Google launched the Hotel Finder, an experimental search tool, which allows the user to define their preferences and, depending on these, find the perfect hotel for their needs.
Simply enter your preferred location, dates, price and other details, and the Hotel Finder will give you an account of its main recommendations, in a list or in a Google Map. However, at the moment, this service will only be available in the USA.
Find out how Google intends to improve hotel search with this tool:
- Finding the perfect location: If this is your first time visiting the place, it may be difficult to understand which areas of the city you should stay in. O Hotel Finder Highlights the most popular areas in map results. A Google He calls this “tourist spotlight”, and wants to find the perfect area to stay. User settings may dictate that you focus on a smaller area. This will be very useful if you have a more concrete destination in mind.
- Finding a good deal: Users can not only choose a price range and search within it, but also compare the hotel's price history with its current prices. When you click on a hotel, you will immediately see the price of a room per night and how it compares to previous prices. The system will immediately calculate the percentage of the price that is above or below normal. The ideal platform for those looking for bargains!
- Compare hotels: O Hotel Finder simplifies comparative purchasing. When the user clicks on a hotel, all the details about it immediately appear, including photographs, hotel reviews, Google Places, prices and other relevant information. You can quickly navigate between search results using keyboard shortcuts (“J” and “K”) – a feature also present in Google Reader and in Google News.
- Create a shortlist: With so much data it is sometimes difficult to choose at the time, so users of the service can create a shortlist to compare later. These items will be marked with a red sign in the view. Google Map and, they will appear at the top of the page when you choose the list view.
Click on the “Book” button and a series of external options will be displayed to proceed with the reservation. (Google won't be getting into the hotel reservation business, at least not yet.)
