Google Schemer: a new 'social travel service'?

Google is beta-testing yet another weapon for its ever-growing web.

Named 'Schemer', it's been described as a 'social travel service' which taps into the Google+ social network as well as the likes of Zagat restaurant reviews (which the search colossus bought in September this year or an estimated $150 million).

Schemer is running on an invitation-only basis at the moment, with content limited to a handful of US cities.

Schemer is designed to help you choose activities in any given city – these can be tasks you add based on your own ideas, such as some highly-regarded restaurants to consider for your next client lunch in Singapore, or suggested activities sourced from Google+ friends, Zagat and other Google partners.

If you're super-keen to have a poke around, this post from the Schemer team on Google+ contains details on how to snare an invitation

Writing on travel tech site Tnooz, Alex Bainbridge ponders Schemer's role as a "social travel service" which deliberately takes a different tack from the company's data-driven travel services such as Maps, Flight Search, Hotel Finder and Places.

"If 'destination research' moves to starting at Google Schemer rather than Google Search", Bainbridge poses, "then Google will be able to pitch flights, hotels and other travel services, without having to necessarily work within the confines of their existing web properties."

David Flynn

David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.