HotelRunner Elite Everything You Need to Know About Google Hotel Ads
Where do you think most people start planning their travel? Booking.com, Expedia, or TripAdvisor? Probably none of them.
When we begin our research on any subject, almost everyone’s starting point is Google. When it comes to search traffic, Google is a leader with 16.4 billion searches per day. This is 89.66% of all searches made on the Internet. Travel and accommodation-related searches are, actually, a small part of this percentage.
However, 65% of hotel bookings made through metasearch platforms are made via Google Hotel Ads. Thus, Google Hotel Ads is proven to be the most profitable metasearch platform and a sales channel that shouldn’t be ignored.
HotelRunner is an official worldwide Google Hotel Ads Commission Program partner. 🏆
What is Google Hotel Ads?
When launched in 2011, Google Hotel Ads was first known as Google Hotel Finder. Google Hotel Ads offers an alternative way of booking by helping travelers evaluate pricing, availability, booking options, and much more.
As an accommodation, by displaying your price and availability on Google Hotel Ads, you can reach countless users on multiple platforms. Google displays your room prices in direct comparison with travel agencies and allows you to promote your property via computers, tablets, and smartphones running Google applications.
How can Google Hotel Ads help your property?
Google is a major trip-planning tool, with 60% of leisure and 55% of business travelers using it. When travelers click on your property via Google Hotel Ads, they’re redirected to your official website, bringing in direct, high-quality traffic.
These users have already filtered their search based on preferences like price, availability, and services, making them more likely to book. Since there are no intermediaries, you manage the booking, payment, and guest relationship, giving you full control over guest data and the chance to build long-term loyalty.
- Reach high-intent travelers: Your property is showcased exactly where guests are searching, giving you access to a global audience.
- Get direct bookings: Guests can book directly on your property’s website, allowing you to own the relationship from the first click, manage the booking, and charge the guest directly.
- Pay only for results: Through the Google Hotel Ads Commission Program (GHACP), you only pay a commission after a guest has stayed at your property. There’s no upfront cost, you only pay when you earn.
- Seamless activation with HotelRunner: As an official worldwide partner of Google Hotel Ads, HotelRunner makes it easy to activate and manage your campaigns.
- Boost your efficiency: Integrated with HotelRunner’s connected solutions, you can streamline operations and optimize your marketing efforts all in one place.
How does Google Hotel Ads work?
By providing up-to-date information about your price, availability, and room types to Google, you can present your property to potential guests who are actively looking for accommodation options on Google Search or Google Maps.
For example, if a user makes a general search like “Hotel in Berlin”, they will see a map showing hotels in Berlin, with their prices and availability. When the user clicks on a property that draws their attention, they can see property descriptions, photos, and comments on the Hotel Details Card.
All of this information is collected from your Google My Business page. The Hotel Details Card also shows the user all the available booking options and the best prices compared. When the user decides which property is best suited to their needs, they can click on the hotel and are redirected to the property’s website to complete the reservation.
What is Google Business Profile?
Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is a free tool from Google that helps your property appear in Google Search and Google Maps. It allows you to manage key details like your hotel’s address, phone number, website, photos, guest reviews, and more.
The information shown on your Hotel Details Card in Google Hotel Ads is pulled from your Business Profile. Keeping this information accurate and up-to-date, especially visuals and guest reviews, can improve your visibility and ranking in search results.
You can set up or manage your Google Business Profile by searching for your property on Google while logged into your business account. If it hasn’t been claimed yet, Google will guide you through the process of verifying ownership and completing your profile.
How to set up Google Hotel Ads
After setting up your Google Business Profile and ensuring all information is up-to-date, you can start using Google Hotel Ads to increase visibility, drive direct bookings, and boost occupancy.
The setup generally involves three steps:
- Providing Google with a real-time price and availability feed.
- Linking this feed to your property via Google Hotel Center.
- Activating a campaign using either a cost-per-click (CPC) or commission-based (CPA) model.
To do this, you need access to a Google Hotel Center account, which is typically facilitated by a certified connectivity partner like HotelRunner.
Instead of managing technical integrations and campaigns manually, HotelRunner offers a seamless, fully integrated setup, making it easier for your property to appear across Google’s travel surfaces.
Thanks to this integration, you don’t need to navigate complex documentation or multiple platforms. HotelRunner handles the heavy lifting and helps you get listed on Google Hotel Ads quickly and effectively.
How can you benefit from Google Hotel Ads?
According to Google, 60% of leisure travelers and 55% of business travelers use Google’s search engine to plan their trips. This means a lot of traffic. When a user clicks on your property, they will be redirected to the official website of your property. As a result, the direct, qualified traffic that flows to your website increases significantly.
By the time a user clicks on your property and is redirected to your website, they have already selected certain filters, like price range, availability, location, services, and scoring. So the user is already a highly qualified potential guest even before they reach your booking page. So the net revenue that you generate from your potential guest will be higher than a standard online travel agency visitor.
Remember that there are no resellers or intermediaries between you and your guests during this process. As a property owner, you are the one who manages the payment collection, the booking, and the subsequent processes.
This means that you have access to your guests’ data and have the opportunity to improve the relationship after their stay. It is entirely up to you to keep the relationship alive and strengthen it with the marketing activities and loyalty programs that you will develop later on.
How much does Google Hotel Ads cost on HotelRunner?
Properties participating in the CPA based Google Hotel Ads Commission Program (GHACP) only pay a commission when a valid hotel booking is consumed. Commissions to Google are paid through HotelRunner.
CPA (Cost per Acquisition) is different from the metasearch engine model CPC (Cost per Click). With this model, you only pay when your ad generates a booking.
With a one-click integration, you can display your property on Google and Google Maps and start receiving direct bookings today. Start your Google Hotel Ads integration with HotelRunner now!
