Google Free Booking Links and Paid Ads
Free Booking Links appear in Google search results and Google maps when visitors search for accommodation. Your hotel name and the room rate for the selected itinerary are displayed, allowing you to show travellers the best rate you offer.
When users search for a particular hotel on Google, the Google My Business listing appears in the top right corner most of the time. This search result shows the user some information about the hotel, including rates, rooms and facilities. When travellers click "check availability", they are redirected to a page that lists all the booking options for the selected hotel.
How to Obtain this Service
Hotels cannot appear on Google's free bookings list by themselves and must connect through one of Google's approved integration partners to be listed.
Hallisoft has partnered with Google to distribute your hotels' direct pricing and inventory on Google's hotel search. With RezEasy PMS or Portal, you can connect to Google seamlessly and get more natural traffic through free booking links. Reservation details and customer data are entered automatically into RezEasy's database. You can also take full or partial payment via any of the 37 payment systems integrated into RezEasy.
The Benefits
Google is putting much effort into improving Google's hotel search to improve the user experience and provide advertisers with more options to optimize their campaigns. Google recently announced that hoteliers could get free links in hotel metasearch results. The updated infobox in the right column of Google's search shows paid hotel listings above free booking links. However, the free booking links entry is the "official site", and the traveller often prefers this option.
Any eligible hotel that syncs rates and availability to Google through an integration partner will now have its direct booking engine or official website for booking directly in Google Hotel Search.
Google Hotel Listings
Like free booking links, these listings also display your official website, rooms, and prices in Google Hotel Search, helping you make direct bookings. Unlike free booking links, paid hotel listings are based on CPA (Cost Per Acquisition), which means hotels will pay Google a commission at the end of the booking, not per click.
As you can see, Google is also moving to an OTA model. Instead of the usual pay-per-click metasearch model, your hotel can work with a commission based on the rate booked, like Booking.com or Expedia.
Google Paid Ads
A hotel ad is a paid link where the listing is ranked based on an auction and the company's advertising algorithm.
Google labels ads with an "Advertise" icon on the hotel booking form. Millions of guests start their travel search by searching for the best rate on Google search. Free booking link integration partners will be featured and targeted to grow business through their direct channel without paying for Google Ads. Hallisoft is proud to be listed as a Google Approved Partner and is pleased to offer the opportunity to increase direct bookings through our hotel.