Google Flights and Google Trips Update to Give You More Business Travel Planning Power

Planning your trips early can save your small business a lot of money. The new update to the Google Flights and Google Trips apps will help you find the best deals, which also includes search for hotel stays.

New Tracker Features for Google Flights and Trips

Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) is using machine learning and statistical analysis to find the best time to book flights and hotel rooms. The apps let you know if the price is higher or lower than usual based on historical data for your destination.

When small business owners book their travel early, the savings can be substantial. Last minute or 11th-hour bookings, for example, average up to 44 percent higher compared to tickets purchased 15 days in advance. At almost half off, the savings can add up to a considerable amount over time.

Richard Holden, VP of Travel Products at Google, explained how the new features work on the company blog. When you search for your destination, the app lists multiple options with several tips. Holden said, “A tip would say that “prices are less than normal” and by how much to indicate you’d spotted a deal. Or, if prices tend to remain steady for the date and place you’re searching for, a tip would indicate the price “won’t drop further” based on our price prediction algorithms.”

Track Hotel Prices With Email

Although saving on your flight is great, you can make it that much better by getting a good deal on your hotel stays. The new feature on Trips let you track the price for hotels with email. Until this update, this was only available for flights.

The app also has an easy to use slider feature to quickly set the price you are willing to pay for a room.

Business Travel

The average domestic business travel will run you $949, and it goes up to $2,600 for international travel. This includes airline costs, hotel fees, and other expenses. This, of course, can be much higher if you don’t plan accordingly and take advantage of deals. The new features on Google Flights and Trips will help you track down those special offers so you can save on your business trips.

Image: Google

This article, "Google Flights and Google Trips Update to Give You More Business Travel Planning Power" was first published on Small Business Trends