Google Flights price alerts are among the most powerful tools out there for travelers: Monitor a flight you want to take and Google will shoot you an email anytime prices drop so you can book within a few clicks … or rebook a flight you've already got to save even more.
Now, you can do the the same for your hotel stays. Google recently announced it's officially launching Google Hotel price alerts. Expected to steadily roll out this week, this new feature could give you the heads up when prices for accommodations in your destination are dropping (or inching up) … making Google Hotels just as indispensable as Google Flights.
Meanwhile, Google also rolled out a slew of tools powered by its artificial intelligence (AI) assistant, Gemini, that could help you plan your trip – including putting together recommendations based upon screenshots you've taken from your favorite travelers' Instagram feeds.
Let's take a deeper dive into what's new with Google Hotels and Gemini.
Google Hotels Price Alerts Coming Soon
Google Flights is practically a household name for finding cheap flights, but Google Hotels should be in the conversation for finding a cheaper place to stay.
It's built around Google Maps, making it easy to zoom around and hone in on exactly which area you'd like to stay in New York City, Paris, or wherever. And it's got tons of powerful filters that allow you zero in on exactly what you want, whether that's a four- or five-star hotel or a property that's part of your go-to hotel chain like Hyatt or Hilton.
Much like Google Flights, you'll soon find a feature that allows you to get email alerts when hotel prices change. Google says those hotel alerts will reflect any filters you've set and even which area you're looking at on the map. Just as with price alerts for flights: You'll need a Gmail account in order to opt in for these alerts.
As of publication, we're not seeing the option to toggle on hotel price tracking just yet. Google says it's “launching globally this week on mobile and desktop browsers.”
Technically, it's not a first. This feature was previously available on select searches at different points throughout 2023 as long as you didn’t have any other filters selected. But now, it's becoming a full-blown feature of Google Hotels – and more powerful, too.
While this won't replace services like our Thrifty Traveler Premium+ Hotel Alerts to find hotels bookable with points, it's an exciting development for travelers trying to get the best deal on a hotel stay. You should even be able to set price alerts for a property you've already got booked – if you get an email that prices drop, you could cancel (so long as you didn't book a nonrefundable rate) and rebook to come out ahead.
Get Help Planning Your Trip with AI
The explosion in AI tools is here to stay. For travelers, it goes back years.
After pouring more and more resources into its Gemini AI-powered chatbot over the years, Google is expanding into the travel world in a big way. The web giant announced a slew of new travel-planning features, including:
- New AI overviews in Google search results, allowing travelers to search something like “create an itinerary for a long weekend in New York City” and quickly spit out a game plan – one you can export to a Word document, send directly via email, or even create a custom map.
- Within Google Maps, you can toggle on a new “Screenshots” feature, which will automatically pull in locations, restaurants, bars, and more featured in your phone's screenshots and plot them on your map, allowing you to review and save them to start building out a visual itinerary.
- Already exploring a new city? Use the Lens feature in your Google app, point your phone camera around to automatically translate foreign text or get an answer to questions about what you're seeing.
As with all things in the world of AI: The more input and guidance you give it, the better your recommendations will be. Ask a question, then refine and refine until you get something that really suits you.
And all these AI tools are ultimately a product of what's already on the internet … and we all know that's not perfect. Travelers will want to double-check for errors and off-base suggestions before plowing ahead with an itinerary or suggestion. Think of it as a starting point for planning your trip, not a tailored itinerary you should follow to a T.
Bottom Line
Google's suite of travel services is leveling up again.
After years of giving travelers invaluable alerts when prices on flights drop, Google Hotels will now do the same. Plus, the company recently rolled out a slew of new AI-powered tools that could help you plan your next trip – or make more of it once you're on the ground.