A closer look at Google Hotel Finder’s latest update

June 07, 2012 | Hotel Marketing

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The new version features a tighter Google+ integration, new booking user interfaces, and a new exclusive ad format, Google Promoted Hotels. The later gives consumers only one booking option, and could serve as a great tool for savvy hotel marketers on a direct booking mission.

By Markus Busch, Editor Hotelmarketing.com

Before we delve into the details of the latest version of Google Hotel Finder, lets keep in mind that the current state is still very experimental, and we'll most likely see more changes to come before the service goes officially live.

Here are the major changes as of the latest Google Hotel Finder update:

User interface
The latest version of Google Hotel Finder gets a tighter integration with the Google+ interface, receiving some nicely polished usability features like the date picker opening by default when you launch the service, or the hotel shortlist bar now permanently visible on your screen. Note: The new UI is currently not supported in all browser, interesting enough Google Chrome still shows the old version.

Google Hotel Finder Start Screen

New "Book" buttons
The old, unbiased "Book" button is being replaced with a branded version, that prominently features the top Hotel Price Ad bidder followed with a "more" button, that includes the additional bidders as well as a link to the hotel website like the old "book" button.

Google Hotel Finder Booking Button

Promoted Hotels ad format
A new ad format, that lets hotels and OTAs bid to not only appear at the top of the destination search results page, but also as exclusive booking source, with no "more" button on the new standard hotel page.

Google Hotel Finder Promoted Hotels

According to a Google spokesperson, users may see (for some searches) one to two promoted hotels at the top of the search results page marked as ads with a shaded background.

Like Google AdWords, these hotels are chosen via a combination of bid and quality score as those which are most likely to be relevant for the user (similar to promoted ads on Google.com).

Google Places, Google+ Local
Both the new Google+ Local and the soon to be replaced Google Places pages are still featuring the old Price Ad booking button, with the drop-down list highlighting the price ad with the lowest hotel rate at the top, and the hotel website link at the button.

Google+ Local Hotels

Verdict
Then new Google Hotel Finder update looks much more polished than its previous versions, and we wouldn't be surprised, if the service will go live soon.

While the new Promoted Hotels ad format at first looks like the perfect tool for OTAs and their deep pockets to further increase their visibility on Google, it can also function as a great direct bookings catalyst for savvy hotel marketers. Especially when you consider the high margins hotels pay to OTAs, and that the consumer is given only one exclusive booking source. Leaving hotels not only with deep pockets, but long arms too.