Google Maps Becomes Personal Assistant with Food Ordering and Hotel Booking

Google Maps is expanding its capabilities to become more than just a navigation tool. The tech giant has introduced new features in its 'Ask Maps' function, which includes the ability to order food and book hotels directly within the app.

The feature allows users to ask questions like 'Where can I order vegan avocado toast and an oat milk latte near home?' or 'For next weekend's conference in downtown Miami, find me a decently priced, top-rated hotel with an artsy vibe within walking distance from a gym and restaurants.'

After selecting a restaurant, users can tap the 'Order online' option to place an order through supported platforms such as Square, Toast, or Uber Eats. Ask Maps will add the items to a cart, allowing users to choose to add more items before paying for the order on the supported platform.

The new agentic features are also rolling out with Personal Intelligence, which allows Ask Maps to provide personalized answers based on information from a user's Gmail and Google Calendar. For example, a user could ask 'What time will I land in Vancouver on my upcoming flight?' and receive a tailored response.