Jaunted

Beijing Olympics / 2008 Olympics / Beijing Olympics 2008 / Guidebooks / Zagat Guides / Tim Zagat / Nina Zagat / → All Tags

Speaking of Beijing: New Zagat Guide Debuts

Our recent foray into Beijing was more of a cultural primer for first timers and Olympics-watchers. But what to do if you need the nitty gritty details like which restaurant pours on the Commie kitsch and which nightclub has an awesome 80s night? The newly released Zagat Beijing has all the info you need, crammed into a super-slim volume perfect for packing.

A couple warnings: Like most Zagat guides, the Beijing book tends toward the pricey, and while we actually think the quote-packed descriptions are cute, perhaps you don't. And when it comes to cultural stuff, the background info in this book is a little skimpy. (Just one paragraph on Tiananmen Square? Really?)

Still, if you're just headed to the city for a week or so, do you really want to haul around a couple hundred pages of Chinese history you'll never actually read? We'd rather just know that Red Capital Club is the place to eat and that we should rock our leg warmers at Alfa.

Related Stories:
· Zagat [Official Site]
· Beijing Field Trip [Jaunted]
· Beijing Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Tim and Nina Zagat]

Tim Zagat / Nina Zagat / Zagat Guides / Guidebooks / Travel Trends / Pitch Your Travel Book / Jaunted Interviews / → All Tags

Jaunted Interview: Chatting with Tim and Nina Zagat

Late last week we sat down with Tim and Nina Zagat, former lawyers who were dealing in user-generated content before anyone dreamed of YouTube. Their guides to restaurants, nightlife, hotels and attractions (and more) rely on the first-hand reviews of people around the world--which explains those quotation marks you'll always find in their guides. As Tim says, "We're giving anybody who really cares about something the opportunity to be heard."

more ›

Technology / Websites / Zagat Guides / Tim Zagat / Nina Zagat / Facebook / → All Tags

Zagat Guides On Your Phone, On Your Facebook

We went by the office of the Zagat guides yesterday for a little chat with Tim and Nina--more on that next week--and they reminded us about their new mobile service, which debuted this summer. Just point your web-enabled phone or BlackBerry to Zagat.mobi and get more restaurant reviews than you'll know what to do with.

Once you've got the page up, you can search by neighborhood, cuisine or new openings. We like the "SMS to Friend" feature, which we imagine would make meeting up with pals much easier. And since the service is ad-supported, it's free.

Zagat is also cracking Facebook with a new application for nightlife spots and restaurants that have pages on the social network. Once they're approved by the survey, businesses can drop the widget on their Facebook page and see it constantly updated with the latest, imminently quotable reviews.

Related Stories:
· If It's Not NOLA, Zagat May Not Like It [Jaunted]
· Facebook coverage [Jaunted]
· Technology coverage [Jaunted]