Google Vacation Rentals | The Ultimate Guide

Millions of travelers use search engines such as Google when making travel plans, from booking flights and lodging to research on things to do in any locality. According to statistics, Google searches for “beach rentals” and “staycations” grew by more than 100% globally in the last year and now the search giant has decided to combine hotels and short-term rentals in the recently launched google.com/travel.

The most recently launched filter “Vacation Rentals” allows users to access non-hotel properties making this another avenue for holiday rental owners to advertise their properties. Currently, Listings from selected OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) and Google's technology partners benefit most from it, but opting to list your property on Google’s vacation rentals, allows having your property directly appear in search results. This could open up an array of opportunities for your properties.

Read on to learn more if you are keen to study how to market your holiday rental, increase visibility among local and international clients alike, and grow your vacation rental portfolio.

Benefits Of Listing Your Short-Term Rental On Google

• You now have a global reach for your property opening up opportunities of having international visitors who may book your vacation rental for long periods of time.

• You'll now have access to some serious vacationers who take pride in their travels and make key comparisons on price, service, amenities among other factors before placing a booking.

• You will be able to handle operations from beginning to end and be able to get an idea of what kind of guests to expect and how to impress them with your service. Play your cards right and you will always be left with a stellar 5-star rating

• Google does not charge commissions for bookings placed through them so you’ll receive commission-free direct bookings.

Google Vacation Rentals: Everything You Need To Know.

The Filters:

The “Vacation Rental” meta-search on Google is essentially 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: The 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 a shot at planning their holidays by themselves.

What Does The Meta-Search Page Look Like?

Here is a picture of what users are in for when using Google’s vacation-rental filter.

Above is a search for vacation rentals in Vancouver. 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. In a nutshell, it simplifies searches for holiday rentals by listing everything from villas and chalets to single room vacation rentals in a single search.

What Does The Property Page Look Like?

Compared to a listing on Airbnb Google’s design takes out all the bells and whistles. It aims at giving all the direct information to allow users to make travel decisions.
The page consists of:

• Overview
• Prices
• Reviews
• Location – exact location not provided due to Google's privacy policy
• About
• Photos

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

How Do You Get Listed On Google Vacation Rentals?

Google sources its vacation rental listings from a select number of online travel agencies including Airbnb, VRBO, and Tripadvisor and the only way to list your short-term rental is to work with a Google-approved software partner.

Can Bookings Be Made Via Google Short-Term Rentals?

No direct bookings are made via Google as it directs users to a page or a website the booking can be made. The best way to make use of this metasearch is to direct it to a website for your short-term rentals as it gives you full control over the interaction and full access to client data which you can use to build a client database for use in the future.

Don’t Have A Website?

Build a whole new website using one of our partners or our WordPress plugin at Hostaway. Get your own booking website, which is secure and flexible to suit your needs. To find out more get in touch with our sales team or request a demo.