Travel Sites Add AI Tools as Google Maps Hits 2 Billion Monthly Users

Google Maps introduced Gemini artificial intelligence features for its growing user base as HotelPlanner announced its automated voice assistant handles 10,000 daily hotel bookings, and Booking.com launched natural language search across its platform.

The three companies added capabilities from location recommendations to automated reservations and review summaries. HotelPlanner’s system operates in 15 languages and Google and Booking.com are planning broader international expansions in the coming months.

Google is adding Gemini-powered AI features to Maps to curate travel suggestions and answer user questions about locations. The expansion comes as Google revealed Maps now serves more than 2 billion monthly users.

The new AI features will allow users to ask natural language questions about venues and receive curated suggestions from Google’s 250 million global locations database. For instance, users can query details about a restaurant’s atmosphere or seating options, with responses generated using the Gemini AI model’s analysis of user reviews and location data.

“[W]e’re transforming Maps with the power of Gemini models, helping you get answers to complex questions about the world,” Miriam Daniel, vice president and general manager of Google Maps, wrote in a blog post.

The company is also expanding its Immersive View feature to 150 cities, including Brussels, Kyoto and Frankfurt. The feature provides AI-generated previews of locations. It combines imagery and computer vision to show predicted weather and traffic conditions.

The initial rollout begins this week on Android and iOS devices in the United States, and Google plans to introduce similar features in Google Search in the coming months.

HotelPlanner deployed what it said is the first fully automated AI voice reservationist capable of handling end-to-end hotel bookings in multiple languages. The AI system, which launched in October, processes approximately 10,000 customer calls per day.

The technology represents a shift from HotelPlanner’s previous reliance on its gig economy call center of 7,000 human agents. The AI assistant can handle “complex” booking requirements, process payments and communicate in 15 languages, including English, Hindi, Mandarin and German, according to a Thursday (Oct. 31) press release.

The system was trained on data from over 8 million reservation calls and can manage “detailed” customer queries about hotel amenities, room types and booking terms while processing credit card transactions and sending confirmations, the release said.

“HotelPlanner.AI not only simplifies the booking, but as our AI assistants continue to learn, they will only get better,” HotelPlanner co-CEO and co-founder John Prince said in the release. “Now, our human call center team can look after customers with the more complicated and higher value bookings.”

Booking.com launched new AI features, including natural language search capabilities and automated question-answering systems for its accommodation listings. A Smart Filter tool processes conversational queries to find matching properties, while a Property Q&A feature draws answers from listings, reviews and photos to address specific questions about hotels.

The company is also testing AI-generated summaries of guest reviews. The features are available via mobile app in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.

The tools aim to simplify finding and evaluating accommodations by reducing manual filtering and review reading time. According to company research involving 27,000 respondents across 33 countries, 41% expressed interest in AI-assisted travel planning, a Wednesday (Oct. 30) press release said.

Joe Futty, vice president of product marketplace, said in the release that the company plans to develop additional AI capabilities for handling travel disruptions.

Booking.com’s AI Trip Planner, available via mobile app, launched in the U.S. in June 2023 and has since expanded to the U.K., Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.

“In the coming months, it will roll out across Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Poland and the Netherlands in the countries’ local languages,” the release said.

A desktop version of the tool is expected to follow.

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