Dive Brief:
- Google has introduced hotel booking through AI Mode in Search, allowing travelers to discover and book their stay “in one seamless conversation,” according to a news blog post.
- English-speaking users in the U.S. will be able to review and compare hotels, choose a room from integrated partners and complete the reservation with Google Pay, per the release. Google is partnering with 10 travel websites and hotel chains for the initial rollout, including Choice Hotels International, Hilton and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.
- Google’s debut of hotel booking in AI Mode comes as travelers increasingly turn toward artificial intelligence for trip planning. The feature also comes as hospitality players advance their own AI strategies, including how they show up on booking sites.
Dive Insight:
With the AI Mode in Search booking feature, travelers “can describe what they’re looking for in plain English” and receive a visual list of hotel options along with side-by-side comparisons, according to a Choice news release.
“Travel discovery is evolving rapidly, and Choice Hotels is actively shaping what comes next,” Anna Scozzafava, Choice’s chief data, AI and technology officer, said in a statement. “By working with Google as an early partner for hotel booking through AI Mode in Search, we’re helping make it easier for travelers to find the right Choice hotel for their trip while positioning our franchisees to compete and win in the age of agentic commerce.”
Scozzafava previously told Hotel Dive that Choice is deploying AI across its enterprise, in part to meet guests’ and owners’ evolving technology needs.
Meanwhile, for Hilton, the partnership with Google follows its recently launched Hilton AI Planner, a generative AI-powered digital concierge tool designed to help customers plan trips using conversational language.
Travelers can also include their Hilton Honors points in AI Mode searches, according to Google’s news release. Choice Hotels also allows travelers to see hotel costs in Choice Privileges points.
“At Hilton, we are dedicated to innovating to meet the changing needs of our guests, our industry and the world around us,” Michael Leidinger, the company’s senior vice president and chief information officer, said in a statement.
Other hotel partners in Google’s initial rollout include IHG Hotels & Resorts and Marriott International, and travel site partners include Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com, Priceline and Trip.com.
According to Google, individual hotel and booking platforms will “act as the merchant of record” and handle customer service for users.
In addition to hotel bookings, Google’s latest AI Mode upgrade also helps users track flight prices, set up price alerts and see the cost of flights in points or miles.
