A search for Vacation Rentals in Google My Business will bring up loads of articles on how to set up a vacation rental profile in Google My Business, they all then go on to say, “at the time of writing this Vacation Rentals are against Google My Business Guidelines”
I can see vacation rentals (holiday homes) online, they are clearly being allowed, so what the heck is going on?
Hopefully this article clears up the confusion online about having a Google My Business profile for a vacation rental or holiday home.
Are Vacation Rentals Allowed in Google My Business?
NO
Vacation Rentals / Holiday Homes are ineligible for a Google My Business Listing!
The following businesses are not eligible for a Business Profile:
- Rental or for-sale properties, such as holiday homes, show homes or vacant apartments.
I Can See Google My Business Profiles for Vacation Rentals
In May 2019 Google Maps announced that you could now find vacation rentals in Maps.
But Google My Business Guidelines stated (and still do) that these profiles were not eligible for a Google My Business profile.
In a Nutshell
Ads wanted more space in Travel
To create more Ads space – Maps used Online Travel Agents (OTA) API to upload all of their vacation rental, holiday properties from their sites onto Maps.
This decision was later revoked, but it had created millions of vacation rental profiles (unclaimed and unverified) onto Maps.
Claiming a Vacation Rental Business Profile in Maps
You can attempt to claim and verify your vacation rental profile in Google My Business.
The quirk is that a good percentage of the time you are successful, the other times, this leads to a suspension and removal.
Google My Business support teams were equally confused by all of this and there are still instances of support reinstating suspended vacation rental profiles.
There is a Vacation Rental Section in Maps?
Yes – there is a new Vacation Rental section displayed to searchers.
BUT – what you are looking at is Google Travel, not Google Maps.
Feeling even more confused?
Vacation Rental Category in Google My Business
Yes – there is a vacation rental / holiday home category in Google My Business, but this does not mean they are eligible.
The reason the category is available is because Google Travel uses parts of the Google My Business platform to create and integrate vacation rental profiles into Google Travel.
Vacation Rentals are Not On Google Maps, But Google Travel
What appears to be Google Maps is in fact Google Travel.
Google Travel is a separate platform that uses some properties from Google My Business like Hotels, B&B’s and Guest Houses to populate it, but it is not Google My Business or Google Maps.
The vacation rentals you see are not Google My Business profiles, these are Google Travel / Hotel Ads profiles.
The vacation rentals you see are not in Google Maps, these are in Google Travel.
How Do I Create a Vacation Rental Business Profile?
Vacation Rentals / Holiday Homes can be created and listed on Google Travel via Hotel Ads.
- https://support.google.com/hotelprices/answer/10062327
- https://support.google.com/hotelprices/answer/10307777
Vacation Rental locations don’t appear on Google Maps. Instead, they’re featured in Google travel & Google search results (hotel pack) and ads when people search for lodging in a particular area.
Recap on Vacation Rentals & Holiday Homes
Vacation Rentals & Holidays Homes are NOT eligible for a Google My Business profile.
Vacation Rentals & Holiday Homes are able to create a business profile in Google Travel via Hotel Ads.
Still feeling confused (don’t blame you), Online Ownership offers Google My Business Consulting, feel free to give us a call for a no obligation chat.