen in front of you.

Via Mapperz.blogspot.com


Flood Map - Climate Change Wales provides a map that shows the flooding that will be caused by different degrees of sea level rise. The map’s interface is very simple to use, comprising of a simple drop down menu of different sea rise levels. Water level is then shown on the map by a blue coloured overlay. For example, a rise of two meters sees my street disappear under a sea of little blue dots.

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Keir Clarke joins Google Maps Mania!

Blogger, Google Maps developer, and Street View enthusiast Keir Clarke has joined the Google Maps Mania team as a regular writer! He'll be posting from London, UK and brings a great interest in the world of Google Maps! Some of Keir's past Google Maps projects have included the Star Viewer and Street Viewer. Keir is an ex teacher and professional who is trying to make a go in the crowded world of freelance web design. Since giving up his teaching career two years ago he says that while he has become a lot poorer he does have more time to indulge in his love of traveling. This love is apparent in a Google Maps video blog he maintains called Virtual Tourism that you may have seen me blog about in the past. Welcome to Keir!

6 Cool new US Google Maps mashups!

WashingtonPost.com Taxi Fare Estimator - Directions Magazine points us to this new Google Maps tool created by WashingtonPost.com. It aims to help those in Washington DC who are coping with the switch from zone to metered fares. The tool provides basic saved or custom routes, along with advanced settings that let you fine tune the route you're plotting. Just out of curiosity I also ran a search on Google Maps for "Washington DC taxi map" and found this great Community Map result called the DC Taxi Zone Map which will help you better map the zones. If you're fed up with the new fare system, you can always use the Washington DC Metro! (Related: TaxiWiz will help with fare estimates for other cities)

Find a Theatre and Restaurant in Chicago - Mark Meyer's TheatreInChicago.com will help you find a play in and around the city with the new Google Maps mashup within his site. Local restaurants that cater to play-goers for each theatre are also plotted to make it a great resource to plan the entire evening out!

RoomApes.com - This new site's goal is to "..build a resource that people can use in order to help them make informed choices about prospective roommates." Search the map or post yourself. [More info]

• Philip Habel's Atlas of Wisconsin Cheesemakers
• Read about how GeoNews is coming to life!

RoadlessLand.org - In the US there are groups of forest service lands (approximately 60 million acres) called "Inventoried Roadless Areas". This Google Maps mashup created by Nelson Guda maps all of the roadless areas covered by the roadlessroadless rule. The site also contains a database of information about many of these areas and a place where anyone can upload photos and comments about the areas. The mashupUSGS Topo maps, Panoramio photos, Recreation.Gov POI's and a nifty print function that lets you set your printing to vertical or horizontal.
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Google Maps public transport mashup for Dublin

JustRoutes.com for Dublin, Ireland:


Vinny Glennon from Useamap fame has created a new Google Maps public transportation mashup for people of Dublin, Ireland called JustRoutes.com. He explains how the idea for JustRoutes came to be: "..This came about as people in our city know where they want to go, but they have no idea how to get there using the existing public transportation network. For example, the only online help for the city buses are here." JustRoutes lets you select a start and end point by clicking on the map, then it calculates a specific route to take between those two points. It links to timetable info, provides a fare and time estimate and even tells you how far the starting transit vehicle is from your starting point and how far you'll need to go to reach your end destination after using the last transit vehicle. If you're traversing the city of Dublin anytime soon JustRoutes is for you! :)

Related:
Dartmaps Dublin
Google Transit

New Ireland Google Maps Jobs/Employment Mashup: JobShop.ie - (More info)
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Google Maps New Zealand

Google Maps New Zealand is here!
http://maps.google.co.nz

Google unveiled a localized and customized Google Maps site for users in New Zealand in early December of 2007. Local business search as well as the ability for people to add their business to the Google Maps directory for free are all now available. More info can be found on this Google Lat Long Blog post. Thanks also to Edward Groenendaal for the tip!

New Zealand Accommodation Mashup - TakeABreak (co.nz) is a new Google Maps mashup that will help you with suggestions for places to stay around New Zealand.

Many more New Zealand Google Maps mashups found by clicking the label below:
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Fortune Google maps the best places to work in 08

Google is #1 for a second year in a row! Fortune Magazine has used Google Maps extensively to help in bringing us their list of the 100 Best US Companies to Work For in 2008. Coming in at number #1 for a second year in a row... Google! :) Google Maps views include the Top 10, All 100, or 25 Highest Paying. The Full List of 100 will give you many other ways to slice and dice the list, and perhaps help you fine tune your job search. ;)

Euro Google Maps Mashup Roundup (7 countries)

New Google Maps Mashups from: The Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Austria, Italy, France, Croatia!

Netherlands (By Robert J. de Heer @ EuroMapsMania):

• Netherlands Bed & Breakfast Map - Example: Amsterdam B&B's
• Map of Street Noise in Nieuwegein
• Funda Real Estate Mashup - Currently beta testing heat maps

Germany (By Stefan @ The GKarten Blog):

• What's Around - A Google Maps mashup of events (music, theatre, festivals)
• Yabadu Maps - A tool to create GPS tracks. Features a topographic layer (scale: 1:50000)
• Google Maps Anwendungen mit PHP und Ajax Book - Order from Amazon.de
• Highland and Thuringia Bridges
• Flats used by Stasi in Erfurt - Wikipedia: Stasi

Denmark:

• Small Copenhagen Beer Map

Austria (By Stefan @ The GKarten Blog):

• Vienna racism map - Showcasing it so people can find remove
• Vienna electro stations - Save the petrol, go electro!

Italy:

• Mappik.it is an Italian mega-mashup - videos, photos and more are "planted"
• 2Spaghi Google Mapplet

France:

• MeteoSun - French Weather Mashup

Croatia:

• Interactive Croatian Restaurant Map

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Google Maps Mania links for 2008-01-27

BBC World Correspondents Map:

Maps full bureau operations and correspondents/stringers for BBC News, worldwide.

• Andy's 26 month around the world trip
• LOST Maps
  
• Mapping The Faces of Grey's Anatomy
• (More TV My Maps)
• Technology pulls curtain back to offer new world views - CNN (24-Jan-08)
• Geographic center at WVU enables advanced terrain mapping online - Fayette Tribune (21-Jan-08)
• Wind turbines for Mongolian nomads - Salon (07-Jan-08)

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The Google Maps Recent Edits Viewer!

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You may remember my post back on November 19th (2007) which covered a new Google Maps feature that lets you correct the location of the address marker on the map. Google software engineer Charles Spirakis has worked some magic to help us to watch some of these edits taking place in a real-time Google Maps viewer! Check out the Google Maps Recent Edits Viewer to watch as people move map markers to make addresses more accurate. Have you checked out addresses for your home, your business and other places you frequently visit on Google Maps? Do your community a service by ensuring these markers are accurately represented on Google Maps! :) Read more about this fun viewer in this Google Lat Long Blog post. When you're done there moving, correcting and just feeling better about the world around you, watch edits being made to Wikipedia, poll questions being asked, links being clicked on or photos being uploaded (all in real-time)...

Other "recent Google Maps edits" and updates:

• Reordering features in My Maps
• Google Maps directions: No address required

(For more, click the "Google Maps" label below:)
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Google Maps SoccerMap!

SoccerMap.net:


If you're a football/soccer fan you'll love SoccerMap.net - It's a great sports mashup that combines Google Maps with locations of national leagues from all over the world. Selecting the country flag reveals detailed statistics for each team and the current standings for that league. Click on the team name to fetch Web, Image, Video, News and Blog results that appear within the right side panel. General football/soccer news displays from 8 sources along the bottom of the map. Photos, RSS feed creation and more.. this is a great Google Maps mashup for all world football/soccer fans!
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This Google Maps mashup is out of this world!

Keir Clarke has developed Star Viewer using the new 'sky' option in the Google Maps API:

With Star Viewer you can watch a number of astronomical videos embedded on a map of the night sky. A number of the videos are from the Hubblecast series produced by the European Space Agency. The Hubblecasts feature news and images from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. In addition to the videos the map placemarks give way to a number of other amazing images from Google's huge tileset of merged telescope images and that are also viewable in Google Sky!

Related:

• Maps from another world (Google Lat Long Blog)- Read about how to use the Maps API to create your own web-based mashups of the night sky, Mars and the Moon!
• Google Moon
• Google Mars
• The World at Night
• Europa, the icy moon of Jupiter

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Shout out about a place on Google Maps!

PlaceShout.com:

"..What place makes you want to shout? Tell your city what places make you happy, satisfied, or rip-roaring mad!" This is the phrase you're greeted with at PlaceShout.com, Andre Lewis' latest Google Maps (Andre has also brought us Hotspotr). Andre describes it in this way: "PlaceShout is short-form local reviews on a map. Think Twitter crossed with Yelp. PlaceShout isn't about volume - it's about trying to express the positives and negatives of a destination in as few of words as possible. If people agree, that "shoutout" moves up...if they don't, the shoutout moves down and begins to disappear." Google Maps is used within the placeshout link to locate the place, as well from the "Map Browse" link at the top of each city page to show all placeshouts in that location. One feature I've never seen used is a thin ribbon along the top of the map that shows direction and distance to neighboring towns and cities. Move the map around and this changes as you drag the map. Very cool! :)

PlaceShout works for several world cities such as Madrid, Praha or Toronto (only a few places shouted about so far) but there are 5 cities in the US that have the most placeshouts: Ann Arbor, MI (260 places), San Francisco, CA (217 places), Atlanta, GA (56 places), Houston, TX (44 places) and Ypsilanti, MI (24 places). So if you live in or travel to any of these cities, check them out.. otherwise explore the city list (top right of the page) to add to yours. PlaceShout is a great concept for you to boast (or complain) about a place in your city!

Great Google Maps Mania Links for 2008-01-19

Giant KFC logo finally spotted on Google Maps!

Watch the YouTube clip of the logo being created!
[Via: "20 Awesome Images Found In Google Maps" post on SearchEngineLand.com]

Association of Safe International Road Travel + Google Maps = Most Dangerous Roads on Earth:


World Climate Map.. Click Anywhere!:


Google Map of 1000+ Internet Radio Stations:

• NASA's Aqua & Terra Earth satellites + Google Maps = Your Planet Today
• Google Maps Gaining Fast on MapQuest (Jan.1/08) [Via MediaBuyerPlanner]
• Who Keeps Digital Maps Going in Right Direction? - Wall Street Journal (Jan.14/08)
• More Google Queries Get Google Maps - New York Times (Jan.14/08)
• Locate Sidney Johnson on Google Maps
• Docoloco uses Google Maps to let you share places

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12 great new US Google Maps Mashups and Tools!

Every Street Covered: Driving Detroit Map

This Google Maps mashup is a fascinating look at life and culture on (all) the streets of Detroit created by the Detroit Free Press staff. The story is told through video, sound, music and photos all plotted to a Google Map for you to explore. This is one of the best video/photo essays I've seen since it really gave me a vibe for the city when I used it. Related: Google Maps Street View: Detroit and Google NewsMaps

Google Maps Decision 2008 - Keep up with the US Presidential primary elections! More in this Google Lat Long Blog post..

Great new US-based Google Maps Tools:

• DriveScore - Find out the "drivescore" of a particular address is before buying a house! Learn your current drivescore based on what is nearby. (Similar to WalkScore)
• Find businesses along a route - Add business name + start point + end point and get directions to businesses along the way!
• New York Yellow Cab Fare Finder Map Tool - Calculates time, distance and estimated cost with varying tip percentages! :)
• Mapszipcode - US Zip code finder and mapping service

More new US Google Maps mashups:

• Google Map of USA Ferry Locations - Tom Howder's map of domestic Ferries in the US.
• US Golf Course Map with yardages - Also includes Google Earth viewing.
• Map of 100 Best Value US Public Colleges
• Google Maps Disc Golf Courses - A fantastic US/Canadian map to play this awesome sport
• WhatsOpen.com (California beta) - More info in this local press article.. [Thanks Frank!]
• Prospella business prospecting Maps - Perform prospecting activities on more than 10 million US businesses. More in this press release..

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Cribq: Great new Craigslist Google Maps mashup!

Cribq.com:

Alex Neth has outdone himself with his new Craigslist mashup which he named Cribq. It combines Craigslist real estate listings for Chicago, SF, Chicago, Boston with Google Maps... but it doesn't stop there. What makes this Craigslist housing mashup different from others are the tools that Alex has built into the site: Hotlists, notes, the ability to edit listings, and you can search within the map. It also uses birdseye views from Virtual Earth and integration with Walkscore, an interesting Google Maps housing tool which gives you the "walkability" of a given address. Both are found as tabs below the Google Maps view at the bottom right. Alex's own housing search spawned the creation of Cribq, as Paul Rademacher's need for housing in San Francisco spawned the first ever Google Maps hack that also mashes up with Craigslist (HousingMaps).
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Google Maps Tokyo Transit Tool (In English)

Tokyo Subway Transit Map Tool:

Planning a trip to Tokyo in the near future? Be sure to use this fantastic Google Maps transit tool that will recommend (in English) the shortest transit routes from station to station. It also includes popular sightseeing locations and offers photos and videos using Flickr and YouTube.

Also: Okinawa, Japan Travel Guide (English language) [via]

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The Google Maps Live Sports Map

Ryan McKillen has created a Google Maps mashup that I'm franly I'm a bit surprised did not exist before today. The Live Sports Map is a mashup with sports scores and news for sports throughout the world (predominantly US/Canada). Scores are plotted on the home team's stadium/arena with a link to zoom in on the Google Maps satellite view. News stories are plotted on the city where they take place. Color coded markers indicate news and scores for the variety of sports tracked, and can by toggled on and off in order to hone in on a specific interest. Sports include:

Major League Baseball, NASCAR, NBA Basketball, NCAA Baseball, NCAA Basketball, NCAA Football, NCAA Hockey, NFL Football, NHL Hockey, Olympics (when they start), Tennis and World Soccer.

This is a great real-time mashup that brings together sports and geography in a most unique way!
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A Fantastic New Google Maps Books Mashup!

CodexMap: A Fantastic Google Maps Books Mashup!


Mark Watkins has created a great new Google Maps books mashup called CodexMap. Browse the database of books on CodexMap by their geographic location on the Google Map view, as well as add new books to the database with their location. CodexMap mashes up with Amazon, LibraryThing, Google Book Search and Wikipedia. To get started, enter a search by name, title and author then drill down through a tagcloud of the most common geographic tags based on your current search and navigation state. Each book has information about the book and links to other sites. Mark has also chosen to default the map type to Terrain View on Google Maps: "..It seems to have a nice aesthetic combination with books." - I agree! Mark has done a great job with his CodexMap books mashup so if you're curious about the geographic context of a book you're reading or have currently read, check it out! As Mark's tagline calls out: "Explore the world of books!"

For other Google Maps Books Mashups, click the label below!
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Google Maps Mania links for 2008-01-05

Lots of new hardware and apps integrating with Google Maps!:

• iPhone 1.1.3 Video showing new Google Maps features - (See: 04:10 -> 06:05)
• Amazon Kindle Easter Egg: Google Maps!
• Google Maps iPhoneSender.com - Browser plugin that allows you to email a Google Map link to your iPhone.[More info here]
• Send Google Maps addresses to your Tom Tom
• Nokia Sports Tracker - GPS based activity tracker that runs on Nokia smartphones. Read this Mapperz blog post for more details!
• Spot Personalized Satellite Tracker with Google Maps integration - USAToday review
• GPS Photo Finder with Google Maps integration
  
• Directory Assistant Treo/Centro App with Google Maps option
• Pharos unveils Trips and Pics geologger - Compatible with Google Maps
• Meander 1.2 Adds Custom Measurements, Google Maps support

New Google Maps mashups:

• New Collaborative Mapping App: MapMyGlobe - Explained in this blog post
• Google Maps + Kayak Flight Search - Requires Kayak registration (free)

Blogs, News:

• Google Maps Takes Drivers on a Virtual Joy Ride - Google Maps driving article by Edmunds.com, Dec.18/07
• PlazeCamp (Developer Day) - January 12, 2008 at Plazes HQ in Berlin, Germany
  
• Mapmaking For The Masses: User-generated Content Can Profoundly Impact Geographic Information Systems - Science Daily, Dec.31/07 [Via Slashdot]
• Chicago Festival of Maps

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Google Map of Iowa Caucus Results

Google Maps Iowa Caucus Results: Mapped results, YouTube videos, News and helpful reference links.

Iowa Democratic Party Results (Blue noting the Obama victory):


Republican Party of Iowa (Blue notes Huckabee victory):


For more background on this Google initiative and for more ways to follow the 2008 election, read Brittany Bohnet's post on the Google Lat Long Blog: Got caucus results? We do.

Related:

• Barack Obama's Life Journey on Google Maps
• MapTheCandidates.com: '08 U.S. presidential election mashup
• Google Map of 2008 Presidential Contributions
• Wikipedia: Iowa Caucus

For more Google Maps elections mashups, click the label below..
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3 great new global Google Maps hotel mashups!

Sol Melia Google Maps Escape:

The posh Sol Melia Hotels and Resorts chain is using Google Maps (and Earth) in a great online promotion that gives you a bird's eye view of all of their hotels and resorts.... and a chance to stay at any of their 330 hotels worldwide! At the welcome screen choose English -> International to send your skydiving tourist in to have a look around at all Sol Melia's accommodation from a Google Maps satellite view. Initially you are centered on a beach-side hotel in Spain. Zoom back out to see more in that country or other hotels around the world. With the temperature sitting at -21C as I type this, I'll gladly take that Bali resort in my screenshot above!

PerfectEscapes.com is a Luxury Hotels Google Map Mashup:

PerfectEscapes is a great new Google Maps mashup that will help you locate one of 2200 luxury hotels across 113 countries. Each are mapped to their location with a satellite view and are accompanied by photos and a short description. Start by drilling down to continent level and then into country, region or city. Good examples are New York City or LA. If you're looking for upscale accommodation, this is a great mashup to research, then book a hotel in any country you are visiting!

Zoom to find a room with Zoomarooma!:

Zoomarooma is pure Google Maps hotel mashup goodness. Nothing other than a full screen Google Maps viewport and a link to report bugs greets you as you arrive at this new hotel mapper. The directions are simple: "Zoom to Find a Room". Zoom to Louisville, Kentucky, Shanghai, China or London, England and you'll see a scattering of map markers that lead to information and price checking options of hotels all over the planet! More details about Zoomarooma can be found through their press release that just went out..
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