After introducing ‘busy times’ at businesses in mobile search results back in July, Google has announced overnight they’ll be adding another helper when you’re searching for business opening times over the busy Christmas period – Holiday Opening Hours.
The update has been made live in both Maps and Mobile Search, though none of the local businesses we checked which currently support busy times, have yet updated with Holiday Hours. According to Google the update will list holiday hours if available, or if not listed will simply advise a warning message that opening hours may be different because of the holiday season.
As the Christmas season approaches and you find your favourite business closed, you can use the ‘Open Now’ filter to have Google list alternatives if available.
Google will be doing regionalised variants of Holiday Hours around the world, so as Google says ‘if you happen to be celebrating Boxing Day in the UK or New Year’s Eve in Sweden, you’ll see info specific to the country you’re in’. Not bad, keep an eye out for this one as retailers update their Christmas trading hours.
