After a period where progress seemed to have stopped, web-based map services are heating up again. Here are some recent developments:

Google is expanding it’s travel-related services with a new interface to search for hotels and see their location at the same time:

Google’s Hotel Finder (not to be confused with HotelFinder.com) can find the ideal accommodation for a particular user based on a few different priorities, such as location and budget. For example, when searching for where to stay, the user can draw shapes around neighborhoods using a mouse rather than searching by individual addresses.

Full read: Google Experiments With Hotel Finder Search Tool
Access: Google Hotel Finder

Microsoft adds maps for 400 shopping malls in the U.S. in the mobile version of Bing Maps:

Microsoft’s innovative but too-unloved mobile map search service announced today that it has added floor plan maps for 400 shopping malls to m.bing.com.

Full read: Bing Mall Maps and the Future of Mobile Retail

More Google: tube directions for London!

Google made the announcement earlier today, and the 1bn+ passengers that use Transport for London (TfL) services each year, covering 18,000 bus stops and 250+ Underground stations, can now obtain transport options as well as navigate the streets – entirely within Google Maps.

Full read: Google Maps now gives public transport directions in London

More UK: an excellent G.I.S. application, showing property values for the UK

Zoopla, a UK property search and information website, has today launched heatmaps, which show the average current value of homes across the UK in an easy-to-visualize format

Full read: Heatmaps let Zoopla users see average house prices across the UK
Access: Zoopla

Got any other examples?