2024 Hotel Metasearch Predictions

Our Metadesk insights team sat down and considered what they predict will happen in the hotel metasearch marketing space in 2024. But how does this impact your hotel's marketing? We break down these predictions below.

Google Hotels will gain significant importance

As we move into 2024, Google Hotels will become a more important element of the search engine results page (SERP), and hoteliers can not neglect this element of their brand presence. 

Google Hotels listings feature elements from Google Business Profile, metasearch connections, and on-site content, including reviews and booking links, making these listings a one-stop shop for official hotel information. 

Throughout 2023, Google Hotels listings have been featured more prominently in the SERP, making accurate and comprehensive Google Hotels information that much more important. A number of Google Hotels listings often appear above organic links when searching for hotels in a given area, and this list tends to steal the show even when shown alongside “sponsored” Paid Search ads. 

Google’s changing organic scene for metasearch will require different navigation

In 2023, we witnessed a comprehensive approach to metasearch, encompassing brand-specific campaigns (original hotel ads), awareness campaigns (property promotion ads), and organic listings. However, we also saw a change in the status of organic listings. 

They were no longer guaranteed to appear alongside their paid counterparts. Organic listings have traditionally been an excellent opportunity for participants to engage in metasearch at a minimal cost. Nevertheless, with the unpredictability of organic placements, those who solely relied on organic visibility may need to consider paid options to maintain their presence.

As Google continues to redefine the environment for organic listings in 2024, it becomes crucial for us to center our attention on the key factors that Google has highlighted for organic rankings: accuracy of prices, price consistency, and the quality of the landing page experience. 

However, we must also emphasize the significance of the Google Business Profile. When it comes to new hotels, the choice of name for our profile holds great importance as it directly impacts the alignment of our metasearch listing with our profile. Therefore, as we approach 2024, it is essential for marketers not to overlook aspects of the Google Business Profile, such as property photos, posts, and interactions with reviews to ensure an effective presence in the SERP.

API Sandbox will impact hotel digital marketing strategies

The year 2024 is shaping up to be a period of remarkable growth in the Artificial Intelligence space, and I anticipate it will profoundly transform the way users discover, engage with, and navigate metasearch results.

Personalization has long been a cornerstone of Google's search approach. As consumer demand for more relevant and customized experiences increases, Google is adapting its data collection infrastructure. In response to privacy concerns, there's a shift away from traditional cookie-based tracking towards a more secure and sophisticated method: the API sandbox. This approach enables the gathering of deeper, more insightful data on consumer behavior.

Enter Bard, Google's AI-driven search companion. It’s set to revolutionize the way we search for hotels. Bard has the capability to analyze and remember your preferences – from favored amenities to sought-after experiences and even your purchasing habits. This means the presentation of hotel options will be increasingly tailored to individual tastes and preferences.

The integration of these advanced technologies suggests a future where each user's search experience is uniquely their own. It's an exciting prospect, and only time will tell how this vision will materialize. Let's watch and see what unfolds.

The Google hotel SERP will contain more hotel ad placements in 2024

We saw a sprinkling of this throughout 2023, where Google tested the inclusion of hotel feed-powered SERP features, most notably the new property promotion ad-powered carousel at the top of the page (see below screenshot). Google is going to find more ways to monetize hotel ads in the SERP (and across Google products).

This makes this ad placement even more valuable, pushing standard text ads out of the top placement on the SERP. Since hotel ads is a separate campaign type then standard search campaigns, you’ll want to make sure you're visible in these placements with a hotel ads campaign.

Property Promotion Ads will continue to rise

In 2024, we expect Google’s Property Promotion Ads to be the key to success in search marketing. First launched in 2021, Property Promotion Ads (PPAs) have changed how consumers find hotels by displaying hotel ads within map searches for hotels and within the ad carousels at the top of the search results.

The visually rich results offer better top-of-funnel search marketing than text ads by providing more information to potential guests.

It’s worth noting that you must be connected to Google’s metasearch service in order to be eligible for PPA ads. Since many hotels already benefit from metasearch booking options, it is likely that PPA ads will continue to increase in popularity in 2024 and be a significant channel for building awareness and generating bookings.

These ads will be seamlessly integrated into various positions within the SERP, map pack, and hotel-specific searches within Google. PPA will be a big driver of direct bookings while also generating brand awareness in a visual way that is unique to metasearch.

That is to say, if your hotel or property is not already running PPA ads, GCommerce highly suggests this is a top property for you in 2024.

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