Tag: AI Travel

Google’s AI Can Book Your Hotel. But I Think Travelers Should Fight AI With AI.

Artificial intelligence has already worked its way into almost every part of travel planning. Now it is moving one step closer to actually making the reservation for you.

Google announced on August 27 that its AI Mode in Search is adding new travel capabilities, including the ability to compare hotel options, see some hotel prices in points, and complete hotel bookings with participating partners.

That is a pretty significant change.

But the part that interests me most isn’t simply that AI can book my hotel.

I want to use AI to figure out whether the hotel AI wants me to book is actually the best hotel for me.

Welcome to AI versus AI.

Booking a Hotel Is About More Than the Lowest Rate

If all I cared about was finding the cheapest room, hotel shopping would be pretty easy.

That’s rarely how I travel.

If you’re part of a hotel loyalty program, carry travel credit cards, have elite status or travel frequently for work, the room rate is only one piece of the equation.

A hotel that costs $20 more per night may actually be the cheaper choice when you factor in:

• Complimentary breakfast
• Parking costs
• Resort or destination fees
• Lounge access
• Possible room upgrades
• Early check-in
• Late checkout
• Hotel points earned
• Promotional bonus points
• Credit card statement credits
• Cancellation flexibility
• Free Wi-Fi
• Transportation costs based on location

Suddenly, that $179 hotel may be a much better deal than the one listed for $159.

This is where I think AI becomes extremely useful for travelers.

Let AI Do the Math

Google’s new AI travel tools are moving in the direction of becoming something closer to a digital travel agent.

You can tell AI Mode where you’re going, when you’re traveling and what you’re looking for. Google can then return hotel choices and, with participating partners, help complete the reservation.

It can also show points pricing for participating hotel loyalty programs.

That’s convenient.

But before I hit the button, I’d take the hotels I’m considering and run my own analysis.

For example, I might give an AI assistant something like this:

“I’m staying in Denver for three nights. I’m comparing these three hotels. I’m a member of these loyalty programs and have this elite status. Compare the total cost of each hotel, including parking and destination fees. Factor in breakfast, lounge access, late checkout, upgrades, points earned, current promotions, cancellation rules and distance from where I need to be. Tell me which benefits are guaranteed and which are only based on availability. Then rank the hotels by total value, not just room rate.”

Now I’m not simply asking AI to find a room.

I’m asking it to help me make a travel decision.

That’s much more valuable.

The Merchant of Record Matters

There is another detail travelers need to pay attention to.

Google says that when hotels are booked through AI Mode, the hotel company or booking platform involved in the transaction remains the merchant of record and handles customer service.

That’s important.

If the reservation ultimately goes through the hotel chain, great.

If it goes through an online travel agency, I want to know that before booking.

Hotel loyalty programs commonly treat qualifying direct reservations differently from certain third-party bookings. Depending on the program and reservation, booking through an online travel agency can affect points, elite-night credit and elite benefits.

So one of my questions before clicking “book” will always be:

Who am I actually booking with?

Convenience isn’t worth unknowingly giving up benefits.

AI Still Needs a Human in the Loop

I use technology constantly when I travel, but I don’t think we should confuse convenience with accuracy.

AI can compare information incredibly quickly, but hotel policies change. Promotions expire. Elite benefits vary. Parking costs change. A lounge can close. A hotel can be undergoing renovations.

So I would still verify the few pieces of information that could materially affect my trip.

Especially cancellation policies.

If AI tells me one hotel includes breakfast and another doesn’t, that’s helpful.

Before booking five nights based on that answer, I’m checking.

Think of AI as the person doing the research for you, not the person ultimately responsible for the decision.

That part is still yours.

This Could Completely Change Hotel Search

For years the basic process has been pretty predictable.

Search a city.

Scroll through hotels.

Open 15 tabs.

Check Google reviews.

Check the hotel website.

Check your loyalty account.

Check points.

Check parking.

Check the map.

Forget which hotel was in which tab.

Start over.

AI has the potential to take a lot of that friction out of the process.

Instead of searching for a specific hotel, we may increasingly say:

“Find me a quiet Marriott or Hilton near the convention center with a good desk, breakfast, a gym, late checkout and parking under $30. I want to earn points and don’t want a resort fee.”

That’s a very different way of searching.

And probably a better one.

My Take

I’m not worried about AI becoming part of travel booking.

I’m interested in what happens when travelers start using the same technology for themselves.

If an algorithm is deciding which hotels to put in front of me, I want my own technology helping me decide whether those recommendations make sense.

Don’t just ask AI where to stay.

Ask it why.

Ask it what you’re getting.

Ask what you’re giving up.

Ask what the real cost is after fees.

Ask what your loyalty status is worth.

Then make the decision yourself.

That’s when AI stops being a gimmick and starts becoming a genuinely useful travel tool.

Travel smart,
Tommy Pags.