Leaving Hostaway because of their booking fee?

Google Vacation Rentals Connectivity Partner

Status: Released 370 Votes
Shawn H
Mar 13, 2024 10:41 AM
OR Team Member Joined Aug, 2021 257 posts

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

Google Vacation Rentals Setup & Connecting

Google Vacation Rentals Common Issues & Questions

Ventura County V
Sep 23, 2022 12:56 PM
Joined Mar, 2022 122 posts

For what it's worth, my properties are on Google Vacation Rentals search through a VRBO affiliate/aggregator (blue pilllow) and before that through a Trip Advisor affiliate (Holiday Lets).

Arrive and Thriv
Sep 23, 2022 1:03 PM
Joined Aug, 2020 39 posts

Thanks for the info Ryan.  How does that integration work?  Would you mind sharing?  Is it pretty simple?

Colin B
Sep 23, 2022 1:22 PM
Joined Mar, 2022 16 posts

Looks at first glance bluepillow is a channel manager like OR. Are you using both? 

How is your take up with Google Vacation rentals, is it worth the aggravation of getting listed? 

 

 

Ventura County V
Sep 23, 2022 1:48 PM
Joined Mar, 2022 122 posts

Colin and Arrive & Thrive,

Before today, I've never heard of Blue Pillow.  When I clicked on my listing on Google Maps and went to the link that was on Google Maps (which was blue pillow) it took me to their site where I saw the listing below.  The highlighting is mine, showing that they're pulling from VRBO.  When I click the listing for details, it sends me to VRBO and my listing there.  That's not the correct main photo and the pricing is off too, so their feed pull leaves a LOT to be desired.  I can't get the list your home page to load to see what their deal is, but I rather prefer they link to VRBO anyways so things can be managed there, even if the data isn't 100% accurate and the photo sucks.  Although maybe this would be an easier integration for OR to tackle if they can consistently get on Google.

HolidayLettings.co.uk was much the same as they are a sub-brand of Trip Advisor (like how HotPads and Trulia are sub-brands of Zillow).  I pulled my listings from Trip Advisor this week (since they didn't offer integration), so that's probably why this one is popping up now.

 

True, nothing is as good as a direct connection and not having to pay fees to VRBO or another OTA.  Knowing them they'll want every scrap of info they can get on your business and all your guests... regardless of if they booked with them or not.  That's the typical MO for data brokers like Google and Amazon.  "If you're not the customer, you're the product."  ... but I digress.

Arrive and Thriv
Sep 23, 2022 2:07 PM
Joined Aug, 2020 39 posts

Pretty awesome actually.  Our properties are on there as well.  Blue Pillow has found a killer loophole somehow with what I assume is a kickback from each booking that they send to VRBO via Google Vacation Rentals.  Our photos on Blue Pillow are the absolute worst as well.  Probably choose images from the bottom of the pile on purpose, so as not to trigger issues.

Either way….  It’s a nice workaround for now.  Would obviously prefer it come straight to our OR site, but I’ll take it for now!

Haydar B
Sep 23, 2022 2:18 PM
Joined Jan, 2018 5 posts

Thanks for the tip

Ventura County V
Sep 23, 2022 3:00 PM
Joined Mar, 2022 122 posts

My pleasure Haydar.

Agreed Arrive and Thriv, a good workaround for now until we can get something more direct in place.

High Mountain PM
Sep 23, 2022 5:20 PM
Joined Aug, 2022 6 posts

Good tip. Still very frustrating that OR is not working harder towards this integration.

Ventura County V
Nov 1, 2022 12:22 PM
Joined Mar, 2022 122 posts

According to the new pricing post, this is officially in the works for 2023 and contracts signed!

Source: https://www.ownerrez.com/blog/new-ownerrez-pricing-for-2023

"Channels, channels, channels.  Work on channels never stops - every week we are updating some part of a channel integration.  In 2023, we have laid plans to integrate with both Hopper and Google Vacation Rentals, both of whom we have met with and signed agreements with.  Hopper should be finished first, as it is currently in the process of kicking off, and we anticipate that landing early in the Q1 of 2023.  Google will be after that, but we are looking forward to that as well.  Airbnb as mentioned above will be getting transactions and payouts very soon, and we are planning to sync content for Booking.com as well.  In the background, we have half a dozen smaller first-class channels working on integration as well.  These are channels like ECBYO, Whimstay and others."

 

 

Thanks for making this happen OR!

Ken T
Dec 6, 2022 11:06 AM
OR Team Member Joined Aug, 2019 1706 posts

We are now working with Google Vacation Rentals to integrate with them.  If you are interested in potentially joining our beta test group, please upvote this if you haven't already.

Competa Escapes
Dec 6, 2022 11:15 AM
Joined Jan, 2021 4 posts

This is good news!  We’re happy to be in a Beta group with any/all of our properties.

Tressa B
Dec 6, 2022 11:33 AM
Joined Dec, 2021 1 post

Great!  Would love to be in beta group. 

TripKey Properti
Dec 6, 2022 11:34 AM
Joined Sep, 2020 1 post

this is awesome, I would love to sign up for this please send me info to do so.

 

Betsy M
Dec 6, 2022 11:34 AM
Joined Sep, 2019 3 posts

So glad to hear!  Would love to be in the beta.

Chas B
Dec 6, 2022 11:36 AM
Joined Sep, 2021 3 posts

Great news. Would love to beta it

Arrive and Thriv
Dec 6, 2022 11:37 AM
Joined Aug, 2020 39 posts

We would love to participate in the beta rollout as well.  Thank you!

Amy J
Dec 6, 2022 11:37 AM
Joined Jan, 2021 1 post

Yes, would love to be included in Beta test

Adam B
Dec 6, 2022 11:37 AM
Joined Mar, 2020 3 posts

Great news! I would love to get information to join and be part of the beta group. 

Jody and Steve B
Dec 6, 2022 11:38 AM
Joined Oct, 2020 2 posts

We'd love to be in the Beta Group. We have five properties on OwnerRez - and I work in tech so I can speak your language if we run into issues that need debugging. :) 

~~Jody Belkowski 

Amz Getaways
Dec 6, 2022 11:38 AM
Joined Feb, 2022 2 posts

I think I upvoted but would like to be in any group to get this feature going.