Google Travel adds coronavirus-inspired safety features, will alert potential travelers to case counts, hotel policies

Google is adding new tools to its travel portal, specifically to flag coronavirus-related information during the pandemic.

With travel slowly starting to take flight as more countries allow reentry for Americans, Google is aiming to help travelers stay safe and informed with new features for its Google Travel platform, which will be presented to users via its portal at Google.com/Travel upon searching for vacations, flights, hotels or things to do in the area, the company announced in a blog post on Thursday.

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The new features alert users to the updated COVID-19 case counts in their destination of choice, and informs travelers as to whether or not their chosen resort or hotel offers free cancellations.

Other new features include a “travel trends” option that calculates the number of hotels and flights available in a given area.

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Google previously introduced driving alerts in Google Maps to similarly notify travelers about COVID-19 restrictions and checkpoints when passing through new cities.

"The uncertainty of COVID-19 makes it hard to navigate travel decisions. We’ll continue to share the most relevant information so you can make informed decisions and travel safely when the time comes," Google said in its blog post.

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The travel industry, like hospitality, has experienced devastating financial turbulence, particularly among airline carriers. Delta CEO Ed Bastian last week warned there could be "tens of thousands" of furloughs across the airline industry if Congress is unable to agree on another round of coronavirus stimulus.