AI Max: The Next Evolutionary Stage of Search Campaigns

For several months now, ADDITIVE has been part of a small group of selected partner agencies granted exclusive access to Google AI Max. The goal of this feaure is to make classic Google Search smarter, more precise, and more performant.

At its core, AI Max is not a new campaign type, but an AI-powered intelligent upgrade for traditional search campaigns. While Google has long covered the entire guest journey across various channels and campaign types, AI Max now delivers the decisive lever for the most frequently used touchpoint: Google Search.

What makes AI Max unique is its ability to recognize user intent beyond classic keywords. It combines search behavior, website content, and location data to serve ads at the right time and in the right place - context-based, dynamic, and highly relevant for the searching guest.

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"Many hotels already invest in Google Ads. With AI Max, a new era of relevance and efficiency is beginning. As a Google Premium Partner, we are bringing this expertise into the hotel industry at an early stage." </div>
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- David Weitlaner, Head of Digital Marketing
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What AI Max Means for Hotels

AI Max opens up an entirely new dimension of visibility in Google Search for hotels - especially for complex or situational search queries. In the past, it was difficult to remain consistently visible across the wide variety of such individual searches. AI Max closes this gap in the digital guest journey.

Examples of such queries include:

• Combined interests:
  “Dog-friendly design hotel in the Kitzbühel Alps with EV charging station”
• Occasion-based searches:
  “Where can you get married romantically and stay overnight in the Eifel?”
• Vague but intent-driven queries:
  “Quiet hotel for a workation at Lake Constance”
• Comparative searches:
  “Best family resort with childcare in Tyrol vs. Salzburg”

AI Max delivers strong results precisely in these scenarios. Previously difficult to target - now automatically recognized and perfectly addressed through AI Max.

According to Google, the effect is measurable: +14% to +27% more conversion at the same CPA.

Thanks to the combination of data, automation, and AI, it is now possible for the first time to remain consistently present even in unpredictable digital search environments - and to be shown exactly when potential guests are actively looking for offers.

This is particularly relevant because:

• Bookings are becoming more short-term and impulsive
• Search queries from (potential) guests are becoming increasingly comprehensive and complex

<div class="article_quote"><div class="article_quote_contain"><div class="article_quote_quote">"The first results with AI Max clearly show that Google AI unfolds its full potential in combination with a strong data foundation. This is exactly where we come in at ADDITIVE - creating a true stepping stone for performance and conversion."</div><div class="article_quote_name u-text-style-main">- Julia Hartig, Team Lead Advertising </div></div></div>

How Does AI Max Work in Detail?

AI Max is more than just automation - it is an AI upgrade for existing search campaigns, especially for hotels with complex offerings or seasonal challenges. The technology combines multiple signals to understand user intent, even when search terms are vague.

• Contextual Targeting Instead of Keyword Logic:
  The AI analyzes not only the words themselves, but the entire context of the search query, the user’s location (“geo intent”) and prior search behavior.
• Analysis of the Hotel Website:
  AI Max scans the content of the linked landing page - from room descriptions and spa offerings to restaurant menus - and uses this informations to dynamically create ads and landing pages.
• Real-Time Creative Optimization:
  The AI automatically tests and combines different text modules and images to deliver the ad with the highest likelihood of clicks and conversions.
• “Geo Intent” Targeting for Maximum Relevance:
  The AI understands the difference between a potential guest searching from home for a “hotel in Hamburg next week” and a tourist who is already in Hamburg searching for “hotels nearby”. This allows hotels and restaurants to reach completely different target groups in the same location, with messages tailored precisely to each intent.
• Brand Control for Brand Safety:
  Despite all the automation, campaign direction remains under control. With brand inclusions and exclusions, you can precisely manage whether ads appear only for searches related to your brand - or are deliberately excluded for certain brand terms. This ensures that your campaign is visible exactly where it fits you hotel’s positioning.
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ADDITIVE as a First Mover in Hotel Marketing and Official Beta Partner

As a long-standing Google Premium Partner and data-driven agency with a strong focus on performance and automation, ADDITIVE is among the few selected partners in Europe actively involved in the further development of new campaign formats such as “AI Max”.

That ADDITIVE has received exclusive access to AI Max as one of only a few agencies in the DACH region is no coincidence. As a Google Premium Partner with a pure focus on performance marketing and experience from more than 10,000 campaigns, ADDITIVE brings exactly the expertise required for data-driven innovation in hotel marketing.

Direct exchange with Google - such as through “Agency Deep Dives” with selected agencies in Europe - makes it possible to test strategically, feed insights directly into campaign optimization, and, through early access to forward-looking Google technology, provide hotels with a real competitive advantage.

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Why Hotels Should Be Addressing This Now

Search engine advertising is not only becoming smarter through AI Max, but also more efficient. Especially in a market environment where advertising costs are rising and wasted spend is expensive, precise targeting is crucial.

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"Hotels that benefit from AI Max at an early stage secure a decisive competitive advantage. Thanks to our early involvement in the beta phase, ADDITIVE clients are optimally prepared - and benefit from the head start before the market catches up." </div>
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- Armin Gögele, Head of Customer Success
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What Can Hoteliers Do Now?

• Optimize Your Landing Page Content:
  Ensure that your campaign landing pages clearly and structurally present all USPs, offers, and details. The AI uses this content as the basis for ad optimization.
• Validate Tracking and Data Foundations:
  A clean data foundation is crucial for successful AI optimization. This includes precise tracking of all inquiries, direct bookings, and effective reservations generated from inquiries. Software tools such as ADDITIVE+ MARKETING INSIGHTS provide the foundation for this.
• Evaluate Your Strategy:
  Leverage ADDITIVE’s expertise to assess whether and how Google campaigns can be used for your specific goals - whether that is more direct bookings, better off-season occupancy, or promoting new offers.

<div class="article_quote"><div class="article_quote_contain"><div class="article_quote_quote">"AI Max does not replace performance marketing - it expands it. The new Google technology provides ust with additional control layers that allow us to align campaigns even more precisely and data-driven. Control remains with us. The result: more relevance and more performance."</div><div class="article_quote_name u-text-style-main">– David Weitlaner, Head of Digital Marketing</div></div></div>

Conclusion:

The future of Google Search is AI-powered - and ADDITIVE is at the forefront as a beta tester. AI Max is currently available only to a very limited number of selected agency ad accounts, but will soon be rolled out more broadly. Hotels that rely on ADDITIVE today are among the first to benefit from this innovation - with valuable insight, data-driven optimizations, and a clear competitive edge before it becomes standard in online marketing.

Most importantly, AI Max does not take control away from hotels - on the contrary: it creates new opportunities for even more precise campaign management. At ADDITIVE, campaign ownership remains firmly in expert hands. We leverage the advantages of AI Max to implement data-driven decisions faster and more accurately, further expanding our control capabilities - with a clear, results-oriented strategy and the usual 100% transparency.