Google Destinations Aims to Inspire Travelers

Google is taking a deeper dive into the travel sector with Destinations on Google, a new product that combines hotel and flight information with inspiration and exploration.

Rob Torres, managing director of travel for Google, described it as a search product that provides "a wonderful experience for people who don't know where to go."

Destinations, which for now is available only in the mobile channel, works directly from the Google app, so users don't have to download anything. It can input a continent, region, state, or country along with "destinations" in the search field, and they will be served up a list of options.

"France destinations" starts with Paris and Nice, with photos, a few points of interest, and approximate hotel rates and air fares.

If those aren't appealing, the user can touch "More destinations" to see other possibilities.

Suggested itineraries are provided, such as "Nice for art lovers," “Nice with kids,” or "Top sights in the Old City."

The Estimated Trip Price feature offers an easy slider that changes the price for different trip dates.

"You can browse within your budget," Torres said. "You can slide with your finger back and forth. If there are high prices in July, maybe I can go in June." Dates are suggested "for good value" as well.

Flights and hotels can be selected, but when it comes to booking, Google still delivers the customer to a partner site, such as Expedia or Priceline.

"Never say never, but we're in the business of providing good travel information," Torres said. "If we went down the transaction path, we'd have a very different business model."

The OTAs are "great partners," he said, and Destinations will enable Google to "provide them with more qualified leads."

Competition for travel agents?
Some of the initial buzz around Destinations suggests that it is "a travel agent in your pocket" or, worse, a travel agent competitor.

But insiders say it is not really a competitor to travel agents; like the Internet itself, it could well become another tool of the professional traveler adviser as it evolves.

Robert Cole, a travel and hospitality technology consultant (and former vice president of Mark Travel), said Google's new product has exciting potential.

"It attacks the inspiration phase right at the top of the funnel," he said, a feat that so far has eluded online players. Expedia tried, "but they dropped it," he said. "They couldn't get customers down the funnel."

He believes that at some point, Google will look at the user's search history to provide even more focused suggestions for destinations or itineraries.

The new product is taking search well beyond the origin-destination-date formula developed by the airlines, he said.