The Ultimate Guide to Google Vacation Rentals

Key Takeaways

• Google Vacation Rentals helps travelers find short-term rentals directly through Google Search, Maps and Travel without extra booking fees.

• It acts as a metasearch engine, displaying listings from your direct booking site or connected OTAs rather than processing bookings itself.

• Property managers gain global visibility while keeping full control over pricing, policies and guest communication.

• No commission fees make it a cost-effective alternative to traditional OTAs like Airbnb or Vrbo.

• Listing through a Google connectivity partner like Hostaway lets you easily connect your rental site and reach travelers worldwide.

Millions of travelers turn to Google when planning their trips, from finding destinations and attractions to booking flights and places to stay. With the global vacation rental market forecast to exceed US$100 billion in 2025, listing on a high-visibility channel like Google has never been more strategic. Through Google Vacation Rentals, travelers can now browse and compare short-term rentals directly in Google Search, Maps, and Travel, while property managers gain instant access to a global audience of potential guests.

How Does Google Vacation Rentals Work?

Strictly speaking, Google Vacation Rentals is not an online travel agency (OTA) like Airbnb or Vrbo. Unlike OTAs, Google does not handle the booking process directly, nor does it charge commission fees. Instead, it serves as a metasearch engine that displays vacation rental listings within Google Search, Google Maps and Google Travel to help travelers find accommodations that suit their needs.

When a potential guest searches for a vacation rental property in a specific destination, Google presents a dedicated Vacation Rentals tab that showcases relevant listings. These results include essential details such as:

• Property images and descriptions

• Nightly rates and availability

• Guest reviews and ratings

• A direct link to the owner’s website or a connected partner platform

Instead of processing the booking, Google redirects interested travelers to your direct booking website or an OTA listing that you’ve connected to Google. This allows property managers and rental owners to increase direct bookings, reduce OTA fees and have greater control over pricing and policies.

By leveraging Google Vacation Rentals, you can improve your property’s visibility, attract more potential guests and generate more bookings without relying entirely on third-party platforms.

Google Vacation Rentals vs Traditional OTAs

Why You Should List Your Short-Term Rental Property on Google Vacation Rentals

Global exposure

The worldwide reach through search results and the use of Google by travelers can lead to you attracting more international travelers, broadening your customer base and increasing revenue.

Millions of travelers use Google Search daily to find accommodations and being featured in search results ensures that your rental is visible to a broad audience. This exposure increases your chances of attracting international travelers, expanding your customer base and ultimately boosting your bookings and revenue.

Better guest fit

When travelers search for vacation rental properties on Google, they can easily compare prices, amenities and availability before making a booking. This transparency helps you attract guests who align with what your rental offers, leading to higher guest satisfaction and better reviews. Well-matched travelers are more likely to have a positive stay, reducing cancellations and ensuring repeat bookings.

No fees

One of the biggest advantages of Google Vacation Rentals is that Google does not charge a commission for bookings originating from a Google Search. Unlike OTAs, which can take 15-20% of your revenue, listing on Google allows you to keep more of your earnings. This means lower costs for property owners and more competitive pricing for potential guests.

Operational control

By integrating your direct booking website with Google Vacation Rentals, you retain full control over your rental operations. You manage pricing, policies and guest interactions without interference from third-party platforms. This direct integration not only ensures a smoother booking process but also enhances the guest experience, encouraging more bookings and positive reviews.

By leveraging Google Vacation Rentals, you can maximize your rental's visibility, secure direct bookings and grow your vacation rental business all while avoiding high third-party fees and maintaining complete control over your property.

Google Vacation Rentals: Everything You Need to Know

When it comes to planning a holiday, Google makes it easier than ever to explore vacation rental options with its dedicated Vacation Rentals meta-search feature. Much like booking a flight or finding things to do, travelers can now search for short-term stays directly within Google’s interface, saving time while comparing listings across multiple platforms. With a simple layout and user-friendly filters, the tool helps users narrow down their search to find exactly what they’re looking for. Let’s break down how it works and what you can expect from each part of the experience.

The filters

The ‘Vacation Rental' meta-search on Google is a meta-search tool on the search engine that allows those looking for holiday vacation rentals on Google to compare properties through the filters below:

The meta-search page

Here is a picture of what users can expect when using Google's Vacation Rental filter. In some regions, this may make vacation rental listings show as Holiday Rentals instead.

Above is a search for vacation rentals in Milwaukee. On the left is a list of properties (with information like the number of bedrooms, number of guests and pricing) based on the filters applied and on the right is a map of the properties throughout the city with nightly rates.

The property page

Unlike a listing on Airbnb, Google's design removes all the bells and whistles, giving users the information directly.

The landing page consists of:

• Overview

• Prices

• Reviews

• Location (The exact location is not provided due to Google's privacy policy.)

• About

• Photos

Each feature has its own tab that users can browse through before making key decisions.

How to List on Google Vacation Rentals

1. List through an OTA

Google allows you to connect through some OTAs like TripAdvisor. But this means you still have to pay the

OTA's commission fee.

2. List directly

You can list directly with Google if you manage over 5,000 properties.

3. List through a connectivity partner

With a Google connectivity partner, you can easily connect Google vacation rental listings for your chosen listing to Google Vacation Rentals.

Who Can List on Google Vacation Rentals?

Google Vacation Rentals is designed for professional property managers and businesses that operate full-property vacation rentals. It’s an ideal platform for those looking to drive international exposure, direct bookings and long-term growth.

At this time, the following types of listings aren’t eligible:

• Private homeowners listing their primary residence

• Shared or peer-to-peer rentals (such as single-room or partial-home setups)

• Subleased or non-owner-managed properties

Google prioritizes professionally managed, full-unit rentals, especially those backed by a vacation rental software like Hostaway. If you operate multiple listings or use a direct booking website powered by a trusted platform, you’re well positioned to meet Google’s listing requirements and unlock the benefits of this high-visibility channel.

How Long Does it Take for a Listing to Appear on Google Vacation Rentals?

Once your vacation rental is connected via an approved partner or property management platform, it can take anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks for your listing to appear on Google Vacation Rentals. This timing depends on how often your platform updates its data and how quickly Google reflects those updates in its system.

To avoid delays, ensure your property details like pricing, photos and availability are accurate and fully completed. Once everything is synced properly, your listing will start showing across Google’s travel surfaces, helping you attract more visibility and direct bookings.

Maximize Your Property's Visibility and Profitability with Google Vacation Rentals

Google Vacation Rentals is a unique platform for property managers to own vacation rental properties and gain international exposure and a new revenue stream. The lack of a fee and the ability to direct traffic to your direct booking website makes it an even more profitable option. With the leading vacation rental software platform and Google connectivity partner Hostaway, you can quickly and easily build a vacation rental website and connect it to Google Vacation Rentals, while enjoying the operational streamlining and seamless connectivity of the property management platform.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. How is Google Vacation Rentals different from Google Hotels?

Google Hotels focuses on traditional hotel listings and chains, while Google Vacation Rentals caters to private, full-property rentals like apartments, villas and homes. Both use the same interface, but vacation rentals have unique filters such as “lodging type” and “amenities” to help travelers find non-hotel stays.

2. Does Google Vacation Rentals support last-minute bookings?

Yes, but it depends on the partner platform or booking site connected to Google. If your direct booking website or connected OTA supports instant bookings, Google will display real-time availability, allowing last-minute guests to book without delays.

3. Can small property owners list directly on Google Vacation Rentals?

Not directly. Google only allows direct listings for property managers with 5,000 or more properties. Individual hosts and smaller operators can still appear on Google by connecting through a vacation rental software provider or a Google connectivity partner like Hostaway.

4. How does Google determine which vacation rentals appear first in search results?

Google ranks vacation rental listings based on relevance, data quality and user experience. Factors like clear pricing, accurate availability, strong reviews and high-quality photos all play a role. Properties with complete, verified information are more likely to appear higher in results.

5. Is there a way to track performance for Google Vacation Rentals listings?

Yes. Most connectivity partners and vacation rental management platforms offer analytics dashboards that track impressions, clicks and conversions from Google. This helps property managers see how much traffic Google is driving and adjust pricing or marketing strategies accordingly.