Google now tells you when to book cheap flights and hotel rooms

Google has released an update to its travel offering that tells you the best time to book a cheap flight and hotel room. With millions expected to travel this holiday season, this new feature should alleviate some of the stress of trip-planning, especially for those doing so through a mobile device.

Google will now tell you if you’re getting the cheapest flight possible — based on when the prices for the flights and routes you are interested in are expected to increase. In some cases, a notification will appear on those flights when Google determines that the current fare will expire, along with a note detailing how much you’ll be able to save if you book immediately.

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Another notification will be shown when you’re looking at specific routes — such as from New York to San Diego — to inform you of multiple ways to find the best price. Some of these tips include recommendations for alternate airports or travel dates or when there might be an expected price jump, based on historical data. Simply tap on these tips to see details about any price increase.

All of these notifications are rolling out over the “coming weeks.” And even if you’re not planning a trip quite yet, Google can send you emails letting you know when prices are expected to change — perhaps enticing you to book?

Oh, and to help you handle flight logistics, Google will let you track and manage saved flights right on your phone.

Whether you’re interested in flights or not, if you want a place to stay, Google can provide similar notifications. It’ll now allow you to filter out hotels based on whether they are offering a deal during your travel dates. The service already labels deals when a hotel’s price is lower than usual — based on discounts or historical pricing — but that was not a specific setting you could select, until now. Google also now alerts you if there’s specific savings for loyalty members listed on a hotel’s website.

And since users turn to the search engine to research practically everything about their daily lives, Google believes it is positioned to do a great job when it comes to travel and is eager to take on services such as Kayak and Bing Travel that have similar capabilities.

This is the latest update being made to Google’s travel products, with the most recent being the launch of its Trips app.