Google has made it free for hotels and travel companies to appear in hotel booking links, according to a company blog post.
The listings will be cost-free for starting this week, the post stated.
Users, now with full access to a broader range of hotel prices, also have a better set of options as they research their trip and pick where to go, according to the post.
“While the past 12 months have been difficult for both travelers and the travel industry, we’re optimistic about the road ahead,” the post stated. “People are eager to know when they can travel again, and travel companies are wondering how they can best meet consumer needs once the pandemic subsides.”
The post noted that there’s a need for transparent information to exist for when travel fully resumes. Google said its hotel bookings have been popular, with users finding them informative while partners see them as a great way to entice customers.
Google’s new move will similarly have a wide range of benefits, the post stated, letting hotels and travel companies access more customers and helping advertisers with more reach through the free bookings.
Google said in the post that the new update is “part of our larger effort to ensure people have access to all offers available to them by providing free and easy ways for businesses to connect with people on Google.”
The company said in the post that it’s following up on earlier ways of helping amid the pandemic, with the company having made it free last year for partners to participate in Google Flights and, in April, opening the Shopping tab for free listings for online retailers.
Google made it possible for retailers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa to post ads for free starting in October after a successful U.S. debut earlier. Google said at the time that it was looking at ways to move shopping online.
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