The travel planning process for Google visitors through search advertising has now hugely improved. This is through the use of a travel feed, which allows advertisers to show real-time information specifically for hotel advertisers. Google is also experimenting in other travel areas and ad formats.

This new integration allows for relevant real-time data, such as prices and availability to be seen, which helps visitors to make quick and informed decisions about their travel plans. While also benefiting the performance of ads too for search advertising for businesses delivering Google Ads.

Below we look in more detail at the specific options available and the benefits for advertisers who can make the most from this significant development.

What Is The Travel Feed?

Google has already, over the past year, been experimenting with the new travel feed with a smaller number of companies before being rolled out to all hotel advertisers.

On October 21st 2024, the travel feed in Google search ads became available across 21 countries and supports 12 languages, including the UK.

The travel feed allows your search ads to include more detailed information which is relevant to your target audience and desired new customers. Allowing businesses to display their available bookings in real-time for potential customers to book there and then, knowing that the dates are available and also at the price shown on the search ad.

This information can show in a few different placement including, next to your existing regular Google search ads, within Google Maps listing and at the top carousel similar to Google Shopping ads. With normal search results, it looks like an extended Ad asset type, giving a more pronounced look and visual appeal compared to organic results.

Informed Decisions

The real-time data that can be shown gives travellers easier access immediately to relevant information to make an informed decision ahead of clicking through on an advert. With this in mind, this will likely lead to higher quality click-throughs with an increased conversion rate.

Visitors to Google when completing their search will get to view:

• Hotels available – with the enhanced search ads they can quickly see for their search any hotels that have availability for that location
• Prices – can see on the Google ad the relevant price for that hotel before even clicking through further on the advert
• Dates – quickly shows the available dates for the hotel, so visitors know instantly if there is space for their desired dates
• Ratings – shown as part of the expanding dynamic ads are the ratings for the hotel, helping visitors to in an easy way have social proof of the quality of hotels
• Images – included within the travel feed are images to view the properties to be considered as part of the search ad, enhancing the visual experience.

Each of these individual elements together feeds into creating a positive user experience for visitors to Google making their travel arrangements, to make informed decisions in a streamlined manner from the search ads view in the search results.

Engaging Adverts

As detailed above, the level of real time and data enriched information included in the search ads as part of the travel feed, helps with keeping visitors engaged with the search ads when completing their search query on Google.

In fact, Google has shared that from the selected hotel advertisers who had the travel feed last year which used the full range of formats, it gave them a 20% increase in click through rate.

Demonstrating that it not only kept visitors engaged but also benefited advertisers with an increased level of clicks on their search ads. The travel feed gives visitors the confidence that the properties featured on the search Google Ads show accurate availability for dates and correct pricing too.

Having this level of enhanced information on the search ads makes it simpler and easier for visitors to see in the search engine results page the likely hotel which meets their needs from the search ads, before even clicking through which benefits their user experience when making their travel plans on Google.

However when clicking through they have confidence the advert shown meets their needs for the travel plans looking to make, due to the level of data rich information get to view. Therefore, this could help to improve the quality of leads and potential customers clicking through on the advert to find out more or that go on to complete their booking and converting.

Future Plans

With this new adaption to search ads Google are also looking ahead to future developments that could benefit advertisers with their Google Ad campaigns. This would include looking at whether expanding dynamic information formats could work for more ad types to help generate interest in the ads from visitors to Google.

Like the travel feed was last year, it would likely be run in an experimental stage to begin with a select group of companies before deciding if any further ad formats would be rolled out with dynamic data feeds. To ensure they feel confident the changes and developments are providing an increased positive user experience. Whilst benefiting advertisers as well, such as increased click through rates, return on ad spend or conversions.

Another area Google has shared they are looking to run experiments for are other areas of the travel industry for when visitors are making their travel plans using Google, which expands further than purely hotels. This would include things to do, car rentals and events.

This would widen the possibilities for other businesses within the travel sector to potentially benefit from the travel feed, for their potential customers to receive relevant and real time information to improve their experience and also the likelihood of conversions if able to provide the right solution.

Implementation

For hotel advertisers to make use of the travel feed businesses they will need to have a Hotel Center Account. This can then be linked to your Google Ads account. It operates in a similar way to the retail inventory feed to provide real time information to then use for your Google search ads.

Once linked the travel feed will include any relevant information from the provided feed for both new and existing search campaigns.

Using the travel feed is not compulsory, advertisers should they wish to have opt-out options which are provided by Google on both the Google Ad Account level and the individual ad campaign levels.

For the improved search ads a couple of points to consider when using the travel feed. Firstly, it is important to also ensure using URL parameters so able to track clicks from any ads which are running. Along with having sub-feeds to enable the ability to link specific properties where required.

How Can We Help?

We hope our blog post has been useful to learn more about the travel feed for Google search ads for hotel advertisers. This major step from Google to streamline the process for visitors making their travel plans, provides benefits both to visitors wanting to make real time decisions and quickly view relevant information for their decision making.

This is in turn as studies from Google have shown are benefiting the click through rate for advertisers too. At PPCHQ we are a Google partner and have a team of Google Ad specialists who are happy to help with reviewing your current Google Ads or provide recommendations for new ad campaigns.

We manage Google Ads for businesses who are ready to grow and scale with increased leads and conversions, whilst maximising the return on ad spend. Please feel free to contact us to see how we can help.