Google Hotels offers all the functionality and tools of its competitors such as Kayak, Expedia and Booking.com. It has the benefit of Google Maps and integration with Google search results (generally pretty high in results). The question thus arises: will Google Hotels create a giant black hole that sucks all the direct traffic away from online hotel booking sites?
There’s some evidence that Google flights is having a significant impact on the market, suggesting that Google Hotels will be successful as well.
Why you should care. According to the U.S. Travel Association, more than $1 billion was spent on leisure travel and $317 billion on business travel in 2017. Digital ad spending by the travel industry is projected to exceed $9 billion this year, according to several industry estimates. It’s a massive market.
Google Hotels is part of Google’s larger play for an increasing share of that vertical advertising pie. Google also believes it’s serving the consumer with a new and improved hotel finder.
Online paid-search competition is intensifying with many hotel brands bidding on rival’s names and trademarks. It’s getting much more challenging to be visible in organic results for hotel category searches (e.g., hotels Los Angeles). Accordingly, hospitality brands are now all but compelled to buy Hotel Ads to appear anywhere above the fold.
About The Author
Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor at Search Engine Land. He writes a personal blog, Screenwerk, about connecting the dots between digital media and real-world consumer behavior. He is also VP of Strategy and Insights for the Local Search Association. Follow him on Twitter or find him at Google+.
https://www.businesscreatorplus.com/what-will-google-hotels-mean-for-online-booking-sites/
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