Google’s free booking links show your own website’s price next to Booking.com, Expedia and the other platforms, in Google Search, Maps and Google Travel, labelled “Official site”. Google charges no commission and no cost per click. To appear, you need a booking engine on your site that connects to Google.

When someone searches “hotel Elounda” or your property’s name, Google often shows a panel with prices from several platforms. If only Booking.com and Expedia are there, the guest books through them, even if they would have happily booked with you directly. And you pay 15% or more in commission.

What they look like on Google

Your property’s Google profile has a prices section. Paid ads (Hotel Ads) appear at the top, and the free links sit below them under “All options”. Your link shows your property name and “Official site”, with your price.

Google launched them in 2021, but many small properties in Greece still haven’t switched them on. That means a competitor who has them appears with an official price, and you don’t.

Who qualifies: hotel or villa?

Google splits properties into two groups, each with its own system:

  • Google Hotels (Hotel Center): hotels, boutique hotels, rooms to let and apartments with a reception or staff. This is where free booking links apply.
  • Google Vacation Rentals: whole villas, houses, maisonettes and apartments without a reception. The connection goes through approved property management software or a channel manager, and Google can again send guests to your own site without commission.

A room inside a home where the owner also lives usually doesn’t qualify for either. If you’re not sure which group you belong to, check the category on your Google Business Profile: it should match what you really are.

What you need

  1. A verified Google Business Profile with the right category (for example “Hotel” or “Villa”), the correct address and photos. Our guide to setting up your Google Business Profile covers every setting.
  2. A website with a booking engine, where guests see availability and price and book straight away. A “send us an email” form is not enough.
  3. A booking engine or channel manager that is a Google partner. Most modern booking engines support it. They send your prices and availability to Google automatically.
  4. Accurate prices. The price Google shows must be the price the guest sees when they reach your site, including taxes and fees. If they don’t match, Google turns the links off.

How to switch it on, step by step

  1. Ask your booking engine provider: “Do you support Google free booking links (or Google Vacation Rentals)?” If the answer is no, that is a serious reason to switch.
  2. Turn on the connection. It is usually a setting in your provider’s dashboard. They connect your property to Google’s Hotel Center and match it to your Google Business Profile.
  3. Check your prices. Make sure the tourist tax, cleaning fee and other charges are included correctly, so the price on Google is the final one.
  4. Wait a few days, then search for your property on Google and Maps, on a phone. Your link should appear under “All options”.
  5. Measure the results. Ask your provider to add tracking parameters (UTM) to the link, so Google Analytics shows how many bookings come from Google Hotels.

Showing up is half the job. Guests see the prices one under the other and choose.

  • The same or a lower price on your own site. Since November 2024, in the EU Booking.com cannot stop you from offering a lower price on your own website. A small 5-10% discount for booking direct is often enough.
  • A small extra: free breakfast, late check-out, an airport transfer. Say it clearly on the booking page.
  • Fast booking on a phone. Most people tap the link on their phone. If the page is slow or booking takes ten steps, they go back to Booking.com. See why a slow website costs you bookings.
  • Secure card payment through a well-known provider. Our guide to online card payments in Greece and Cyprus explains the options.

Always start with the free links. They have no cost per click and bring bookings from people who are already looking at your property. Paid Hotel Ads appear higher and are worth it in high-demand periods, once you know what a booking from Google is worth to you. For budgeting, see our guide to a realistic Google Ads budget.

Want help setting it up?

We build booking systems and websites for hotels, villas and rentals in Crete, connected to Google from day one. For more ideas, read our guide on getting more direct bookings, or send us a message and we’ll check whether your property shows up correctly.