Google hotel search site could rattle the OTAs
The battle with OTAs continues in the world of online travel and this time Google has made a move that could rattle the industry. Google has recently taken the OTAs head-on with the launch of its new hotel search site, Google Hotel Ads. This change could mean another disruption in the online travel business. Google is already the #1 hotel review site in the world and could soon be a major player for hotel bookings.
The announcement was slipped in the blog There’s still time to plan your perfect spring break trip, published by Google’s Richard Holden. Amongst other update announcements, a peek inside the google.com/hotels showed a complete hotel search site, rivaling that of Airbnb’s room search site.
So, what does this all mean? Let’s dive into the changes and what that entails for your property.
How it works
The Google Hotel Ads platform allows visitors to be dropped directly into a property’s booking engine, making it even easier for a searcher to convert/finalize their booking. This gives properties another opportunity to be listed in Google’s search results, which always increases the chances of acquiring those potential guests. While most properties should already have a strong search engine optimization and Google Ads strategy in place, Google Hotel Ads is a third option to be listed on the first page for increased visibility.
The new hotel search experience offers a new price filter, a quick-search by amenities, and the ability to book directly from Google. By entering Google.com/travel/hotels, visitors are taken to the main page where they are prompted to enter their destination, travel dates, and a few other filter options – very much like Airbnb’s clean, map-based network.
Once basic information is entered an interactive map is displayed with relevant hotel listings. A slider scale for price ranges is provided to help narrow the search based on price, plus additional filters like guest rating, amenities, and a new “deals” filter.
The deals filter is designed to highlight properties that are offering a “deal” compared to what the property normally costs.
After the user selects a hotel they are quickly prompted with a direct option to book. From here visitors can select their booking preference based on the price listed from the property’s website or OTAs.
Another important detail to point out is the “visit our website” option along with a phone number to contact the property. Here Google Here Google instantly adds another way for users to get in touch with the property directly.
A different pricing model
While OTA’s charge hotels a percent commission of the value of the booking (typically 15% to 20%), Google employs a pay-per-click model like TripConnect. In our experience, the pay-per-click model has been much more cost effective for properties because the cost for each referral to the property’s own website and booking engine is relatively low compared to OTA commissions. Additionally, the searcher has already been screened based on several key filters; destination, travel dates, and price, plus potentially other filters like amenities and ratings. Properties with quality websites and booking engines can, therefore, maximize their Google pay-per-click referral business.
What this means for you
If Google continues down the road of being the research destination of choice for online travel, your property should be looking to make the most out of this by offering your direct price in the mix – when it’s most likely you will win the booking. This means bidding when you have the best price and when the visitor’s previous searches indicate they’re a good match for your property. This also means not bidding when you’re being undercut by an OTA.
In the end, the traffic that Google is sending to your site will be highly-qualified traffic as a result of the simple filtering process. With these improvements, it will be easier for you to compete for organic traffic. So, while your bed and breakfast or boutique hotel may not be able to contend with the Hyatt next door, you can remain relevant in search results on Google hotels with excellent guest reviews, accurate amenities, and high-quality images.
Bottom line is that this new Google booking platform has made it that much easier for travelers to find exactly what they are looking for in one central location and will most certainly continue to improve over time.