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Google Hotel Search Channel Manager Connection Guide

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Before you connect, review your settings in Mangobeds. Once the channel is active, Mangobeds is the source of truth: your prices, availability, minimum stay and maximum stay are sent to Google and replace what is set there, and anything you change there is overwritten on the next sync. Set the minimum and maximum stay in Channel Manager → Settings (top right), and check each accommodation’s prices, before you activate the channel.

Google Hotel Search shows your property for free in Google’s hotel search results (Google Maps, Google Search). When a traveller searches for accommodation in your area, your property appears with live rates and availability. Clicking the listing takes them to Google’s booking page, or to your own booking form if you choose one.

Before you start — Content requirements

Google has no extranet, so all property details must be set properly. Failure to complete your property content means guests will be unlikely to book since the Google page will look unfinished.

Go to the Apps > Channel Manager > Content tab and make sure all the content is filled in properly.

Property settings

  • Country
  • Address
  • Phone number
  • Website URL (must be HTTPS)
  • Latitude & longitude (map location is set)
  • Timezone
  • Currency

Important — Address and phone matching: Google matches properties by looking at the address, phone number, and property name. Search for your property on Google and enter exactly the same address. If the address or phone number is different, Google may fail to match your property and it will not go live.

Property content

Go to your property Content section and fill in:

  • At least one property description
  • At least one photo
  • Logo (optional)

Hotel policy

Click Create under Hotel Policy. Fill in general information like parking, wifi, pet policy, etc.

Cancellation policy

Create at least one cancellation policy for the property. Once created, edit your rate plans to use the correct policy.

1. Create the Google Hotel Search channel in Mangobeds

  1. Go to Apps > Channel Manager. You land on the Channels tab
  2. Click Connect and pick Google Hotel Search
  3. Google asks nothing else of you here: it reads the property details and photos on the Content tab, so those have to be right before you connect (see the requirements above)
  4. If your property is listed as a whole home, you are asked for its Bedrooms, Beds and Bathrooms, which Google shows on the listing
  5. Under Where Google sends travellers, choose where a click on your Google listing lands. Google booking page is a simple page made for Google: bookings there are confirmed straight away, and your booking form settings do not apply. Pick one of your booking forms instead and the traveller lands on it with their dates and guests already filled in (see the price warning below)
  6. Click Test connection, then Continue to mapping

Important: prices must match. If you send travellers to a booking form, the total on the form must match the price Google shows. If they do not match, Google can hide your listing or suspend it (Google’s price accuracy policy). Google gets your nightly prices without long stay discounts, so a form that applies them shows a different total. You can change this choice at any time from the channel’s Edit.

2. Choose what to sell

  1. Tick the accommodations you want Google to display. Everything starts ticked
  2. Click Create channel. The channel is created inactive, so nothing is sent yet

You can change what is sold at any time from the channel’s Edit.

For small properties and vacation rentals

  • Google only allows 1 accommodation room type per property
  • If your property holds several accommodations, it is listed as a hotel instead, which shows all of them
  • If you have multiple property locations under one Mangobeds property, you need to split them into separate properties so each has its own unique address
  • The bedrooms, beds and bathrooms counts are asked for while connecting, whenever the property is going up as a whole home
  • You need to have at least 8 photos in the content tab

3. Activate and wait

  1. Open the channel’s menu and choose Activate
  2. Wait for Google to pick up the property:
    • Hotels: at least 1 week
    • Vacation Rentals: at least 4 weeks
  3. If it still doesn’t show, contact us at support@mangobeds.com

FAQ

Is this the Google Free Links?
Yes. Adding properties automatically adds them to the free links section.

Where will my vacation rental show?
If someone searches for vacation rentals in your area, your property will appear as a pin on the Google map.

How long until my property appears?
Hotels: ~1 week. Vacation Rentals: ~4 weeks. Google checks for new properties weekly.

Can I choose which rooms and rates appear?
Yes. Tick the accommodations while connecting, or change them at any time from the channel’s Edit.

Can Google send travellers to my booking form?
Yes. Choose a booking form under Where Google sends travellers, while connecting or from the channel’s Edit. Make sure the form’s total matches the price Google shows.

How do I remove a property from Google?
Delete the channel in the Channel Manager.

Before you connect any channel

Currency, rates and restrictions are set once for every channel, not per OTA, and it is worth getting them right before you connect. Read the channel manager guide for that setup and for every other channel Mangobeds connects to.