Google Takes On Travel Sites and Releases a Hotel Finder

Google has suddenly become very interested in the travel industry. First, with its purchase of ITA, then the added flight information directly within its search results and now Google is launching an experimental new hotel deal search engine that they've named, Hotel Finder.

When using Google's new Hotel Finder, you're instantly comfortable because it works like every other travel site. In the example below we chose Honolulu and as you can see the results are varied and it includes a Compared to Typical feature that plainly gives you an idea if this is a deal or not. There is also additional search options on the left, as you would expect.

The information listed within this tool is being pulled from Google's Place Page information and it quite effectively gives users an alternative to the larger travel sites. Face it - not all the places to stay in an area are listed on sites like Travelocity, but they all have a Place Page. So it's no wonder that Google is tapping into their database of hotels to create this resource (although we have no information that Google is as of yet charging a finder's fee).

If you are in charge of any type of place of accommodation, then you need to be sure that your business' Google Place Page has been created and is as complete as possible. Your days of relying on travel sites to do the heavy lifting is coming to an end. It's also important to consider if the hotels in your area are being found correctly and labeled as a hotel location by Google Maps - if you depend on tourism in your area. This will help to ensure Google pushes traffic to your area and potentially your business as well. If your hotel or one in your area is not showing up, then our advice is to