HopStop, a directions portal that competes in the segment against an ever-building Google Maps, today announced its plans to fight the Big G, including new markets, content partners and features. The 20-person site, which gets about one-third of its traffic from destination and SEO traffic, and one-third from affiliate partners, has added 20 markets and is now serving a total of 57 markets (including four markets outside North America: London, Paris, Moscow and St. Petersburg).

The company’s partnerships — new and old — include hourly car rentals from Connect by Hertz with integrated driving directions, real-time booking capability via Limos.com, daily deals from Groupon, local events from Zvents and business reviews via Yelp. According to CEO Joe Meyer, the revenue model with each partner varies, and includes CPM, CPC and affiliate sales. The company is operating profitably and not actively raising funds, he adds.

HopStop has also added new social media tools, including a feature that enables users to share travel plans with friends. Other features include walking directions and intercity travel via Amtrak and bus routes. Meyer says that the company’s biggest defense against Google and other competitors is its passionate, social media-driven user base, with 37 percent of users using the site 25 times a month or more. Seventy-two percent used the site within 24 hours of their last use. (We provided a full profile of the company in May 2010.)