Google quietly tests new EU search layout that could reshuffle hotel and flight rankings

Key details on Google's EU search tests

According to the report, Google plans to present rival vertical search services alongside its own results within a single results view. The layout would apply by default to queries related to hotels, flights, restaurants, and other travel-related categories.

• Tests will reportedly begin with lodging-related searches before expanding to additional verticals such as flights.
• Competing services shown would come from top-ranked providers for the relevant query, according to the Reuters source.
• The initiative reportedly follows preliminary European Commission findings that Google self-preferences its own hotel, flight, and local listings.
• Previous Google proposals to modify search presentation under the DMA were rejected by rivals as insufficient.
• Under the DMA, non-compliant gatekeepers can face fines of up to 10 percent of global annual revenue.

The European Commission has not yet announced any final decision on potential penalties in this case. The timeline for any broader rollout of the new search layout across the European Union was not specified in the report.

Background on the Digital Markets Act and Google

The European Commission designated several Alphabet services, including Google Search, as gatekeepers under the Digital Markets Act in 2023. Gatekeepers must avoid treating their own services more favorably than rival services that rely on their platforms. In March 2024, the Commission opened non-compliance investigations into multiple gatekeepers, focusing on self-preferencing and app store rules.

Reuters reported that preliminary Commission findings under the DMA allege Google Search favored its own specialized search services, including hotels, flights, and local business results that appear within general search pages. Separately, Google has conducted limited experiments in several European countries that removed some rich hotel search features from results pages.

Coverage from Search Engine Journal said some travel businesses saw free direct booking clicks fall by about 30 percent during those tests. Those experiments focused on simplifying hotel search pages and reducing the visibility of integrated Google travel modules. According to Reuters, the newly reported tests retain rich results while adding competitors beside Google-owned units.

Source citations and official references

Information on the planned EU search tests comes from a Reuters report dated February 25, 2026. Context on earlier experiments and industry reactions is based on coverage published by Search Engine Journal.

Legal obligations and penalty ranges referenced in this article are defined in the European Union's Digital Markets Act. The full regulation text is available in the Official Journal of the European Union at this address.