Google has rolled out a significant overhaul of its search results across the European Union, stripping out features that previously let users filter flight and hotel results by date, view live pricing, or search using descriptive tags such as budget or boutique.
The changes, which took effect on 8 September, are Google’s response to the EU’s Digital Markets Act, following a fine of 460 million euros imposed by the European Commission in July over concerns Google gave its own travel, shopping and transport services preferential placement over competitors. Google has been given 60 days to comply or face further penalties, though reporting on the exact size of those penalties varies.
Under the new format, European search results for flights, hotels and restaurants will now show two separate units: one exclusively for third party aggregators and booking platforms, such as Booking.com and Tripadvisor, and a second, more limited unit for direct suppliers. Google says the direct supplier unit has been stripped of key functionality, with EU users no longer able to filter by travel dates, check live pricing or use descriptive search tags within the results themselves. The company is also removing its vacation rentals unit from the European search results page entirely, although vacation rental listings will still be able to appear through Google Maps and google.com/hotels.
Google has been vocal in its opposition to the changes, describing the update as the steepest drop in search quality in the company’s twenty nine year history. The company points to earlier DMA related adjustments that it says led to a thirty per cent decline in free, direct booking traffic to European businesses, and expects this round of changes to push that figure further. Aggregators, short term rental platforms and hospitality industry lobby groups have taken the opposite view, welcoming the changes as a step toward a more level playing field against Google’s own services. The changes apply only to search results shown to users located within the EU; Google has confirmed users outside the bloc, including in New Zealand and Australia, will not see any difference in their own search results.