Selling your hotel rooms with Google maps can boost your bookings and strengthen your online marketing strategy — Photo by Base7booking.com
Travelers can easily find a hotel that fits their preferences using Google Maps — Photo by Base7booking.com

Is your hotel in Google Maps or similar services? Search engines are the information source for most travelers, thus it is vital to be present as part of your travel marketing strategy. Go beyond and use this tool to drive bookings and promote your hotel from the platform. This guide will show you how to sell your room with Google Hotel Ads and the benefits for your hotel.

Last weekend some friends decided to visit some cities in Germany, including where I live. The night before their departure, they realized they made a mistake with their dates and didn't have a hotel room for the next night in Berlin. Within seconds, we jumped into the computers and smartphones, looked for hotels within the area they liked using Google Maps and booked in a snap. Problem solved all thanks to Google Maps.

For businesses who rely upon a precise geographic location as part of their value propositions like hotels, promoting it is a key element. From basic information like address and contact information to more detailed data like room availability, Google Maps can help hoteliers be more present in the online world and to sell your hotel rooms with Google Maps. This is all possible through two actions: presence in Google Maps and Google Hotel Ads.

First be there

To showcase your hotel in Google Maps, hoteliers should go through Google Business. In summary, you must provide Google your hotel's business hours, phone number, directions, and other valuable information for travelers to find you, all in one place. After this, you can add your hotel to the Google Maps.

Reservations from Google? Yes, please!

Just like experienced with my friends, we compared rates through the listing, without going to any meta or OTA website. This means hoteliers can reduce their commissions and increase direct bookings. Comparing and booking hotels from Google is extremely easy for travelers. Your potential guests can filter options by price, location, ratings, and even hotel classification. Additionally, travelers can add dates to check availability, read some reviews, browse photos, and quickly see details like Wifi and breakfast.

Some properties only showcase OTAs information. Those prices come from Google's partners using Hotel Prices Application (API). Displayed prices can come from authorized partners (like OTAs) or directly from hotels using Google Hotel Ads. In those ads, travelers are shown deals, lower rates compared to other hotels, or current market price discounts. Afterward, travelers can book based on availability and through OTAs or the hotel's website.

Not convinced?

If you're thinking this might be not worth your time or effort because your hotel is present in different distribution channels, this numbers might influence you: a Google research revealed that Premier Inn captures 40% more bookings from new customers with Google Hotel Ads, reaching new audiences and witnessing 300% stronger return on ad spend compared to non-branded search ads.

Another interesting case study analyses American chain Hilton Hotels, generating 12% higher ROI and 45% higher conversion rates using Google Hotel Ads. See the video about Hilton's Google Hotel Ads and see it for yourself.

Go beyond your traditional search ads and distribution channels, and expand your digital networks. Do you have any questions about online distribution or Google Hotel Ads? Let us know in our social media in Facebook or @Base7booking, and we'll give you great tips and advice.

Base7 Booking
Hotel technology company
Base7booking.com