Speculation is gathering that the next stage in Google's development is to launch a travel portal, in partnership with a Chicago-based online booking engine, Orbitz, aimed at capturing a significant slice of this part of online business.

Google is planning to make an announcement in London this week, although it has kept the subject of the press briefing tightly under wraps, and it is by no means necessarily the case that the London briefing will involve Google Travel.

Google has already introduced a free web calendar service over the Easter weekend, opening another front in its battle with rival such as Yahoo.

Google Calendar allows users to "drag and drop" events from one calendar, such as Microsoft Outlook, to another.

The service uses Javascript and XML and RSS to deliver its features, but perhaps the biggest breakthrough is the calendar's use of "natural language processing" technology that simplifies how events are entered. To utilise the service, Google requires adopters to sign up with full personal details - which could prove to be a valuable resource in its many other commercial ventures.

The speculation regarding Google Travel began following the placing of a recruitment advertisement by the American search giant before the Easter weekend which sought a "Senior Account Executive, Travel Vertical".

The job advertisement says, "Your main responsibility is to drive new business revenue growth with our Fortune 1000 advertisers in a specified vertical in one or more regions."

Online bookings and searchable travel information sites such as Expedia and Travelocity have been among the biggest commercial successes of the internet. It is speculated that Google Travel's plans may well also include offering high-bandwidth streaming video of selected destinations and properties.

Much of the reporting on travel and technology specialist websites has centred on the likely identity of any partner for Google.

Travelocity already partners Yahoo, while Expedia and Hotels.com are owned by interActive, which runs Ask.com. Orbitz, meanwhile, as ZDNet.com points out today, is owned by Cendant, which runs the Wyndham, Ramada, Days Inn, Wingate Inn and Super 8 hotel chains. They also own car rental companies such as Avis and Budget. Orbitz is based in Chicago, which is where Google Travel is to be based.

A spokeswoman for Google said, "I can confirm that Google has no current plans to launch a travel portal."

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