Google updates its search engine with new travel features

APPS

Google LLC today introduced a set of new features for its search engine that will help users more easily book flight tickets and accommodations.

The update is part of an effort by the company to make its search engine a more powerful tool for online shopping. Previously, it debuted a capability that uses machine learning to help users navigate e-commerce product listings. The capability can surface other versions of a product or find unrelated items that share certain similarities with it. 

According to Google, the first batch of features that debuted today will make it simpler to find information about tourist attractions and tour companies. Looking up a landmark or tour will now bring up search results that include embedded ticket prices. Furthemore, the search results include links to websites where tickets can be booked.

In addition to helping users book tours faster, today’s update will make it simpler to find accommodations. 

On the mobile version of Google, clicking a hotel listing now brings up what the company describes as a swipeable story feature. It displays a slideshow of hotel room photos that users can browse by swiping. The feature also provides related information, including reviews and details about the area where a hospitality establishment is located.

The update is rolling out alongside an enhanced version of Google Flights, the search giant’s flight booking service. The new version will help users avoid spending more on plane tickets than necessary.

Flight prices can fluctuate in the days and weeks leading up to takeoff. As part of today’s update, Google Flights is receiving a feature that allows it to estimate when a ticket reaches the lowest possible price. The service will make that information available to users by adding a badge to the relevant listing.

“If you see a flight with the price guarantee badge, it means we’re confident that the price you see today won’t get any lower before takeoff,” Richard Holden, Google’s vice president of travel products, wrote in a blog post. “We’ll monitor the price every day until departure, and if it does go down, we’ll send you back the difference via Google Pay.”

The features are rolling out a few weeks after Google introduced a set of new travel capabilities for Maps. Among those capabilities is a tool that uses AI to generate 3D models of popular landmarks. Travelers can view the 3D model of a building from a bird’s eye view to locate the entrance, check current weather conditions and find related information.

Image: Google