When Google previewed agentic travel booking last November, it said the booking flow, payments and other specifics were still being worked out and offered no launch timeline. Most of those answers arrived today.
Google is bringing direct hotel booking, Google Flights' price tracking and the option to view points or miles rates for flights and hotels to Search's AI Mode, moving from a U.S. pilot that began earlier this month to a full launch with partners including Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Marriott International, Booking.com and Expedia Group.
“We've been investing a lot in making AI Mode a fantastic place for destination ideas, for getting a view of flights and hotels, for using maps to find local recommendations,” James Byers, group product manager for Google Search, told PhocusWire.
Agentic hotel booking
Following a pilot of agentic hotel booking in the U.S. in recent months, hotel booking in AI Mode has officially launched in the U.S. with inventory partners including Expedia, Booking.com, Hilton, Hotels.com, Choice Hotels International, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Priceline, Marriott International, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts and Trip.com.
Travelers logged into Google can enter their search in natural language in AI Mode, which will return a list of hotels, including guest reviews, that meet the query.
"You'll see both links to book in AI Mode directly, [and] you'll also see a list of options of ways to book with other partners that don't use the direct booking inside AI Mode. So our goal is is to show comprehensive results and let users have that choice," Byers said.
Those that choose to book through AI Mode will complete the purchase using Google Pay. For now, the booking partner, whether a hotel or an online travel agency (OTA), will serve as the merchant of record and will manage post-booking customer service. But Byers indicated that could change in the future as Google looks for opportunities to reduce friction for travelers and partners.
“We see a lot of promise there long term to help with some of those other parts of the journey,” he said.
Byers said AI Mode partners will only receive data relevant to the specific booking. Google will not share details of travelers’ prior searches or context from their AI Mode conversation.
While Google introduced its Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) in January, with partners including Amadeus, the hotel booking feature is not yet fully reliant on that technology.
“The initial rollout is a mix of integration paths, where we've been piloting different ways to bring these hotels online,” Byers said. “As we scale, we will rely on UCP as the sort of common platform and protocol for scaling this up.”
No ads just yet
In terms of visibility, Byers said results on AI Mode are not influenced by advertising but are ranked in the same way Google's traditional search results have been ranked.
“We look at a lot of different factors—most importantly what the user has asked for—and then we use a variety of factors to come up with a ranking of options,” Byers said.
The product is organic, Byers said. There are no paid placements, and no way for partners to influence the ranking from a commercial standpoint.
But advertisements are not off the table forever.
"We're always looking at the right way to help users find a great hotel. Sometimes that's through the organic path. Sometimes that includes ads," Byers said.
"It's early right now. What we're really trying to establish in AI Mode is a really, really useful service for users. It also is a fantastic service for partners, and I think it's an area we'll experiment with."
Flights and loyalty in AI Mode
Google is also adding discovery features for flight deals and loyalty offerings for flights and hotels in AI Mode.
The flight price tracking tool in AI Mode provides price alerts during chats without interrupting the conversation. The feature is available in AI Mode in 180 countries and territories but not in the EU.
Travelers describe where and when they wish to fly, and AI Mode will surface options with the latest prices from upwards of 300 partner airlines and travel sites. An itinerary can then be built inside AI Mode before users purchase on the partner’s website.
The move comes on the heels of Google’s plan to buy data from now-defunct Spirit Airlines, but Google said today's news is unrelated.
Google is also tapping into loyalty.
AI Mode in search is able to show the cost in points or miles for both flights and for hotels from partners such as Alaska Airlines/Hawaiian Airlines, Choice Hotels International, American Airlines, Hilton and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. Accor, Hyatt, LATAM Airlines, Lufthansa Group and Flying Blue are on track to be added soon.
“Try asking something like ‘I want to travel from Atlanta to Miami using my AA miles. Help me find some options for nonstop flights departing Oct. 9 and returning on Oct. 12,’” Byers said in a blog post.
The points and miles feature is available globally.
While Google said it was working on flight reservations in November, it hasn't gotten there yet, according to Byers.
“We're still actively thinking about and looking at flight booking for the future,” Byers said.
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