Alongside Google Flights, which has become a staple in the frequent flyer community, Google also operates its own search engine for hotels. Until now, its standout feature was the calendar view, which clearly displays when a selected hotel is at its cheapest.
Google has introduced another long-awaited feature that allows you to track hotel prices over several days or weeks. You will receive an email notification if the price drops or rises, just like the existing flight price tracking feature.
Google Hotels previously offered a way to monitor hotel prices, but only for multiple hotels at once rather than for one specific hotel. That broader tracking feature remains available.
How it works
To see this feature, first search for your desired hotel on Google Hotels and select your dates. If you scroll down below the list of providers, the (new) price tracking button will appear:
As soon as the price changes, Google will notify you via email. It looks something like this:
Hotel fully booked?
If a hotel is not available at all, Google Hotels does not offer price tracking. Fortunately, there are other tools for that. I recommend OpenHotelAlert. You simply enter the desired hotel and room category, and as soon as a room becomes available, you will receive an email:
The tool only monitors availability on Booking.com. However, if a room becomes available there, you can usually book it directly with the hotel as well. This is how I’ve managed to snag several (affordable) hotel rooms in Japan, even when they were supposedly fully booked during cherry blossom season.
Our Take
The ability to track hotel prices is by no means new. There are already a dozen third-party tools that offer the same functionality. However, since I frequently use Google Hotels for accommodation searches anyway, having price tracking integrated directly into the platform makes the process much more convenient.
If you have booked a refundable rate, it is often worth monitoring prices and rebooking if they drop. Google Hotels’ new price tracking feature is particularly great for this purpose.
Source: Google Blog | via 9to5google