Google to Let Hotels Show Real-Time Rates in Search Ads

Google has long let hotels buy ads at the top of its search results. Yet these paid ads have only shared generic, static information about a property. Google said Monday it had changed that by allowing hotels to add "rich data" — such as real-time rates, images, and user-review star ratings.

Google said a small set of hotel advertisers using the rich data saw "up to a 20% increase in click-through rates" during previous tests. A Google spokesperson confirmed the upgraded ads are available globally.

Hotels are the first to use Google's new "rich data" ads in its search results. But the company said it's testing whether it might expand this ad format for car rental companies, tours and activities, and live event operators.

Google's change on Monday affects so-called "Search Ads," or the ads a user sees when typing