Google announces closure of “Book on Google”
Published on February 28, 2022
Google will close its “Google Booking” option for hotels from May 25, due to low use by both partners and consumers.
Google launched this option in 2015 to facilitate transactions for hotels and online travel agencies whose sites were not optimized for the mobile web, which at the time was beginning to outperform desktop computers in Internet usage.
The partners that offer the Book on Google link are still the beneficiary and responsible for the reservation, but the information and payment were captured in a form hosted on Google, which was later provided to the hotels.
When we first launched the “Book on Google” feature for hotels, we wanted to give users an easier way to complete their bookings, while driving more conversions for our partners, “said a Google spokesman.
“But over time, we have seen that most people prefer to book directly on hotel websites, either through the hotel itself or with an OTA. That is why, this May, we will close the Book on Google function while we continue to invest in wider improvements to our hotel search product. ”
Almost a year ago, in March 2021, Google removed rates for hotel booking links, so hotels and online travel agencies can appear in the price comparison tool without having to be paid advertisers.
The company says the response to that change has been positive and that “users are getting more involved in content, and all types of partners – from OTAs to independent hotels – are seeing the benefits through increased traffic, compared to the previous experience of ads only.
The company has begun informing its partners that the option will be phased out in late May, but says it expects minimal impact, as the interaction with this feature was really low.
Original news published in Phocuswire.
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