Hello all! We have some exciting news (that happens to coincide with Vacation Rental Week 2024). Google Vacation Rentals is now self-service for all users! We wanted to get the word out as soon as possible, but more details are coming in a Product Update blog post later this week. In the meantime, you can read on for a few details and use the links to the current support articles for more information.
We thank those who participated in the Private Beta to help us make it a robust integration!
Please note:
1. Once you turn on Google Vacation Rentals, it's a 2-3 week wait on the Google side before your listing(s) start showing up.
2. Users are no longer required to have an OwnerRez Hosted Website (premium feature) to use Google Vacation Rentals. If you turned on a Hosted Website just for GVR, you no longer need it, unless you want to keep it. Instead, we have released a "The OwnerRez global landing page" option under the Google Vacation Rentals API settings. Prospective guests will be sent to this new landing page where they can see the quote details of the dates they've selected; they can change any of those selections before they click "Book Now," which will send them to the current guest quote acceptance booking form. It will also show any branding you have set up under Theming. Here's a screenshot below of what it looks like, generally.
3. If you have a hosted website and want to use it, you can. You are not required to use the global landing page option.
Support article links:
Google Vacation Rentals Overview
I have a hosted website, also. Interested.
Thanks
If we switch to an OwnerRez hosted website will we still be eligible?
Hi Paul, I have a hosted website and want to be included in your beta. Dawna
I’d like to try the beta as well. I have a hosted website with you.
Repeated below as it stalled on submitting.
Hi Paul - I am still interested in participating in the beta using my OR hosted site.
If we switch to an OwnerRez hosted website will we still be eligible?
Yes, any hosted website will do. You could even keep your current website for everything else but create a hosted website in OwnerRez that is only used for the Google VR traffic. The hosted website just needs to:
It is difficult to understand how this was not laid out / understood at the outset of this nearly 10 months ago! Yes it stings somewhat.
We have a hosted website, with OR, willing to do anything needed to help get this past the post.
We are all falling way behind the other sites that are already integrated with Google vr. With bookings down seemingly across the board it would be good to see this avenue taken advange of ASAP.
It may make no difference, but we really do need the opportunity to find out.
It's been fun, but not that fun Team OR. We are exploring better solutions that are vetted and enabled.
Hello Paul,
I have a hosted website and would like to be included in the beta please. Thank you.
Adam
Hi Paul,
Thank you for the update. To clarify, do those with an OR hosted website experience delays with the Google VR platform?
If beta is now accepting new members with hosted websites we are definitely interested.
Thanks!
It's been fun, but not that fun Team OR. We are exploring better solutions that are vetted and enabled.
Us too!
Hi Paul, We have a hosted website. How do we get set up with Google Vacations?
Every person that is following this topic receives an email notification for every response here. Please email OR directly if you want to be included in beta or whatever or possibly create a different forum but can we please keep this for official updates? I’ve received 19 emails from this in 3 minutes.
I’d like to be included in the beta group as well with our hosted website. Be happy to help with pricing accuracy!
Joe
It is difficult to understand how this was not laid out / understood at the outset of this nearly 10 months ago! Yes it stings somewhat.
We have a hosted website, with OR, willing to do anything needed to help get this past the post.
We are all falling way behind the other sites that are already integrated with Google vr. With bookings down seemingly across the board it would be good to see this avenue taken advange of ASAP.It may make no difference, but we really do need the opportunity to find out.
Before hanging too many hopes on GVR, I'd suggest going to GVR as a traveler, and try to find anything. You may see how unfriendly the interface is (it is definitely geared toward hotels) and how difficult it is to use. Plus, the "paid" channel listings(such as booking . com or vrbo/aka blue pillow) are prioritized in results. To me it seems like Booking. com, only more outdated. And it is widely known that Booking .com interface is not a very good fit for most VRs.
It's been fun, but not that fun Team OR. We are exploring better solutions that are vetted and enabled.
Us too!
Curious if you think that harassing/badgering the OR team to go faster will endear you enough to them and make them add you to the beta group?
I’m sure they are trying to do this as efficiently as they can.
Personally, I don’t feel that Google VR is the answer to decreasing bookings. If people are counting on a significant increase in bookings, that would be a disappointment.
Personally, I don’t feel that Google VR is the answer to decreasing bookings. If people are counting on a significant increase in bookings, that would be a disappointment.
Bingo! As I stated in my comment above, peoples' hopes of GVR being bookings panacea may be largely misplaced, whether it is via OR or not.
Seriously, so annoying. This is blowing up our inbox while we are trying to run a business that is not even reliant on GVR. Is there a way to unsubscribe from this forum? Do I have to remove my upvote to do so?
What's with all the people talking about being in the beta? I thought that was the first rule of beta, you don't talk about the beta. 🤔
Edit: I see the box to keep following, you have to comment and uncheck it I guess.
Is there a way to unsubscribe from this forum? Do I have to remove my upvote to do so?
At the top of every forum topic, there's a "Watch/Stop Watching this Topic" button. Looks like this:
It might be a little buried on this one because we have a large pinned reply showing above that.
There is also a "My Profile" button on the forum home page that will take you to a page showing your posts, votes, and the topics you are watching: