Google Working on Solving the Pain Points in Vacation Package Shopping
Skift Take
When Google perfects vacation package search, this could be a very compelling product because some have tried, but few are doing it in any meaningful way. This is all part of Google's steady and ongoing rise in the travel e-commerce ecosystem.
For anyone who's ever shopped online for a vacation package where the flight and hotel are bundled together, you'll know it can be a tedious exercise.
First you might find a holiday package on Expedia, for example, and then you'll have to figure out at least two things: Is it cheaper to book the package versus buying the flight and hotel separately, and then you'll want to search to see whether another vendor, such as Virgin Vacations, has a better deal.
The process can be frustrating because there are a lot of variables, and the rates change frequently, too.
Enter Google, which has been testing vacation rental metasearch, where users are transferred to third parties for bookings in the UK and Germany within its Destinations category since the spring of 2017.
Speaking at Skift Global Forum last month, Richard Holden, Google's vice president of product for travel, said that effort will be expanding in a number of ways.
"We do offer it now in the UK, Germany and the U.S.," Holden said. "I would still say that it’s not promi
