Mobile travel searches are about to get a lot more comprehensive as Google buys Frommer’s for an undisclosed sum from Wiley & Sons, Inc. The travel network, which puts out a number of thin guide books, has been moving away from print in recent years and with the Google purchase it may move to digital for good.
The information network within Frommer’s will go very well with Google’s other big recommendation engine purchase, Zagat, and will likely be incorporated into Google Now, the company’s mobile-only search graph and recommendation engine that debuted with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. You can also expect integration with Google+, at least on the desktop side.
Google said of the purchase, “The Frommer’s team and the quality and scope of their content will be a great addition to the Zagat team. We can’t wait to start working with them on our goal to provide a review for every relevant place in the world.”
Travel is an extremely lucrative side of Google’s search business, as users are much more likely to book a flight or a holiday package from a sponsored link than any particular product. If Frommer’s information can be combined with Google’s mobile search component in a non-obtrusive way, we could see a huge boost in mobile web-based travel bookings.
Frommer’s already has mobile apps in the form of Frommer’s Travel Tools for iOS. We’d expect, if Google does continue in the native app direction, an Android app in the future.
Source: WSJ
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