Google helps you get a room with new hotel finder tool

David Swan
Tuesday, 24 January 2012 18:40

Your IT - Mobility

Google's new tool allows travellers to search for hotels nearby certain tourist attractions, where they can also filter by travel time, price, ratings and reviews.

 

Google has continued with its tradition of 'under the radar' additions, adding a new low key tool to its Maps software.

The new options mean travellers can search for a point of interest such as a tourist attraction, like Luna Park or the Museum, which is then matched with hotel results based on a 20-minute default distance from the point of interest.

The transit time search is only available in cities where Google has partnered with local transit agencies to get their data in Google Maps, which includes cities like Sydney and Perth but not Melbourne, yet.

Apparently where no transit data is available, Google will display walking time.

The Victorian Government has been in talks with Google to bring Google Transit to Melbourne users, but as of yet nothing has eventuated.

Google Maps first started as a C++ program designed by two Danish brothers Lars and Jens Rasmussen at the Sydney-based company Where 2 Technologies, but was acquired by Google in 2004.