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In recent months and years, I have found myself using Google Hotels more and more. It is a great resource because of two main factors:
- It allows you to narrow your search based on hotel brand
- It shows your hotel options overlaid onto Google Maps, so you get a good idea of where each hotel is located
And if I am so lucky as to find a lower rate offered by an Online Travel Agency, I might be able to make a successful Best Rate Guarantee claim to save even more money.
I am NEVER actually booking via Google Hotels, however. But once I have chosen a hotel I can go to my preferred cashback website and click through to the hotel chain’s website in order to book as normal.
What’s Going on with Hilton and Google Hotels?
As I was looking at hotels in London for a possible trip in the autumn, something strange appeared. Hilton hotels appeared to be much cheaper than similar quality hotels…
When I looked at the detailed rates offered, Hilton was clearly offering BY FAR the lowest room rates, when compared to the major OTAs such as Expedia and Priceline.
Clicking through to the Hilton website, I find this…
Instead of showing the best rates for an overnight stay – what nearly everybody is looking for – these Hilton hotels are showing their Workspaces rates (Day Use only).
This makes Google Hotels close to useless for searching for a Hilton hotel for an overnight stay!
Bottom Line
I hesitate to call this a SCAM when it might just be an IT glitch (the same doesn’t happen when searching some other destinations).
But if Hilton hotels are attempting to game the Google Hotels algorithms in order to appear cheaper than the competition, that is certainly something to be aware of…
Annoying potential customers isn’t going to bring much business their way. After a frustrating few click throughs, the likely result is that people simply ignore Hilton results in the listings.
I think research has shown that some people feel “committed” once they start booking a hotel – which is why resort fees and other such hidden charges work so well in the US. Not your typical InsideFlyer reader of course. Like you, I would just turn away from Hilton completely.