A few month ago, I poked some Airbus-sized holes in Google Flights, the search giant’s lackluster attempt to offer an airline-booking service. So out of fairness, I feel I must admit this:
Google Hotel Finder is flat-out amazing.
While the tool has been around since last summer, it got a fresh injection of buzz this week with the announcement that you could now search for lodging based on proximity to landmarks. Bundled into this upgrade is the ability to map hotels based on travel time to the landmark, popular neighborhoods or your own customized boundaries within the city.
That might sound like a ho-hum set of features, but when put all together, they create a travel-planning experience that feels downright futuristic.
I decided to test Google Hotel Finder with a relatively low-interest landmark. Sure, it can find you great hotels near the Eiffel Tower, but what about San Francisco’s Coit Tower? Found in the Telegraph Hill neighborhood, the tower is a bit of a slog from the city’s most popular hotel districts, so it seemed like a good test.
Searching for the landmark by name quickly pulled up a map and the closest hotels, which I could sort by average rating, price, promotional discounts, class (three-star, etc.) or an intuitive ranking system called “magic.” I sorted by magic, in hopes I would find a place that was both reasonably priced and violently haunted.
Many users will probably stop there and start picking some good hotels, but it’s the mapping system that really makes Hotel Finder a treat. Clicking on the default neighborhood map lets you expand the search area or switch between three different types of maps: Select Area (which you customize), Travel Time or Popular Areas.
Here’s how these different options looked on my search:
Once you start digging into the information on each hotel, the process continues to be easy and downright fun. Reviews (from Google Places) and photos are displayed prominently, along with links to more reviews on other sites such as Trip Advisor.
You can add your hotels to a short list or go ahead and click “Book.” Then you’ll be shown the price to reserve your room through an advertiser like Orbitz or through the hotel’s official booking site. Being able to see the per-night price for each option is a nice touch.
Google has created what is probably the best hotel booking site of all time, and I am eager to see how they continue building on this platform to create an all-inclusive tool that will undoubtedly redefine how we plan travel in the 21st century.
David Griner is Director of Digital Content for Luckie and Company and contributing editor for Adweek’s blog, AdFreak.com. You can contact him by e-mail or follow @griner on Twitter.
