On iOS, location history absolutely was not required for this. Either its different on android google maps, or you're conflating web and app activity with location history.
It was really annoying, because there is no back button in the app, so if you search for your hotel, then for a restaurant, and then want to show the hotel again, you had to type the full address again.
They seem to have stopped doing that, it's now possible to use Google Maps on iOS without signing in, and you still see recent searches.
They still display a message "sign in to get better search results". And a second message: "Add your phone contacts to search for their addresses". But it's a lot better than it used to be.