Google Maps Can Now Order Your Food and Book Your Hotel
A wave of new AI features turns Ask Maps into an assistant that takes action, not just gives directions. Here is what changed and what it means for your daily life.
Key points
- Google announced on Thursday that Ask Maps, the AI assistant built into Google Maps, can now place food orders, find hotel rooms, and surface event tickets on a user's behalf.
- A new Personal Intelligence option lets Ask Maps read a user's Gmail and Google Calendar to give personalised answers, but it is switched off by default.
- Food ordering and hotel search are rolling out to users in the United States; Personal Intelligence and a new live transit widget are going to all markets where Ask Maps is available.
- Ask Maps will now remember previous conversations, so users can pick up a planning thread without starting over.
Google Maps has spent two decades telling you how to get somewhere. Now Google wants it to handle what you do when you arrive.
On Thursday, Google announced a set of new features for Ask Maps, the AI assistant inside Google Maps. The update turns Ask Maps into what Google calls an "agentic" tool, meaning software that can carry out multi-step tasks on your behalf rather than simply answering questions.
What can Ask Maps actually do now?
Four new abilities cover the most common travel and food decisions most people make in a week.
For food, you can type something like "Where can I order vegan avocado toast and an oat milk latte near home?" Ask Maps finds nearby restaurants, and once you pick one, it adds items to a cart through platforms such as Uber Eats, Square, or Toast. You check out on that platform directly.
For hotels, you can describe exactly what you need: price range, vibe, proximity to a gym. Ask Maps compares prices and availability, then sends you to the partner site to book.
For events, ask what comedy or live music is on near your workplace tonight. You get a list with ticket links.
Finally, a live transit widget shows real-time delay updates as conditions change, so you are not caught off guard by a cancelled train.
What is Personal Intelligence and should you turn it on?
Personal Intelligence is the most significant privacy decision in this update. It is off by default, and Google is clear about that.
When you switch it on, Ask Maps can read your Gmail and Google Calendar to give you tailored answers. Ask "What time does my Vancouver flight land?" and it pulls the answer from your inbox rather than making you dig through emails yourself. Ask for restaurant ideas near your hotel and it already knows which hotel that is.
That is genuinely useful. It is also a meaningful choice to give a mapping app access to your email. Google has offered similar cross-product features before, and the data stays within Google's ecosystem, but every user should make that call consciously rather than by accident.
Conversation memory is a separate, lower-stakes addition. Ask Maps now recalls what it suggested in earlier chats, so you can ask "What activities had you suggested for Seattle?" and continue where you left off.
What should users watch for?
The ordering features pass your request through third-party platforms. Before you pay, check that the platform shown (Uber Eats, Toast, Square) is the one you expect. Scammers sometimes build lookalike checkout pages, so glance at the web address before entering payment details.
Personal Intelligence is opt-in and can be turned off at any time. If you choose to enable it, review which Google apps have access to your account through your Google account settings periodically.
The food ordering and hotel features are live for U.S. users now, first reported by TechCrunch AI. Personal Intelligence and the transit widget are rolling out globally.
