On 27 August 2026 Google published in its official blog an announcement of three new ways to plan and book travel in Search. One of them is hotel booking in AI Mode, the conversational mode in Google Search.
What Google announces
According to the publication, the traveller describes the trip and their preferences in a conversation. AI Mode shows a visual list of hotels, with guest reviews and the main things to compare. When the person is ready, they ask for help with the booking and choose the “Continue on Google” option next to one of the participating partners. There they choose a room type, see the terms, for example for cancellation, and pay with Google Pay.
The partners that Google lists are Booking.com, Choice Hotels International, Expedia, Hilton, Hotels.com, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International, Priceline, Trip.com and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. According to Google, the hotel or the platform is the merchant for the booking and takes on serving the guest.
Where it is available
The rollout starts in the US and in English only. Google writes that the feature will be available in the coming weeks with the listed partners, but does not name other countries, languages or timeframes. There is nothing about Bulgaria in the publication, so we do not claim here that the feature works or is coming here. What is available in Bulgarian is a topic for a separate news item about AI Mode in Bulgaria.
What we do not know
Google does not publish figures on usage or results. It does not write how hotels are ranked, or how a small venue can get among the suggestions. So there is no basis to expect more or fewer reservations.
What a Bulgarian venue can do
You do not need to do anything urgently. There are a few calm checks that are useful with any new AI search:
- Review how your venue is described in your Google profile and on your own website: address, rooms, amenities, cancellation rules, check-in times. The details must be the same everywhere.
- Make sure the website says clearly who the venue is, where it is and how to contact you, and that the photos are up to date.
- Check how quickly you respond to an enquiry. A guest used to a conversation with AI expects a short, clear answer, not a wait until the next working day.
If your venue has ISKA Website, it shows the rooms, the services and an enquiry form. An enquiry is not a reservation and does not hold a room. ISKA Assistant, which you can put on the website, answers guests from the information you have approved and takes a room request, which a member of your staff confirms. This is not connected with Google and does not guarantee visibility in AI search.