Everything You Need to Know About Google Vacation Rentals

There is no denying that the vacation rental industry continues to gain momentum. Earlier this year, the demand for vacation rentals surpassed the supply and this trend is predicted to remain strong in the coming years. 

What’s more, this growth in short-term rentals didn’t go unnoticed by Google. While Google Vacation Rentals has been around for some time already, it has gained even more traction recently. 

As most travelers use search engines before they embark on a journey, Google couldn’t stand aside and took an important step to tap into travelers’ needs. Since May 2021, Google has started to feature vacation rental properties among hotel accommodation options. In fact, there are some short-term rental hosts who have already managed to increase their bookings by at least 10% with the help of Google Vacation Rentals. 

Is this new feature something that you should take advantage of? Continue reading to explore how it works and some of the benefits that it can offer.

What Is Google Vacation Rentals Functionality? 

Google Vacation Rentals is a special functionality introduced by Google in 2019. In addition to Google Flights and Hotel Ads, which are part of the Google Travel trip planning tool, this functionality has been designed to improve the search experience of booking a trip.

How Are Google Vacation Rental Listings Displayed in the Search Results?

To understand why Google Vacation Rentals can be beneficial to hosts, let’s first look at how this functionality is displayed on Google. To find this functionality, a user should type in, for example, “Chicago Vacation Rentals” in the main search bar. Then in the Google search results, they will see a vacation rental snippet and a map with rates. Usually, searchers will be able to find it between a block of expensive paid ads and organic search results occupied by powerful OTAs such as Airbnb and Vrbo.

Google’s functionality enjoys a lucrative spot in the search results and entices users to click on it without even having to start researching what major OTAs have to offer. 

If a traveler clicks on the “View all rentals” button, they will be redirected to the Google Vacation Rentals search page right away. It works like a separate search engine that operates within Google.

There users can refine their vacation rental search further by applying various filters like:

• Destination 
• Arrival and departure dates
• Prices
• Rating 
• Amenities
• Number of guests
• Number of rooms
• Type of accommodation (apartments, cottages, houses, etc.).

Users can also switch between hotels and vacation rentals results by using the toggle in the filters. It is important to note that in the map that is available to the right of the short-term rentals list, the exact location of an individual vacation rental property will be made available only after the reservation was finalized. This is done to respect the privacy of vacation rental owners and their guests. 

Another important thing is that this functionality works as an aggregator and users are not able to book directly via Google. Instead, to reserve a property, they will be redirected to the website of the vacation rental platform or property management company where the vacation rental is listed.

What Are the Benefits of Google Vacation Rentals for Hosts?

One of the key benefits is that Google is one of the most used search engines. Major OTAs and property management companies pay a fortune to appear at the top of the Google search results.

At the end of May 2021, it started to include vacation rentals properties into the general accommodations’ search results on Google Travel. Now, vacation rental listings will get displayed just like hotel accommodation options. This means that by being featured among vacation rentals on Google, you can significantly increase your visibility. 

In addition, as mentioned earlier, this functionality can be found between Paid Ads and organic search results (which are usually occupied by powerful OTAs). So, there is a real possibility that smaller vacation rental hosts can rank among the bigger OTAs with the help of Google Vacation Rentals.

Moreover, as Google is one of the most credible and reliable search engines, travelers will view your rental in the same light. Thus, by listing on Google Vacation Rentals, it can be a great way to build more trust among your target audience.

How Do I List My Short-term Rental on Google Vacation Rentals?

At the moment, it is not possible to create a listing directly on Google. Instead, you need to work with one of Google’s approved partners. Here are the four options that you currently have if you would like your rental to be featured among vacation rentals on Google:

1. List your property on vacation rental sites partnered with Google 

Chances are your property is already displayed among vacation rental listings on Google. If you listed your short-term rental on one of the partner OTAs and channels, it might have already been picked up by the crawler. These OTAs and channels include:   

• Expedia
• Vrbo
• Hotels.com
• RedAwning
• HolidayLettings
• TripAdvisor
• Booking.com
• Agoda
• Casamundo
• Homes & Villas by Marriott International
• Cottages.com
• PlumGuide
• Campaya
• FindHotel.

2. Enlist the services of a large property management company 

Listings that are managed by big property management companies tend to appear among Google Vacation Rentals listings too. These companies include: 

• Turnkey Vacation Rentals
• Vacasa 
• Vtrips.

3. Work with Google-approved connectivity providers 

If you want to integrate with Google Vacation Rentals, you can also work with approved partners that will be able to complete the one-time tasks for you. The Google-approved connectivity partner should: 

• Assign a designated partner technical contact (Google’s technical account manager should be able to contact this person)
• Provide a signed contract with Google to safeguard customer privacy
• Offer email-based user support or localized self-service. 

4. Integrate with Google Vacation Rentals directly

Only companies that have over 5,000 properties and a tech team that can integrate XML feeds can build a direct integration with Google Vacation Rentals. If your company meets these requirements, you can fill in this interest form so that Google can review your application.

Google My Business vs. Google Vacation Rentals Listings

Google Vacation Rentals should not be confused with Google My Business. The latter, Google My Business, has been around for many years and enables most businesses (excluding vacation rental properties) to create a free business listing. So, these are two distinct products on Google. 

If you have an office that interested travelers can visit, you can create a free Google My Business profile. If you want to go this route, you can use a business category like a property management company or vacation home rental agency. This way, your business will also appear on Google Maps as well as Google’s search results.

It is important to note that if you use this workaround to list your property on Google My Business, it won’t help you to get your properties displayed on Google Vacation Rentals. Also, similarly to Google Vacation Rentals, the exact location of individual vacation rentals will not show on Google Maps due to privacy rules. 

Can I Get Traffic for My Direct Booking Website Through Google Vacation Rentals? 

Even if a host has a direct booking website, it is unlikely that it will be picked up by Google Vacation Rentals. Individual vacation rental websites are not included among offerings on Google unless you have enlisted the services of a large property management company or integrated with a Google-approved channel manager.  

If you don’t have a website yet but consider building one, you need to weigh up all the pros and cons as well as the expenses involved. These expenses include outsourced developers, SEO, marketing and branding costs, etc.

Lastly, hosts and property managers should keep in mind that some channel managers do not give you the option to send the traveler to your actual booking site directly. Instead, your property is listed under a URL that belongs to your channel manager.

Do I Need to Pay Additional Fees for Receiving Bookings from Google Vacation Rentals? 

At the moment, you don’t have to pay any fees if you have a listing on Google Vacation Rentals. Also, Google does not charge any commission on bookings coming from their platform. In other words, if the traveler finds a listing via Google and clicks on the button that will redirect them to the website of the company that advertises the property, no fee has to be paid. However, you will still have to pay the standard fees charged by the OTA.

If your company has more than 5,000 properties and opts for setting up an integration with Google, you should factor in additional expenses incurred from this process. 

Increase your exposure with iGMS

The reality is that even though demand has surpassed supply for now, the short-term rental industry remains highly competitive. Not only do you need to explore new features, but you also need to refine your property management operations continuously to ensure that you can provide a first-class guest experience. 

So, start to implement and embrace new techniques and technologies as these are shaping the future of the vacation rental industry. Vacation rental software, such as iGMS, is the smart solution for hosts and property management companies. It uses innovative approaches that are inspired by new trends. It can help you to save time on routine tasks like guest messages, cleaning management, and many of your other daily responsibilities, including: 

• Managing multiple accounts and listings on the top vacation rental platforms from a single interface
• Streamlining your guest communication with PROtrack, a unique add-on functionality for the guest support team productivity tracking
• Synchronizing reservations across multiple platforms to eliminate the risk of getting a double-booking
• Receiving payouts and creating invoices by connecting your Stripe account to iGMS
• Using the unified inbox to organize your messages into a single feed and ensure prompt replies
• Automating the process of guest reviews send-outs
• Managing direct bookings using a direct booking management toolkit
• Creating essential reports on your business results within minutes
• Adjusting your pricing regularly through integrations with PriceLabs and DPGO.

 

About the Author
Olga Vasylieva is the Content and Social Media Team Lead at iGMS. Olga is on a mission to help hosts and property managers grow their businesses and deliver an excellent guest experience. She is a travel enthusiast and is inspired by life in all its aspects.