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

PacViewLodging
Feb 7, 2023 1:26 PM
Joined Sep, 2019 86 posts

Ken is this still moving forward?

Ken T
Feb 7, 2023 1:50 PM
OR Team Member Joined Aug, 2019 1706 posts

Yes, in fact I saw traffic between our devs and Google's earlier today.  So this is actively in development, as promised.

Alan H
Feb 11, 2023 3:38 AM
Joined Jun, 2022 5 posts

I see my property is already "listed" on Google Vacation Rentals - by some European company I've never heard of called "bluepillow.com" which, in turn, redirects to my listing on VRBO.
Obviously I would rather google redirect to my direct booking ownerrez powered website rather than VRBO through bluepillow.com.
Will your integration override all the other crap that other companies have been feeding Google?

Yes, in fact I saw traffic between our devs and Google's earlier today.  So this is actively in development, as promised.

by Ken T – Feb 7, 2023 6:50 PM (UTC)

 

Great Smoky Vaca
Feb 11, 2023 5:35 AM
Joined Sep, 2020 9 posts

How did you find your property on Google vacation rentals?  I cannot find mine.

Alan H
Feb 11, 2023 1:38 PM
Joined Jun, 2022 5 posts

Google "vacation rentals <city>, <state>"
After the ads you will see a Vacation Rentals section with aa few properties and a map, reposition and zoom map to your place.
My place does not have a Price or a price balloon, but it did have a red dot.

How did you find your property on Google vacation rentals?  I cannot find mine.

 

Great Smoky Vaca
Feb 11, 2023 5:22 PM
Joined Sep, 2020 9 posts

Thank you.  I can only find my Google my business listing at one of my cabins.  My other cabins don't show up .  Interesting.

 

 

 

Chris Lilly
Feb 11, 2023 5:29 PM
Joined Sep, 2021 5 posts

Bluepillow is a search engine that allows you to search from between 10,000,000 accommodations around the world, in countries such as the US. based in the EU, it had very low ratings on trust pilot. 

Rick K
Feb 11, 2023 5:56 PM
Joined Nov, 2018 11 posts

When I pulled it up it feeds directly into Booking.com, because of bad experiences with Booking.com we say booking dot no

Chris Lilly
Feb 11, 2023 5:58 PM
Joined Sep, 2021 5 posts

thank you - i was trying to remember what channel they fed thru and could not 

Caroline N
Feb 15, 2023 12:03 AM
Joined Apr, 2022 1 post

Would also love to be added to the beta group :D 

Alan H
Feb 15, 2023 1:51 AM
Joined Jun, 2022 5 posts

Interesting article about the Google Layoffs.  Layoffs hit Google Flights the most, and not the other parts of Google Travel, which include Vacation Rental Homes:

https://skift.com/2023/01/30/google-flights-could-strategy-after-heavy-layoffs/

From the article:
Potential Strategy Changes
The inordinately large amount of layoffs at Google Flights on a percentage basis could signal:

  • Greater emphasis on hotels, vacation rentals and things to do within Google Travel because this is where the money is rather than from Google Flights.

...
The source said that even before the layoffs, Google has been transitioning employees out of Flights and its airline enterprise business, and into Google Travel’s hotels, vacation rentals, and things to do, as well as sustainability. In the case of hotels and things to do, at least, there is a greater revenue potential than for flights. U.S. airlines got stingy about paying flight commissions two decades ago.
...

Ventura County V
Feb 16, 2023 12:52 PM
Joined Mar, 2022 122 posts

That's good to know Alan, thank you!  I wonder what they're going to end up charging us.  I'm still seriously worried about the data they're going to ask for.  I know with cars they want all of your information directly from the car company without giving you an opt-out option.  Not to mention the troves of data they collect while you use your car & android auto.

I have a strong privacy policy and don't use google analytics or FB pixel because of it and the data (and abuse of it) that FB and Google are well known for.

Yvette H
Feb 16, 2023 2:12 PM
Joined Jan, 2021 2 posts

Alan,

How did you get on Google Travel? I thought OR is not yet a connectivity partner yet and GT only allows PMs with 1000+ units to self integrate. Did you integrate on your own before these new rules?

Alan H
Feb 16, 2023 2:48 PM
Joined Jun, 2022 5 posts

That's good to know Alan, thank you!  I wonder what they're going to end up charging us.  I'm still seriously worried about the data they're going to ask for.  I know with cars they want all of your information directly from the car company without giving you an opt-out option.  Not to mention the troves of data they collect while you use your car & android auto.

I have a strong privacy policy and don't use google analytics or FB pixel because of it and the data (and abuse of it) that FB and Google are well known for.

by Ryan H – Feb 16, 2023 5:52 PM (UTC)

What are you doing that google would want your car info?  
Anyways Google has not had much luck beyond pay per click revenue model.   I am not sure that this will amount to much.

GSM Properties
Feb 20, 2023 10:48 AM
Joined Oct, 2022 7 posts

I just ran across this video this morning. Anyway we can get OwnerRez to be a partner along with the many other PMSs that are now part of the Google Vacation Rental platform?

Check out this video: https://boostly.co.uk/difference-of-google-vacation-and-google-business/

Ken T
Feb 20, 2023 10:51 AM
OR Team Member Joined Aug, 2019 1706 posts

Integration with Google Vacation Rentals is in active development.

You may have noticed that Google Vacation Rentals is listing OwnerRez as a connectivity partner:

https://support.google.com/hotelprices/answer/11946834?hl=en

This is legally true (we've signed agreements), and should prove that we're serious about this integration to any doubters ;-) ... but, no, it does not mean that the integration is actually working and available quite yet.  As previously noted, it is in active development - towards the end, in that we're doing integration testing with Google, but we need to work through that process before even a beta release.

On that note, 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.  :-)

 

susanne young
Feb 20, 2023 11:55 AM
Joined Jun, 2020 2 posts

Integration with Google Vacation Rentals is in active development.

by Ken T – Feb 20, 2023 3:51 PM (UTC)

Hi Ken, 

Great news!

Do you have a timeframe for when this will launch for Owner Rez? Thanks, 

Susanne

 

Ken T
Feb 20, 2023 11:59 AM
OR Team Member Joined Aug, 2019 1706 posts

We rarely release ETAs for development, and when we do, they tend to end up taking longer than expected... so no, it'll be done when it's finished.  But since we're actually working on it, it'll get done within a few months at most.

GSM Properties
Feb 20, 2023 12:02 PM
Joined Oct, 2022 7 posts

That is awesome. Thanks for the quick update here.

Karen B
Feb 20, 2023 12:04 PM
Joined Jun, 2020 3 posts

That’s awesome. Thanks for the update Ken.