AI Mode books your hotel, and Demand Gen ads text you back

Welcome to Hotel Google. You can check in any time you like, but your clicks can never leave.

Three AI Mode updates, one direction of travel: Google is rolling out hotel booking for US users in English, with Google Pay checkout and 10 launch partners.

It’s also testing sign-in popups mid-answer, and adding link carousels for developing topics, which should lift clicks without getting you near pre-AI numbers.

Discovery, account, and checkout, all in one place.

Slide into their DMs, officially: Google’s August Demand Gen Drop lets YouTube ads open a messaging thread instead of pushing to a landing page.

Multimodal Video Creation in Asset Studio is now open to all advertisers, too. Travel advertisers also get local activities and real-time offers.

And you get a say now: An Alpha Channels slider lets you loosen or tighten CPA per PMax channel, from Search to Gmail.

Handy for pulling spend out of a channel that’s dragging. Just mind the attribution blind spots: YouTube discovers, Search converts days later.

It’s rolling out slowly, so ask your rep if you don’t see it.

Finally, a small one: Google is testing tabbed sponsored results, splitting paid listings into browsable categories instead of one long scroll.

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