As the travel industry continues working towards recovery after the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, Google is introducing new tools to help hotels win more customers. Earlier this week, the search giant announced a set of new features across its travel products and Google Ads for hoteliers to reconnect with travellers, just in time for the Easter holidays.
In this article, we summarise the latest tools and features being added to Google Hotel Search and how you can use them to maximise revenue during the spring and summer travel seasons.
Drive free bookings from Google Hotel Search
To help hoteliers during one of the most difficult times in recent history, Google launched free hotel booking links last year on its travel booking products, including Google Hotel Search. This has allowed hotels to show on the platform for free and attract customers without having to pay for ads (you can still improve visibility with paid hotel listings, though).
Now, these free hotel listings can appear on Google Search results pages and in Google Maps, opening up new placements for hoteliers to win new customers for free. Once users click on these links, they can complete bookings directly from the hotel’s website or browse for other booking options.
Google says free hotel listings have helped companies that previously never advertised on Google to win new customers and helped those already advertising to increase visibility even further and win more customers with free and paid listings combined.
“Since the introduction of free booking links, partners of all kinds have seen the benefits of increased user engagement, from individual hotels to large online travel agencies. For example, the booking engine myhotelshop used free booking links to drive 30% incremental bookings for their hotel clients during the summer of 2021.”
In addition to the new placements for free hotel listings, Google has also enhanced reporting features in Hotel Center. The new “Booking link clicks” graph shows the number of clicks your free booking links received during the selected time period so you can see exactly how much value the free listings are adding to your business.
By default, all click types are shown in the report but you can segment data to show clicks by device type, user location and hotel ID for more detailed insights.
Show your rates more easily via Google Business Profile
Google is also making it easier for hotels to show their rates and availability information on results pages. Previously, showing the price of your rooms in Google Search and Google Maps involved adding your rates through a third-party connectivity partner. Now, you can do this with free booking links by manually adding your rates to your Google Business Profile without relying on any third-party partners.
If you’re new to Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business), you can find everything you need to know from our in-depth guide.
The only requirement is you have to meet Google’s eligibility requirements but this mainly involves your business being verified on Google and having an online booking system. Once you’re up and running, you can show the following pricing information on results pages:
- A single room rate per night
- A double occupancy rate
- The ability to enter detailed taxes and fees that always apply to all rates
- Direct travellers to your website for booking
There are limits to this feature – for example, you can’t show multiple rates for different room types, minimum length of stay restrictions or discounts/promotions for multi-night stays. However, you can show individual rates for your rooms alongside other hotels showing in Google Hotel Search and attract traffic from people ready to book rooms.
Show what makes your hotel unique
Travellers’ prioritises have shifted and evolved throughout the pandemic with safety concerns, of course, being paramount. However, reliable and up-to-date information is what people need to make booking decisions with confidence so make sure you keep your listings updated with the latest info, especially when it comes to changes in services, opening hours and availability.
As Google puts it: “health concerns, flexibility and availability are top of mind” of today’s travellers and the search giant encourages hoteliers to use Local Posts on their Google Business Profile to keep people informed.
Google recommends publishing regular posts with updated information on the following:
- Changes due to Covid-19
- Changes to opening hours
- Availability of services and amenities
- Policy changes
- Cancellations and refunds
To help interested parties book with greater confidence, you might want to post regularly, even when nothing changes, so travellers can see that you’re operating as usual. For example, weekly, fortnightly or monthly updates – regardless of whether anything has changed – and updates ahead of key holiday seasons, such as Easter and the summer period.
You can find out more about the latest changes to Google Hotel Search on the Ads & Commerce Blog.