Google Tests Moving Hotel AI Overviews To A Side Panel

Google is testing relocating AI Overviews from the top of hotel search results to the bottom of the page. The shift may change how travelers interact with AI

A small layout change in hotel search could put AI-generated summaries exactly where travelers already scroll. Google is testing a version of hotel results in which the AI Overview sits under the hotel knowledge panel rather than at the top of the page, giving travelers the listing details first and the AI answer second.

What the test looks like

In the standard layout, the AI Overview appears at the top of the results page. In the new test, the same AI Overview shows up at the bottom of the page, beneath the standard hotel knowledge panel. The screenshots show the AI-generated text repositioned, not removed. Hotel photos, prices, ratings, and booking links remain in their usual panel above.

The change is a layout test, not a feature change. The AI Overview still produces the same kind of summary, and the hotel knowledge panel still carries the same booking and price information it always has. Only the order on the page differs.

Why it may matter for travelers

Most users who search for a specific hotel are looking for the listing itself: the address, the price, the photos, the review summary, and the booking link. When the AI Overview sits at the top of the page, it can push that listing information down, sometimes below the fold on smaller screens. Moving the AI Overview to the bottom of the page puts the most actionable information, the booking link and the price, back in the first viewport.

For travelers who actually want the AI-generated summary, it remains available, just one scroll farther down. For travelers who already know which hotel they want, the change removes a layer between them and the booking panel.

How the test relates to broader AI Overviews changes

Hotel searches are a special case within Google Search because they trigger a dedicated knowledge panel rather than the standard ten blue links. AI Overviews have appeared inside these local and travel panels in different positions in earlier tests. Repositioning the AI Overview for hotels is consistent with a wider pattern of Google trying different placements for AI-generated content across vertical-specific results.

The hotel vertical also overlaps with Google Maps and Google Hotels, where surfacing booking actions quickly matters more than reading a long AI narrative. A bottom placement lets Google keep the AI summary available without blocking the primary booking surface above it.

What to watch next

Because this is a test, the layout may revert, expand to more users, or settle into a permanent placement, so the metrics to track are booking link clicks, Maps taps, and hotel-detail page visits.

  • Whether the bottom placement rolls out beyond the current test group.
  • Whether booking link clicks, Maps taps, or hotel-detail page visits change as a result.
  • Whether other verticals with their own knowledge panels (flights, local businesses, restaurants) get similar treatments.

Hotel search has become one of the more visible places where AI-generated answers and traditional commerce listings compete for the same screen real estate. A bottom placement for the AI Overview is a measured way to keep both available without sacrificing the booking action that travelers came to complete, as the hotel knowledge panel with photos, prices, and booking links stays above the AI summary.

FAQ

What is changing in Google hotel search?

Google is testing a layout in which the AI Overview for a hotel query appears at the bottom of the results page rather than at the top. The hotel knowledge panel with photos, prices, and booking links stays above it.

Is the AI Overview being removed from hotel searches?

No. The AI Overview is still shown, only in a different position. In the test it sits under the hotel knowledge panel instead of above it.

Why is Google moving the AI Overview in hotel results?

The bottom placement keeps the hotel listing and booking link prominent at the top of the page while leaving the AI summary available to users who scroll further down.

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This article summarizes reporting from seroundtable.com. See our editorial disclaimer for how our articles are produced.

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