Google announced on Thursday new enhancements to its AI Mode, its conversational search experience, empowering users with additional capabilities for planning and booking travel. Users can now leverage AI Mode to monitor flight prices, reserve accommodations, and view flight and hotel expenses in loyalty points or miles.
These updates signal Google’s intention to position AI Mode as a comprehensive AI travel agent, shifting its function from merely providing information to actively managing segments of the trip-planning and booking process.
Travelers can now specify their desired flight dates and destinations to AI Mode, which will then present optimal choices with current pricing from over 300 airlines and travel platforms. If ready to book, they can construct their itinerary within AI Mode. For those wishing to await potential price drops, a simple request like “track these flight prices for me” will activate monitoring.
Users will subsequently receive email notifications if prices fluctuate for their chosen destination and dates. This flight price tracking feature in AI Mode is currently accessible in more than 180 countries.
Regarding hotel reservations, users can discover and book their next stay through a conversational exchange with AI Mode. By detailing their upcoming trip and lodging preferences, users will receive a curated list of options, complete with reviews and essential details.
Once a suitable hotel is identified, users can prompt AI Mode to facilitate the booking. They will then select the “Continue on Google” option, which appears alongside Google’s integrated partners, including various hotel chains and travel sites.
From this point, users can choose their room, review important details such as cancellation policies, and finalize the booking using Google Pay. The technology giant emphasizes that the actual booking and any associated customer service will be handled by the respective hotel or booking platform.
Hotel booking via AI Mode has begun its rollout in the U.S. in English and will expand over the coming weeks to include offerings from prominent partners such as Booking.com, Choice Hotels International, Expedia, Hilton, Hotels.com, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International, Priceline, Trip.com, and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.
Google further announced that AI Mode can now display the cost of flights and hotels in loyalty points or miles. Users can inquire with prompts like, “I want to travel from Atlanta to Miami using my AA miles. Help me find some options for nonstop flights departing Oct 9 and returning on Oct 12.”
Upon such a request, users will see the number of miles required to book matching flights. This specific update is now globally available.