Google.com Gets Free Hotel Booking Links to Level Playing Field … A Tad
Skift Take
Pressure from regulators and maybe disgruntled partners prompted Google to add free booking links in search results and Maps in travel. Google certainly hasn't leveled the proverbial playing field among advertisers and non-advertisers, but hotels and smaller online travel agencies may see some benefit.
Dennis' Online Travel Briefing
Editor’s Note: Every Wednesday, Executive Editor and online travel rockstar Dennis Schaal will bring readers exclusive reporting and insight into the business of online travel and digital booking, and how this sector has an impact across the travel industry.Google announced it expanded free hotel booking links from hotels and online travel agencies to Google.com and Google Maps, supplementing existing paid advertising, after giving similar treatment to its Google Travel portal last year.
Here's what's changing: Previously, if you searched Google.com for a specific hotel, such as "Westin Jersey City Newport," you'd see in the right-hand column an information box with only paid advertising from the likes of Marriott, Expedia, Hotels.com and Booking.com with their rates and booking links to their websites.
However, what's been tweaked is that below those "Featured options" — the ads — in the information box you will see rates and 22 free booking links under the category "All options" from the the Westin Jersey City Newport, ZenHotels.com, and FindHotel.net, as well as bigger names such Expedia, Booking.com and Hotels.com, which also happened to have paid ads displayed higher up, too.
