Google, the company that burst on the scene in the late ‘90s and almost overnight became synonymous with Internet searches continues its dominance of technology in the 21st century. Having recently acquired Zagat’s, Google is now buying Frommer’s, which will round out its already impressive collection of travel related tools and sites.
Beginning as early as 2007, when Google launched Google Earth, and continuing through its constantly improving GPS based system, Google Maps, the company is fast becoming a dominant player in travel related technology. Now with the acquisition of these two long-term, trusted sources of food and destination content, Google should be able to round out its location specific travel information on its websites and Android based hand-held devices.
Zagat Survey has been around since the late ‘70s, and is a highly trusted source of food and restaurant reviews. For the younger techies, Zagat was Yelp before there was Internet. Google acquired the company in 2011. Ironically, Google originally wanted to buy Yelp, but purchased Zagat instead. The company has been integrating Zagat reviews with both Google Maps and it’s social networking site, Google+.
Frommer’s, on the other hand, began publishing its travel guides in the late 1950s and has been a dominant player in that market ever since. Over the course of its history, Frommer’s, which was originally independently owned, has been owned by Simon & Schuster, Pearson, IDG and John Wiley & Sons. The Google acquisition was announced in August of this year.
This, along with the Zagat purchase, should add some real value-added information to its travel related products, especially Google Maps. The ability to use the product and not only find a destination and get directions to it, but get real time and professionally written content about the destinations and the food should boost the applications popularity. Google Maps is already the predominant player in hand-held mapping software and with more and more tablets getting GPS capability; this integration could spell the demise of both paper maps and paper destination guides. After all, why buy and read an entire book about a city or region, when you only need information about a specific locale, hotel, or restaurant.
Google has from its humble beginnings, truly become the giant slayer in Internet and mobile technology, and these two acquisitions should cement its future in travel related content on the Internet and mobile devices. The only thing missing from Google’s cadre of tools is a booking engine. Can an acquisition of an Expedia or Travelocity be looming on the horizon? Only time will tell.
