Google Vacation Rentals has become an invaluable source of bookings for property managers in recent years, especially since it does not charge any service fees. What exactly is Google Vacation Rentals and how can you get your properties listed?
What is Google Vacation Rentals?
Google Vacation Rentals is a metasearch engine that aggregates vacation rental listings from various websites and presents them directly in Google Search and Google Maps. When travelers search for accommodations in a specific destination, Google displays a list of short-term and mid-term rental properties available to book.
Listings include photos, pricing, reviews, and other key details. Google Vacation Rentals also features a map view so users can easily see results near their desired location.
The service is free for property owners and managers, and it does not charge any commission on bookings. However, getting your properties listed on Google Vacation Rentals is not as easy as creating a listing on an OTA (Online Travel Agency) like Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com.
How to Get Your Airbnb Listing On Google Vacation Rentals
In order to get your Airbnb listing on Google Vacation Rentals, the first thing you need to do is convert your Airbnb listing into a directly bookable one. Unlike Airbnb, VRBO or Booking.com, Google Vacation Rentals does not process bookings on behalf of the property manager or guest. This means to have your listings show up Google Vacation Rentals you will need your own direct booking site. Having your own direct booking site means you’ll be able to accept payments directly from guests.
Once you’ve created a direct booking website using Dtravel Direct, you’ll need to wait until your listing are verified by Google Vacation Rentals. As long as your booking site meets the requirements, then your listings should show up within Google Vacation Rental search results in about 2-4 weeks.
Google Vacation Rentals Verification Requirements
If you’ve created a direct booking site using Dtravel Direct then the verification process for Google Vacation Rentals is relatively simple. Here are the requirements:
- Active listing
- At least 8 photos
- Complete address
- At least 1 payment method
- Contact phone
- Synced availability (via PMS, Airbnb sync, or iCal)
Google will then review your directly bookable listings and contact you if they require any additional information. Once your listings have been verified, they will be added to Google Vacation Rentals search results.
Additional Tax & Fee Requirements for PMS Users
In addition to the requirements above, there is another one that may apply to the users of some PMS’s. If you are able to customize how a tax is applied, you will need to apply all taxes and percentage-based fees to the entire reservation amount (example below) in order to get listed on Google VR. If you are unsure how to do this or need extra support, please email us at [email protected].
Why Google Vacation Rentals Can Earn you More Profit
There are several reasons why Google Vacation Rentals can help you earn more profit from your short-term or mid-term vacation rentals.
Reach a wider audience:
Google Vacation Rentals is used by millions of travelers every month, so your listings will be seen by more people than OTAs (online travel agencies) like Airbnb, VRBO or Booking.com.
Set your own pricing:
Google Vacation Rentals allows you to set your own pricing. You can choose to offer lower rates than other OTAs in order to attract more bookings.
Keep more money:
Google Vacation Rentals does not charge any commission on bookings. This means that you keep all of the money that guests pay, minus any applicable taxes and fees.
Improve your search engine ranking:
Google Vacation Rentals is a popular search engine, so having your listings appear in its search results can help to improve the overall search engine ranking of your direct booking site.
Get more exposure:
Google Vacation Rentals is a great way to get your listings in front of more potential guests. When guests are searching for vacation rentals, they are likely to discover your listings through Google Vacation Rentals.
How to Get Bookings on Google Vacation Rentals
Dtravel Direct enables property managers to create a free vacation rental site and send traffic from Google directly to your site for more direct bookings. This Google integration provides several key benefits:
- Your brand visibility is increased as your logo appears in Google Vacation Rental search results and links directly to your booking site.
- Guests can easily click "Visit site" to land on your listing page and complete the booking or contact you, keeping them on your site.
- Directing traffic to your site allows you to leverage tactics that will increase conversion like showing more listing options, offering newsletter signups, discounts codes and remarketing to get more bookings through Facebook Ads.
- The traffic coming from Google Vacation Rentals is free and comes at no extra cost when you have a booking site powered by Dtravel Direct
With a Dtravel Direct powered booking site, you can tap into the free traffic offered by Google Vacation Rentals, sending potential guests directly to your website so that you can boost direct bookings, brand awareness, and website engagement. The integration is simple and increases the optimization of Google searches without added fees.
Summary
Google Vacation Rentals is a great way to reach a wider audience and earn more profit from your vacation rentals. You can get your Airbnb listing on Google Vacation Rentals and start increasing your profit potential by simply connecting your Airbnb account to Dtravel Direct and creating a free booking site.