How To Use Google Hotels [Prices, Locations & Bookings]

Planning a vacation can be fun, but it may be stressful. You might have picked a hotel out already but want to ensure you get the best price. Or maybe you have a destination in mind but no idea what hotel you should stay at. Google Hotels is a free tool that can help you narrow down your hotel search to find the best option at the best price for your vacation.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to use Google Hotels to save time and money planning your next trip.

How To Use Google Hotels

Many travelers know how to use Google Flights to research great flight options. For those looking for a great hotel in the perfect location at the right price, there’s Google Hotels. This tool can narrow down your hotel search so you can easily find the best option for your trip.

It has excellent functionality to search for the right hotel at the best price within a destination or the best price on a specific hotel. Once you’re ready to book, you can click through to the booking website to finalize your reservation.

How To Use Google Hotels To Find a Hotel

Let’s say you’re looking for a hotel in Salt Lake City but aren’t sure which is best for your trip. First, you can input your destination and travel dates in Google Hotels to see what’s available. You’ll most likely end up with a large results list.

Next, you’ll want to narrow down your search results. This can be done in multiple ways, including by location or by amenities.

If you’re looking for a hotel in a particular area, use the map feature to zoom in on your desired location. As you zoom in, more locations will show up on the map. You can hover over each price marker to see what hotel it is. To see what website offers the cheapest price for that hotel, click on View prices.

Maybe you aren’t particular about where your hotel is located but want some specific amenities. In that case, you can use the filter options directly under the location and dates.

Let’s say you’re looking for a pet-friendly hotel with a pool that costs less than $250 per night. You would adjust the filters to those parameters, and your search results will repopulate with options that fit those criteria. Use the arrow at the right to find even more filtering options.

Once you find a hotel that you’re interested in, you can click on View prices to see more information, including prices, photos, and guest reviews.

How To Use Google Hotels To Find the Best Price

Google Hotels is also helpful if you know what hotel you want to stay at but want to find the lowest price.

Let’s say you’ve already decided to stay at the Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City but want to find the cheapest price. There are so many websites for booking hotels that it can be overwhelming to search them all. Thankfully, Google Hotels can do all of that work for you — just input your chosen hotel and travel dates, and you’ll be able to see prices from multiple websites all at once.

For each hotel, Google Hotels displays the prices from various hotel booking websites, including Expedia, Priceline, and Hotels.com. You can click through to each site from Google Hotels to complete the booking.

Remember that the prices listed on Google Hotels are per night and don’t include taxes and fees. Another thing to watch out for is refundable versus nonrefundable rates. In the example above, Priceline is showing a deal that’s 19% off, but once you click through, you’ll see that it’s a nonrefundable rate. While the savings could be worth it to you, many travelers would prefer a higher rate for a flexible, refundable rate.

If you plan to book a hotel that participates in a loyalty program like Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton, or IHG, you may want to consider booking directly through the hotel’s website. When you book one of these hotels through a third-party website, you won’t be eligible for any loyalty program benefits, and any elite status you may have won’t be recognized. Additionally, these programs may offer lower members-only pricing only available if you book directly.

How To Find the Cheapest Option Through Google Hotels

If you don’t know what hotel you want to stay at but are simply interested in the cheapest options in a given area, Google Hotels can help. After inputting your destination and travel dates, scroll to the end of the filter options until you see the Sort by feature. From here, select Lowest price, and your results list will be sorted by price. You can combine this with other filtering options to customize your search results.

Additional Features of Google Hotels

Google Hotels offers some additional features that can be very helpful if you’re unsure what part of town to stay in, when to travel, or what average prices are. To get more insight into your destination, watch for these 3 features — Where to stay, When to visit, and What you’ll pay.

If you’re unsure what part of town you want to stay in, check out the Where to stay feature. This tab will give you insight into a destination’s popular neighborhoods so you can narrow down your hotel search. In addition to a brief summary of the area, you’ll see some of the neighborhood’s key features, average prices, and a location score.

If you have some flexibility in your travel schedule and are curious about the best times to visit a particular destination, turn your attention to the When to visit tab. This tab offers a month-by-month look at weather, crowds, and cost.

If you’re a price-conscious traveler (and really, who isn’t?) you can get a feel for the typical prices during your travel times with the What you’ll pay tab. This can be helpful when you’re deciding whether or not to book your hotel or wait for prices to drop.

Final Thoughts

Google Hotels is a great tool when searching for a hotel for your next vacation. It can help you narrow down all the choices so you end up with a hotel in the right location with just the right amenities for your needs.

It can also show you prices on many websites to quickly find the best price without searching multiple websites.