Is Google about to change how your guests find you?
With the launch of its new AI Mode, Google is taking a decisive step toward merging search, discovery, and trip planning into a single, self-contained experience. Unlike traditional search results, AI Mode allows travelers to ask open-ended questions, refine them conversationally, and receive itineraries complete with maps, accommodation options, and price comparisons, all without leaving Google.

For short-term rental managers, that could mean a fundamental shift in how visibility and bookings are won.

This walkthrough is part of our ongoing AI in Travel series, where we’ve already explored how Perplexity’s AI Travel Hub works and how trip planning is making its way into WhatsApp via tools like GuideGeek.

What Exactly Is Google AI Mode?

AI Mode sits right inside the familiar Google Search interface. It appears as a new button in the search bar or a glowing “Dive deeper in AI mode” link below the AI Overview. Click it, and you’re taken to a conversational environment that looks and feels like a blend of Google Search, Maps, and ChatGPT.

The difference is in how it structures and connects information. As opposed to merely summarizing web content, AI Mode assistant curates, categorizes, and cross-links dynamically, turning one search query into a full-fledged trip plan.

When asked, “Where should I go in Europe for a long weekend in December?”, it doesn’t just list destinations. It organizes options into three “moods”: Christmas experiences, winter wonderlands, and sunny escapes,  and cites its sources on the right-hand side, from major travel publishers to small blogs.

That detail alone is telling: AI Mode rewards structured, high-quality content over brand size. For property managers with well-optimized, information-rich websites, this opens the door to visibility far beyond traditional search rankings.

From Inspiration to Planning, Without Leaving Google

When queries become more specific, say, “We are a group of 10, including four kids aged two to eight”, AI Mode refines its suggestions even further. It proposes destinations like Copenhagen or Lisbon for mild climates and even offers tips for large groups, such as:

“Research accommodation: renting a large apartment or connected set of apartments is often easier and more cost-effective than booking multiple hotel rooms.”

That advice may sound obvious, but it’s significant. Google isn’t promoting hotels by default. It’s contextual, and in family or group scenarios, it naturally surfaces short-term rentals.

This suggests that Google’s AI Mode could level the playing field between professional property managers and large hotel chains, at least in discovery.

Google Maps Is the Backbone of AI Mode

Every time a user clicks on a destination, attraction, or accommodation, the Google Maps card slides in automatically, complete with photos, reviews, price comparisons, and website links.

If a business’s Google listing isn’t cleanly synced or regularly updated, it possibly won’t appear. That makes Google Maps optimization more critical than ever for visibility not just in Maps or Search, but now in AI Mode itself.

Price Comparisons and Paid Placement: A Glimpse of What’s Coming

When looking for accommodations, Google AI Mode pulls live price data from multiple sites including Booking.com, Agoda, Expedia, and, notably, the property’s own official website.

But there’s a catch: sometimes, the first listings are sponsored. Even if the property has its own site, it may appear below OTA partners unless it’s also running ads.

This is already how Google Hotel Ads works, and the same model will soon expand into AI Mode Ads, which Google has confirmed are in testing.

For professional short-term rental managers, that presents both opportunity and competition.
They’ll be able to run ads for their direct listings, but will likely be bidding against OTAs that already advertise their properties.

How AI Mode Understands “Private Rentals”

When explicitly asked for “private rentals near Disneyland Paris”, AI Mode references Airbnb and Vrbo, but interestingly, it also lists other specialist platforms like TripAdvisor, CekHolidays, and Cascadia Getaways.

Its tone toward each platform matches their brand positioning: Airbnb is framed as “best for variety,” while Vrbo is “best for family-oriented vacation rentals, many managed by professional hosts.”

That nuance indicates AI Mode is drawing not only on listing data but also on platform-level reputations, which could influence how each OTA, and its hosts, are represented to users.

Visual Search Comes to Stays

One of AI Mode’s most striking features is the ability to upload an image of a property, and find that exact listing or visually similar ones. In a test, uploading a photo of an Airbnb apartment near Disneyland Paris led directly to the original Airbnb listing, with links to other platforms where it appeared.

This means visual discoverability is now part of search visibility. High-quality images with clean metadata could help your property surface in image-driven searches.

Key Takeaways for Short-Term Rental Managers

1. Discovery and Planning Are Merging

Guests can now research, compare, and plan trips entirely within Google. OTAs may soon become second stops, not starting points.

2. Your Data Determines Visibility

Your Google Business profile, metadata, and listing quality matter more than ever. If Google can’t parse your information, it won’t recommend your property.

3. Paid Placement Is Coming

Sponsored listings and AI Mode Ads will add a new layer of visibility, and competition. Running Google Hotel Ads may become essential for direct-booking visibility.

4. Agentic Booking Is the Next Frontier

Google is already testing AI-powered restaurant reservations with OpenTable. It’s only a matter of time before the same technology allows users to book stays directly through AI Mode.

5. Visual Search Could Reshape Inspiration

Guests might soon find your listing not through keywords, but through images of “places like this.” Strong, consistent visuals could become your new SEO.

The Bigger Picture

Google’s AI Mode is still in early rollout, but its direction is clear: travel planning is moving inside the search ecosystem itself.

For short-term rental managers, this means visibility will depend less on OTA algorithms and more on how effectively your property, and your data, integrate with Google’s. The brands that adapt early will have the advantage when guests start saying not “Let’s check Airbnb,” but “Let’s ask Google.”

Uvika Wahi is the Editor at RSU by PriceLabs, where she leads news coverage and analysis for professional short-term rental managers. She writes on Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, regulations, and industry trends, helping managers make informed business decisions. Uvika also presents at global industry events such as SCALE, VITUR, and Direct Booking Success Summit.