Google Vacation Rentals offers an easy way for travelers to find and book accommodation that matches their preferences, whether they’re using Google to search for a cozy cabin or a kid-friendly house. So, if you own a vacation rental in Australia, getting it listed on Google’s meta-search engine for STR properties will give you an exciting opportunity to reach a lot of potential guests.
In this article, we’ll explain everything you need to know about Google Vacation Rentals in Australia and how to get your properties listed there to increase your visibility and attract more bookings.
If you have an Airbnb in Australia, listing your property on multiple booking platforms can be an effective strategy that will help you increase your occupancy rate and become a successful host. However, you should protect yourself from double bookings when managing several distribution channels. Moreover, if you do it manually, you will need to spend time updating pricing. That’s where a channel manager comes in.
All you need from a channel manager is here
Google Vacation Rentals in Australia: How Does It Work?
Google Vacation Rentals is a meta-search engine that helps users find the most relevant short-term rental properties based on their criteria. This functionality was introduced in 2019 to improve the search experience of travelers looking to book accommodation for a trip.
Short-term rental property listings will appear in the search results if you use Google to search for vacation rentals in a specific area. Then, you can click on the listings to learn more about each property and book a stay.
Since Google is not an OTA, the search engine doesn’t play a role in processing bookings and directs traffic to the partner’s website. So, Google doesn’t charge a commission for bookings made through the platform.
People can discover the best-suited vacation rentals directly through Google Search and Google Maps or by browsing the Vacation Rentals tab in Google Travel to see the most relevant properties based on the chosen criteria.
Travelers can apply different filters to refine search results, including
- Destination
- Check-in and check-out dates
- Number of guests
- Price
- Property type (apartments, houses, other)
- Guest rating
- Number of bedrooms and bathrooms
- Amenities (free Wi-Fi, fitness center, air-conditioned, kid-friendly, pool, pet-friendly, hot tub, kitchen, patio or deck, outdoor grill, crib, fireplace)
It’s also possible to sort search results by relevance, the lowest price, the highest rating, or the most viewed. When travelers click the “View Details” button next to a listing, they are taken to the STR property’s Google listing page. There, potential guests can find more information about the specific property and a list of amenities offered, browse photos, read reviews, and see booking options.
The user experience is much like that on any OTA except when a traveler wants to book a vacation rental. Then, they need to click either the nightly price or the “Visit site” button, and they will be redirected to the partner’s website to complete the booking process and pay.
Google Vacation Rentals is an excellent additional distribution channel for STR hosts in any part of the world, including Australia. Having your property listed on GVR can expand your audience to potential guests worldwide, including international travelers looking for longer stays. And remarkably, you won’t be charged hefty third-party hosting fees if travelers book your property.
How to List on Google Vacation Rentals in Australia
You would want to get your Australian vacation rental property on Google’s dedicated vacation rental platform for many reasons. However, Google Vacation Rentals differs from traditional short-term rental marketplaces like Airbnb or Vrbo. Creating a listing directly on the Google search engine is impossible.
As a host, you can’t simply sign up to use this service, upload your photos, modify your listing description, or edit any other details. So the question is how to list on Google Vacation Rentals in Australia if you’re an individual property owner. You must work with an approved connectivity partner like Hospitable.
You can get listed on GVR if you create a direct booking website with Hospitable Direct that integrates with Google Vacation Rentals. Building your direct booking website with Hospitable is quick and easy, and you don’t need any technical skills.
Get a direct booking website within minutes!
Your Hospitable Direct booking website with secure payment processing will look great on desktop and mobile. Thanks to our integration partners, we’ll help you screen your guests in the booking flow and insure your property with up to $5M worth of damage protection.
Your STR properties in Australia will appear on Google, bringing you zero-cost booking leads. You’ll get exposure on the largest search engine and can get direct bookings without paying high third-party fees.
Hospitable will send your aggregated review score from your other booking channels, such as Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com, and Google will display it across Google Travel and Search. This way, your listing will have a reputable rating that will help you build trust with potential guests and win more bookings.
Hospitable will sync your calendars on other online marketplaces with Google Vacation Rentals to protect you from double bookings and bad reviews from disappointed guests. Our hosting tools will help you save time on property management and ensure perfect communication with your guests with automated, AI-powered messaging.
Final Thought
If you own a vacation rental in one of the best coastal towns in Australia or other popular tourist destinations, there’s no reason to miss out on getting your property listed on Google Vacation Rentals. The simplest way to get listed is with the help of an official partner like Hospitable.
If you build a direct booking website with Hospitable Direct, your properties will appear on Google and be shown to millions of travelers using the most popular search engine to plan and book vacations.
Your clear path to full control and autonomy in your vacation rental business.
