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

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Katie Seemann
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Katie Seemann

Senior Content Contributor and News Editor

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Katie has been in the points and miles game since 2015 and started her own blog in 2016. She’s been freelance writing since then and her work has been featured in publications like Travel + Leisure, F...
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Jessica Merritt

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A long-time points and miles student, Jessica is the former Personal Finance Managing Editor at U.S. News and World Report and is passionate about helping consumers fund their travels for as little ca...
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Keri Stooksbury

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With years of experience in corporate marketing and as the executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Qatar, Keri is now editor-in-chief at UP, overseeing daily content operations and r...
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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.

Bottom Line:

Google Hotels acts as a metasearch engine — it shows you prices from many different websites in 1 spot, so you don’t have to search every site manually.

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.

How to search for a hotel using Google Hotels
Start your hotel search by inputting your destination and travel dates. Image Credit: Google Hotels

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.

Google Hotels map search feature
The Google Hotels map feature is helpful when looking for a hotel in a precise location. Image Credit: Google Hotels

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.

Google Hotel filter options
You can filter the search results by choosing the features you’re looking for in a hotel. Image Credit: Google Hotels

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.

Hotel detail on Google Hotels
Each hotel’s listing has lots of info, plus reviews and photos. Image Credit: Google Hotels

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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.

Search by price on Google Hotels
You can use Google Hotels to find the best price for your chosen hotel. Image Credit: Google Hotels

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.

Bottom Line:

If you’re considering a hotel that has its own loyalty program, it’s often best to book directly through the hotel. If you book through a third-party website, you’ll miss out on loyalty program benefits. Plus, you can often rack up tons of points by paying with a hotel-branded credit card.

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.

Sort by lowest price on Google Hotels
Google Hotels allows you to sort your results by the lowest price. Image Credit: Google Hotels

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.

Google Hotels extra features
Google Hotels can help you discover a lot about a destination. Image Credit: Google Hotels

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.

Google Hotels Where to Stay
Use Google Hotels’ Where to stay feature to research different neighborhoods. Image Credit: Google Hotels

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.

Google Hotels When to visit
Google Hotels can help you determine the best time to travel based on weather, cost, and crowds. Image Credit: Google Hotels

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.

Google Hotels What youll pay
Use Google Hotels to determine whether current prices are typical, low, or high. Image Credit: Google Hotels.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Google Hotel prices per night?

Yes, the prices you see on Google Hotels are per night and they don’t include taxes and fees.

Does Google Hotels have a price tracker?

No, unlike Google Flights, Google Hotels doesn’t have a price tracker.

How do you use Google Hotels?

Google Hotels is easy to use. Just input your destination and travel dates. Then you can narrow your search results by using the map or the filter options such as price and star rating. Each hotel listing will show prices from different websites you can click on to book through the chosen site.

Does Google Hotels have reviews?

Yes, if you click on a specific hotel on Google Hotels you’ll be able to read reviews left by other travelers.

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About Katie Seemann

Katie has been in the points and miles game since 2015 and started her own blog in 2016. She’s been freelance writing since then and her work has been featured in publications like Travel + Leisure, Forbes Advisor, and Fortune Recommends.

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