As summer travel season gets underway and airline prices are trending higher, the pressure to save elsewhere in your trip is hard to ignore. Hotels are usually the next biggest expense, and Google just rolled out a new feature that lets you track prices for a specific hotel so you can jump on a deal when rates drop.
Until now, Google only offered hotel price tracking at the city level, which gave you a general sense of pricing trends but didn’t help much if you had a specific hotel in mind. With this update, you can follow the exact hotel you want and get notified when the price changes for your specific travel dates.
The feature works a lot like Google Flights alerts. Once you’re signed into your Google account, you can search for a hotel by name and turn on price tracking. If rates shift, you’ll get an email so you can decide whether it’s time to book. Like flights, you can track as many hotels as you like and manage the tracked hotels in your Google account settings. Google says the feature is now available globally in English.
I’ve relied on Google Flights alerts for years, which has saved me both money and second-guessing. On a trip to California last month, I tracked my flight and booked when prices dipped, but I didn’t have the same visibility into hotel pricing. Instead, I found myself checking the hotel site repeatedly and even calling to see if rates had changed after I booked. It worked, but it took time and effort on my part. This new tool would have changed that.
One thing to keep in mind: Google pulls prices from multiple booking sources, including third-party booking sites, so the lowest rate shown may not be the hotel’s direct rate. Still, the alerts are useful for timing, whether you end up booking directly or through a third party.
How to track a hotel price on Google
- On desktop: Search for a hotel by name in Google, then scroll to the bottom of the reservation options and click the “Track this hotel” toggle.
- On mobile: Search for the hotel, tap the Prices tab, and look for the tracking option below the booking listings.
For anyone who already uses Google Flights alerts to time airfare, this brings that same level of control to hotels, helping you book with more confidence and less obsessive checking.
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[Image credit: Google with mockup via Canva, desktop screenshot via Techlicious]
