Planning your vacation on Google could be getting easier. Proving just how mainstream Airbnb has made vacation rentals, the search giant appears to be testing options for such accommodations when users search for hotels. Now, when you tell Google that you need to find a place to stay in, say, Los Angeles, you will be able to select your “Accommodation Type.” This latest category joins previously existing filters including price, amenities, and rating.
Per a report from Skift, Google has around 7,000 of these vacation rental results in its searches and the company is testing the new option in a number of different markets.
When you look for a vacation rental via Google, however, you are not actually looking on Airbnb. While it is the same idea and properties will be similar (you can stay in someone’s apartment or home), they are not offered by Airbnb. With only 7,000 listings, the sheer volume does not compare to that of the short-term rental company’s. However, it looks as though some similar listings from Booking.com and Hotels.com are now being shown.
Although you certainly ought to check out Google’s new offerings for yourself, Skift notes that there are quite a few pitfalls in the present version of the vacation rentals search. First off, whereas Airbnb provides detailed descriptions and allows you to filter by a number of different preferences, this level of granularity has yet to be achieved by Google. Similarly, there are few photos or reviews available, so it may sort of feel as though you are flying blind if you are brave enough to book one of these listings.
But don’t worry, Google generally has a way of working these issues out. Of course, the feature is currently in testing mode. As Koddi CEO Nicholas Ward, a marketing tech vendor, told Skift, “These are all data and engineering problems and commercial partnership issues, and Google is in a great position to solve them if the tests show that there’s consumer demand.” So keep an eye on these latest kinds of listings from Google, friends. You may soon be able to check out a legitimate Airbnb alternative.
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