Will Google's new Instant Booking function revolutionize the way we choose hotels?
As if Google doesn’t control enough of the world, it now wants to play a major role in how you get around it. The tech giant has been slowly rolling out and beta testing its new Instant Booking Function, created in partnership with travel technology company Sabre, which lets travelers from the U.S. book hotel rooms without having to leave the Google search page.
There's been little, if no official fanfare by Google, perhaps because it’s still unfinished, or perhaps the tech giant doesn’t want be accused of playing copycats to TripAdvisor, which introduced its own Instant Booking Function last year. Now that Google's version has been out a few weeks, we thought we’d take a spin on the new system to see how smoothly she runs.
Access the Instant Booking Function directly at google.com/hotels, which retains the pleasingly uncluttered design of the Google homepage. Simply input a destination, address, or hotel, plus the dates, and the results pop up to the left of a map heavily pimpled by the familiar red location dots. All can be arranged according to relevance, price, and user rating.
Since this is pure fantasy, I’ll go for the Mandarin Oriental, (my first choice, the Baccarat, isn’t on the system yet). Interestingly, the grayish-white Google Instant Booking Function button sits under a bright red Booking.com button (which links to the Booking.com page), but has no obvious Google logo, just a generic looking man on bed doodle that could be taken for anything.
Click it, however, and the logo returns above the actual booking window, which first asks you to select a room but without any pictures, no doubt a turn off for any first-time guest, and ensures a visit to the hotel website, which this whole thing is supposed avoid. Descriptions are also brief, boring, and mostly architectural, like “Hudson River View, Floors 45-54, 37-40sqm/400-425sqf.”
Choose the room (king bed, of course) and the guest details section pops up. Unfortunately, you need to have a Google account to make the booking, which is a clever ploy to add yet more people to its roster of nearly 500 million accounts. Sign in or register and then the Instant Booking Function asks for your credit card number, which is where I return to reality and sign off.
Google’s power alone seems to ensure its new Instant Booking Function will become a force in the industry, but it’s clearly going to have to work hard to convince the big hotel chains, none of whom appear to have signed up for it, probably because, as of now, Google's version really isn't more convenient or easy to use than other booking sites. It’s main strength is appearance, which feels refreshing and approachable compared to bright, busy, and flashy sites like Booking.com and Hotels.com. For committed Google disciples, it might be the ticket, but not yet.