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

Dave H
Feb 24, 2023 12:31 AM
Joined Dec, 2022 1 post

+1 Agree

LivingItUpHawaii
Feb 28, 2023 2:10 AM
Joined Jun, 2022 11 posts

Add me in to beta for Google Vacation rentals. Mahal I in advance! 

Manel S
Feb 28, 2023 2:21 AM
Joined Jun, 2022 80 posts

is there a formal way to sign up for the Beta program? Thanks

Sheila H
Feb 28, 2023 8:36 AM
Joined Mar, 2022 3 posts

If there is a Beta group I would also like to be added to it. Thanks. 

Scott H
Mar 1, 2023 10:35 PM
Joined Sep, 2022 10 posts

I'd also love to be added to a beta group if/when it exists!

Hemang L
Mar 2, 2023 6:24 AM
Joined Feb, 2023 15 posts

pls add me to the beta group as well if possible.

Stone Ridge Lodg
Mar 5, 2023 4:01 PM
Joined Feb, 2023 1 post

I'd also be interested in help evaluate the integration. I'm a software developer with over 15yrs industry experience and would love an opportunity to help bring this to market.

Cheers.

Elizabeth M
Mar 15, 2023 1:41 PM
Joined Feb, 2017 10 posts

Would love to be in beta test group!

Mike and Debby G
Mar 16, 2023 10:48 AM
Joined Aug, 2020 3 posts

How do we sign up for Google beta testing? Please add us.  Thank you!!

GSM Properties
Mar 19, 2023 7:34 AM
Joined Oct, 2022 7 posts

Please add us to the beta test group for Google Vacation Rentals as well if possible. We're very interested in this and have a Google Business Page which we heard may be removed at some point because Google is pushing all vacation rentals this direction. Thanks.

Scott J
Mar 22, 2023 2:19 AM
Joined Mar, 2019 197 posts

I can't tell if I requested to be added to the Beta group long before or not, but I would like to be if not.

Meantime, I found my property on Google Vacation Rentals, and see that they are being linked to Booking.com instead of my website. Is this Google partnering with Booking.com?

Regardless, when OR gets this set up so that all of its users that want to be are in GVR, will the connection to Booking.com go away so that travelers have only the choice to go to my website and not Booking.com?

Stacia and Larry M
Mar 24, 2023 12:59 PM
Joined Feb, 2021 21 posts

Quick question - will OR integration of a property override the integration of the same property if it’s also being pushed by BDC to Google? Or will it show twice? 

Paul W
Mar 28, 2023 6:36 PM
OR Team Member Joined Jun, 2009 848 posts

Quick question - will OR integration of a property override the integration of the same property if it’s also being pushed by BDC to Google? Or will it show twice? 

Great question!

We didn't know the answer, so we reached out to our dev contacts at Google, and they said the following:

...what you are referring to is typically what we refer to as clustering (i.e., different integrators giving Google the same listing and Google aggregating those listings in some way).

For our Google Hotels product, we do cluster identical listings into one listing and in the booking module for that listing we show the different integrators who have provided this listing and are available to book on.

For our Google VR product, we don't do clustering yet (we are aiming to do this sometime in Q3 or so), and so listings that are for the same property from different integrators will show up as duplicate listings in our search result page

Answer: they will show up as duplicate right now, but later this year they should cluster the results together.

In other words, if Booking.com or someone else pushes your listings and OwnerRez is also pushing it directly, your house will appear and then when the person goes to book, it will show them multiple rates in a table with Booking.com on one line and your own personal website on another with the rates next to both.  The guest would be free to go to Booking.com or your personal website whichever they prefer.

(but not until Q3)

Stacia and Larry M
Mar 28, 2023 11:38 PM
Joined Feb, 2021 21 posts

Thanks for checking into this. I always strive to ask questions that stump developers!  

Hilary L
Apr 28, 2023 6:39 AM
Joined Apr, 2023 1 post

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.

by Ken T – Dec 6, 2022 4:06 PM (UTC)

Would love to help test

by Deanna Q – Dec 6, 2022 6:38 PM (UTC)

Please. Lol. I've been trying to figure it out myself with no luck. 

Thanks

Pam D
Apr 28, 2023 7:20 AM
Joined Nov, 2021 6 posts

I would like to join the Beta testing. I see to be a Product Manager and conducted integration and UAT testing. Would love to help from the user side. 

Also, I would like to see my Google reviews on my existing Google businesses for my vacation rentals to carry over. 

Doug J
Apr 28, 2023 9:06 AM
Joined Dec, 2022 1 post

We’d love to be part of the Beta!

SunnySide Homes
Apr 28, 2023 9:17 AM
Joined Jan, 2023 12 posts

Count me in 

Julie R
Apr 28, 2023 9:28 AM
Joined Sep, 2019 10 posts

We would like to join the beta:) although it seems it is already going on. Thanks 

Mila M
Apr 28, 2023 9:40 AM
Joined May, 2022 7 posts

I thought Voting 👍 was enough, but just in case I would love to join the Beta