Google said it is broadening both its hotel booking
capabilities and the amount of information it includes with listings.
The world’s largest search engine launched hotel booking for
mobile users in 2013 and added booking capabilities for desktop and tablet
users earlier this year.
A Google search today still shows that a majority of hotel
listings don’t offer instant booking, instead linking to online travel agencies
such as Booking.com and Hotwire.
Google also said it is adding information on hotel amenities such
as swimming pools, parking availability and free WiFi. Google had already
included more basic information such as price, availability and user reviews.
“With Book on Google, Google facilitates the booking payment
transaction. The hotel partner owns the guest relationship, including sending
the confirmation email, answering post-booking questions, and handling changes
to the reservation or cancellations,” said Tom Mulders, senior program manager
for Google’s travel division.
Industry watchers are
keeping a close eye on Google because of its massive influence in search. Google
receives about 240 million unique visitors a month, putting it ahead of Facebook
and Yahoo, according to ComScore.
After Google, the most popular travel site that can process
hotel bookings is TripAdvisor, with about 70 million monthly visitors.