16 years
More about Google Travel on Business Week.
Hostel booking engines will be interested in the part highlighted in red below:
I journeyed to the NYC Googleplex May 21 to learn more about Google’s plans. There, I spoke with Rob Torres, Google’s managing director for Travel, over a lunch of beet salad and raspberry-garnished crepes...
Torres says that the goal of Google’s travel division—aside from tapping into the $90+ billion global travel ad and sales market—is to give users a destination where they can research travel plans, read user reviews, and see user uploaded videos and photos. Already, about 50% of travelers use some sort of online social media site to research their plans, says Torres. Why not give them a one-stop shop for travel information? “We are already so highly searched for travel,” says Torres.
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It’s worth noting one thing that any future Google offering won’t have—airline fares or hotel bookings. Even Google is unwilling to try its hand at the part of the beleaguered industry’s business. The customer service investment is huge, explains Torres. Moreover, travel sites and airlines are some of Google’s largest advertisers.
That doesn't mean that Google won't take a commission though...
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