The Ultimate Guide to Google Vacation Rentals

Millions of travelers use the Google search engine when making travel plans, from researching where to go and what to do to booking flights and accommodations. With Google searches for ‘beach rentals’ and ‘staycations’ having grown by more than 100% globally, the search giant combined hotels and short-term rentals into google.com/travel in 2021. The launch of Google Vacation Rentals via the ‘Vacation Rentals’ filter in 2023 now allows users to access short-term vacation rentals even more easily and provides property managers access to travelers worldwide.

How Does Google Vacation Rentals Work?

Strictly speaking, Google is not an OTA and does not process bookings. Instead, it directs interested travelers to your direct booking website or other listing you have chosen to connect to Google Vacation Rentals.

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

Global exposure

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

Better guest fit

Because travelers can easily and thoroughly compare prices, services and amenities through Google before making a booking, you are more likely to get booked by guests who value what your property offers, leading to higher guest satisfaction and better guest reviews.

No fees

Google doesn’t charge a commission for a booking that was led from a Google search so that’s one OTA fee you can skip.

Operational control

If you connect your direct booking website, you get full control over the booking operations of your Google leads.

Google Vacation Rentals: Everything You Need to Know

The filters

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

• Location: Guests can opt to pick a country or narrow it down to towns and cities

• Date: To and from

• Number of travelers

• Price

• Guest rating

• Rooms: Number of bedrooms and bathrooms

• Amenities: Guests can pick from a list of amenities they prioritize such as kid-friendly, air-conditioned, free Wi-Fi, etc.

• Lodging type: Examples of lodging types include, houses, apartments, villas, etc.

This search option is listed alongside the likes of ‘flights’ and ‘things to do’ giving vacationers the ability to plan their entire holidays by themselves.

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 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 page consists of:

• Overview

• Prices

• Reviews

• Location (The exact location 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 that 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 like Hostaway, you can easily connect your chosen listing to Google Vacation Rentals.

Maximize Your Property’s Visibility and Profitability with Google Vacation Rentals and Hostaway

Google Vacation Rentals is a unique platform for property managers to gain international exposure and a new revenue stream. The lack of a fee and the ability to direct traffic to your direct booking website make 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.