Google has once again outlined its serious intentions to move into the travel sector with the launch of Hotel Finder.

The site is designed to generate a list of appropriate hotels – based on star ranking, cost or user comments – within a geographical area using Google Maps.

The beta programme is only available in the United States at present. However, it can be expected to be rolled out international should a trial prove successful.

Google launched the site a week after pulling third-party travel reviews off of its Google Places and Google Maps pages.

Hotel Finder also enables visitors to get a map of nearby popular destinations and search for local bargains.

In April, Google completed its $700 million acquisition of ITA Software after receiving clearance from the US Justice Department.

ITA is a provider of an air pricing and search engine.