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
Yes. I would like to test, I have 10 properties to work with.
I’m not sure if I’ve already done this but if not I would love to be added to the test group
Would like to be part of the Beta group as well
We really want to be part of the Beta if possible.
Can someone from Owner Rez please provide a status on the Google VR integration? It was a year ago that it began. Can we get a status on how much longer it is expected to take or when we can expect to hear an update? Thanks. Ken
The GVR integration is actively being worked on, daily. It involves a good deal of back and forth with Google, approvals, etc. The speed of the release depends on the speed of the Google approvals of each step. There are personnel dedicated to this project, though we cannot predict the ETA for final release.
As Ken mentioned, we have dozens, if not hundreds, of clients who have asked to participate in the beta. We will reach out to those who are selected, which will be based on various technical reasons so as to thoroughly wring out all aspects of the integration as much as possible. But, because the demand for this feature is so great, rather than doing a large-scale beta, we'll move into wide release as quickly as seems prudent. So, if you have asked to join the beta and aren't invited, please don't take it personally. :-)
Yes, I would love to be included in the beta test! We have 11 properties.
If you need any smaller guys for beta, would love to be included! I own, designed and manage two myself.
www.sandestinvacationrentalbyowner.com
Nicole Roswarski
Two Little Fish Vacations
+100% to the Google Vacation Rentals. This will really differentiate my cabin from many others on the Google Maps view and hugely increase direct bookings.
I run my direct booking site on a self-managed WordPress site and utilize the OwnerRez widgets: www.smokymountainslodge.com
PLEASE add me to the beta!! I'd love to test and add feedback. Thanks!
Is there an update to the development and/or release for this API?
I was just reading about this very subject in the latest Rental Scale Up article. Seems a no brainer to get more visibility, especially for direct bookings. Meantime, Google my business can provide some visibility and gives you an opportunity to post images, blog posts etc.
Hey Ken,
As many of the others have stated we're very interested in integrating our properties with Google vacation rentals. Does Owner Rez have an anticipated timeline of Beta or general API release?
Thanks!
I'm afraid we don't publicly release specific timelines, except to say that the integration is in ongoing testing.
When this goes live, will we be able to see what information Google is demanding about our customers and if it's for just people who book through them or for all customers (like they do with car manufacturers)? I'd like to make an informed decision on IF I'll connect with this partner. With Google, the phrase "if you're not the customer, you're the product" has never been more true.
Does anyone know if we will need to have a minimum number of properties to integrate to Google Vacation Rentals? And if so, how many?
When this goes live, will we be able to see what information Google is demanding about our customers and if it's for just people who book through them or for all customers (like they do with car manufacturers)? I'd like to make an informed decision on IF I'll connect with this partner. With Google, the phrase "if you're not the customer, you're the product" has never been more true.
Hello - Google's documentation does not say anything about extra tracking and our own research shows that there is no additional tracking beyond what you see with any other Google product. In our testing so far, we used some Tor-based anonymous searching to also test it and found that it worked fine after agreeing to some basic cookies.
Does anyone know if we will need to have a minimum number of properties to integrate to Google Vacation Rentals? And if so, how many?
Hello Kaye - we double-checked with Google and no minimum number of properties is required. If that changes, we'll let our users know.
Hi! I am still trying to get acquainted with all the different facets of Google... is Google Vacation Rentals the same as Google My Business? Will it help if I set up a Google account and Google My Business account to be ready for an integration with Google Vacation Rentals and OwnerRez? Thanks!
is Google Vacation Rentals the same as Google My Business?
No. They are entirely separate and unrelated.