Sanjarbek KHODJAEV IEMI-CMH 2011-2012
What is
hotel finder?
Google hotel finder is a search tool specifically designed to help you find the best hotels in terms of position and the most "interesting" of the area you chose. Google Hotel Finder makes it easy to narrow down the options
Figure out where to stay To help you figure out where the action is, Hotel Finder shines a "tourist spotlight" on the most visited areas. It selects an initial shape for you based on what’s most popular or you can draw a shape around the area where you want to stay.
You can filter by location, dates, price, hotel class & user rating I took an as example Bangkok Thailand. I have never been in Bangkok and have no idea at which hotel I would stay if I had a chance. If I had this opportunity I would choose a 5* hotel.
Get a good deal In the “Compare” section, you can see how each hotel’s price compares to its historical average, so you can tell if it’s good value for your stay. So, I have chosen an area, I have selected as an option 5* hotels and I have a list of hotel with prices and photos of hotels.
Compare fast You do NOT need to open a new browser tab for each hotel result, and then go hunting around for pictures. When you select a hotel, a collage of images, Google Places reviews, and key information are shown right within the list.
Keep a shortlist As you flip through the results, add the hotels you like to a shortlist to easily keep track of the ones that interest you. When you’re ready to book a hotel, you’ll find a selection of booking options from a range of available partners or directly from the hotel.
On the list I was shown I chose Intercontinental Bangkok. There I could see reviews, photos, price, the address of the hotel and the official website of Intercontinental intercontinental.com If you want to make a reservation, just click on Book. You will have a possibility of choosing the price and the intermediaries or the owner’s site.
To summarize, it would take me 12 minutes to: Find an area Find hotels Choose a hotel See photos Read some reviews and Make a booking
What does a hotel need to do to optimize its Revenue from Google Hotel Finder?
1. Ensure your Google Places is optimized according to best practices.
2. Ensure that your information, photos and videos are updated regularly.
3. Ensure you have rate parity on your website so you drive as much business as possible to your own website and don’t have to pay higher commissions to the third parties.
4. Ensure you have lots of availability on your own website and it’s the last place you close out so you don’t lose bookings to more expensive third parties.