Integration with Google Vacation rentals is currently in progress. More information available here:
https://www.ownerrez.com/forums/requests/google-vacation-rentals-connectivity-partner
[This topic has been closed as a duplicate of another topic (Google Vacation Rentals Connectivity Partner)]
Google announced a route to the free listing of rates and availability section at the foot of the paid advertising block in its search results.
It fits in below the paid or sponsored listings. Googles offering provides a real chance for self-catering owners to be listed for free and show a big label with an official site link to your own website. This could be a big win for booking direct - which I know Owner Rez fully supports.
This is a real shake-up to the metasearch market - we just need the API to be part of the action.
Thanks, Le Touquet Holid. Can you drop a link in this thread where the announcement was (from Google)? I'd like to trace this back to some Google Developer docs on the subject. I've seen some 3rd party blogs about it, and haven't really looked that hard frankly.
Hi Paul
I think this is what you are after. It's the free booking link we are interested in.
https://developers.google.com/hotels/hotel-prices
Thanks. We know about these Hotel API docs. I should have been more clear - where is the doc or announcement about free listings? I might be staring right at it, but I don't see that language anywhere.
Google help page on "free booking links":
https://support.google.com/hotelprices/answer/10472393?hl=en&ref_topic=10468394
What makes a "hotel booking link":
https://support.google.com/hotelprices/answer/9296693?hl=en&ref_topic=9301472
so does this mean it is doable or not? I doubt it will actually be "free" forever. What Goog will likely do is offer free initially to make all accommodations providers flock to it. Once it cannibalizes enough from OTAs to make them near-obsolete (basically destroying their grip on the market - which in case of Goog is easy to do) and make accommodation providers dependent on Goog - it will start charging any commission it wants. On one hand I feel good about someone sticking it to overbearing overcontrolling OTAs. On another hand, it will be done by even bigger monopoly in the name of even more control of the market. And we the small guys are just insignificant specks in this whole thing.
Your probably right. But I rather be in than out. Here is the link I found which may have already been posted
https://support.google.com/hotelprices/announcements/9652284?hl=en
I will be in too, but I do not put much hope in it.. You know where the free cheese is...
Would love this...
Hope this gets more votes.
With Google involved, there's no reason why this won't be a huge game changer.
Even if they start charging commission later, it will probably be competitive and even if it's not... more bookings is a good thing.
While there is a great deal of noise about Google entering the market for bookings - understandable, since they're huge - we see no evidence that very many actual guests are using them to make reservations. So at present, we don't view integrating with them as a priority.
Additionally, Google has a long history of making loud announcements of entering into markets, making a half-baked attempt at them, and then abruptly either cancelling the effort or leaving it half-backed to die slowly. Thus, it isn't good business to immediately spend our resources on them, without first seeing evidence that there's something real there.
This can change at any time of course, and we're tracking how much demand for this integration there is from both our clients and from guests.
Isnt this a bit chicken and egg? We don't know what level of bookings we may be missing out on because we are not in the game. Forums from another PMS provider suggests that bookings are being made by clients. So I believe there is evidence of people booking this way.
See many others getting integrated to google, etc. Facebook, Google, Tiktok are the daily search engines for life when I have a private ad (now not allowed) I got enquiries and bookings. So google 100% works and I hear from guests I also "google to see if your also else were and not just on Airbnb"
Any update on if this is a feature that will be considered in the near future? Would love to get our property and google business page integrated with google search / reservations.
More information available here:
https://www.ownerrez.com/forums/requests/google-vacation-rentals-connectivity-partner
So why doesn't OR go to them as an OR portfolio rather than a bunch of individuals? The channel managers like booking pal or rentals united are integrated with Google and they have small clients just as much as OR would. With OR as the channel manager managing the integration it should be no different than the other channel managers and Google could get thousands of properties with an OR integration
Now it seems that NOT being listed with pricing on a Google map is a distinct DISADVANTAGE. I would upvote this feature request. It is required to compete in the 2023 market today.
Integration with Google Vacation rentals is currently in progress. More information available here:
https://www.ownerrez.com/forums/requests/google-vacation-rentals-connectivity-partner
[This topic has been closed as a duplicate of another topic (Google Vacation Rentals Connectivity Partner)]