Book on Google for hotels to shut after low take-up

Google will shut down its “Book on Google” option for hotels as of May 25 due to low usage from both partners and consumers.

Google launched the option in 2015 to facilitate transactions for hotels and online travel agencies whose sites were not optimized for mobile web, which at the time was beginning to overtake desktops for internet usage.

Partners that offer the Book on Google link remain the merchant for the booking, but the reservation and payment information is captured in a Google-hosted form and then passed directly to the partner.

“When we first launched Book on Google for hotels, we wanted to give users an easier way to complete their bookings, while also driving more conversions for our partners,” says a Google spokesperson.

“But over time, we’ve seen that most people prefer to book directly on partner websites, whether through the hotel itself or with an OTA. So this May, we’ll be shutting down the Book on Google feature for hotels as we continue investing in broader improvements to our hotel search product.”

Nearly one year ago, in March 2021, Google eliminated fees for hotel booking links, so hotels and online travel agencies can appear in the price comparison tool without the need to be a paid advertiser.

The company says the response to that change has been positive and “users are engaging more with the content, and all partner types - from OTAs to individual hotels - are seeing benefits through increase traffic, when compared to the prior ads-only experience.” 

In contrast, the spokesperson says Book on Google has had low usage from both partners and consumers. When asked if interest in Book on Google has dropped since the free booking links launched last year, Google would not comment but says the company has shifted resources to focus on the booking link integrations.

“Our product philosophy is centered around creating the best possible experience for people who are exploring and researching travel. If we find that a particular feature isn’t serving that goal, then we’ll adjust accordingly,” the spokesperson says. 

Google would not share data regarding numbers of partners that began using Book on Google when it launched in 2015 or how many are using it today, nor would it share details on consumer usage of the links.

The company has begun informing partners that the option will be eliminated in late May, but says it expects minimal impact since engagement was low. Those that did use Book on Google will see their existing campaigns convert to standard landing page links.

In September Google made an update to its search and booking function for tours, activities and attractions with the launch of “Things to Do.” That new offering, with both free and paid booking links from a range of merchants, replaced “Reserve with Google,” which only had one merchant to capture bookings for each tour or attraction.