Google Maps Can Now Order Your Food and Book Your Hotel
Ask Maps gains agentic features that take action on your behalf. Here is what changed, what it costs you in privacy, and what to watch before you tap pay.
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 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 carries out multi-step tasks on your behalf rather than simply answering questions. It's a direction Google has been building toward: our story from 28 July found Search's AI features already pitching themselves as tools for booking tickets and planning dinner.
What can Ask Maps actually do now?
Four new abilities cover the most common travel and food decisions 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 Uber Eats or platforms such as Square and Toast. You check out on that platform directly.
For hotels, describe 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 and you get a list with ticket links.
A live transit widget rounds it out, showing real-time delay updates as conditions change.
What is Personal Intelligence and should you turn it on?
Personal Intelligence is the most significant privacy decision in this update. It's off by default, and Google is clear about that.
Switch it on and Ask Maps can read your Gmail and Google Calendar to give tailored answers. Type "What time does my Vancouver flight land?" and it pulls the answer from your inbox. Ask for restaurant ideas near your hotel and it already knows which hotel that is.
That's genuinely useful. It's also a meaningful choice to give a mapping app access to your email. The data stays within Google's ecosystem, but every user should make that call deliberately rather than by accident.
Conversation memory is a separate, lower-stakes addition. Ask Maps now recalls 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, confirm that the platform shown is the one you expect. Scammers build lookalike checkout pages, so check the web address before entering payment details.
Personal Intelligence can be turned off at any time. If you enable it, review which Google apps have access to your account through your Google account settings periodically.
Food ordering and hotel search are live for U.S. Users now, first reported by TechCrunch AI. Personal Intelligence and the transit widget are rolling out globally.
What matters most here is the checkout moment. Google's agentic pitch is solid, but the hand-off to a third-party payment page is where users are most exposed. Watch that step closely, especially as these features reach new markets.
