New Google Hotel Design
It’s been three years since Google launched their last big update to how hotels show on search results. After a few months of beta testing, Google has now launched their new hotel search interface. Let’s break down all the new features and what it means for your hotel.
Google Launches New Hotel Search Design
First, when a traveler searches for hotels, they’ll be able to see an abridged listing with Google’s top three picks for the city and the rates for dates that they think you’ll be looking for.
By clicking either the map or the View hotels link at the bottom, you can access the full hotel search interface. After being prompted to select your dates, you can toggle other criteria along the top of the screen. Travelers can set a max price, user star rating, hotel class, and other options. These selections include: Deals, Free Wi-Fi, Free Breakfast, Pet-Friendly, and more.
A search that started with hundreds of results instantly gets narrowed down to less than twenty results.
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- Scottsdale, Arizona hotel search results
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- Remaining search results after filters have been applied
If the traveler knows they want to stay in the heart of Scottsdale near the Fashion Square Mall and Old Town attractions, their search is simple. Let’s zoom in on the results:
In a manner of seconds, we honed in on an excellently rated 3-star hotel. By clicking on it, we can see more details about the hotel, read reviews, and make a reservation directly from the search results.
How to Optimize Your Hotel Listing for Google Hotels
For people on-the-go, this hotel search is a lifesaver. In just minutes, a traveler can select the hotel that best meets their needs. It makes it easier than ever to progress from searching to buying. However, the search also quickly dismissed a number of viable hotels from consideration without the searcher even viewing them. How can you compete in this style of search?
Maintain Your Listings
Regularly update your amenities, photos, and descriptions in Google My Business so that you’ll be found by searchers who use filters to narrow down their search. Update your photos on your website so that Google is pulling in the most accurate photos of your property.
Manage Online Reputation
If a guest is paying for a hotel, why would they accept anything less than an exceptional stay? A savvy searcher will select a 4.5 user rating first and see what is available. If the hotels don’t meet other criteria, they may lower this rating in .5 increments. However, they’re looking for the best star rating for the price. If you want your hotel to get found in these search results, you must be proactively asking happy guests for positive reviews and mitigate negative experiences. You can impact your review score by making improvements at the property and by implementing a post-stay email campaign.
Know Your Competition
Even if you’re achieving more positive reviews than negative, you may find that your ranking is falling behind the competition. With the availability of these granular filters, you need to know exactly what needs to be done to get ahead of the competition. That’s why we provide our customers with advanced insights on their 5 closest competitors to set smart goals and raise in the rankings. Watch what your competitors are doing, then make a plan so you don’t fall further behind in the review rankings.
Build a Digital Strategy
Today’s travelers search across devices and take in a number of data sources before making their decision. You can no longer rely on only managing TripAdvisor and ignoring the rest. The Google results page pulls in reviews from Google, TripAdvisor, and OTAs like Priceline and Expedia. You need to manage the content on every website that your hotel appears on to maximize bookings.
It can be easy with these advanced filters to get left behind the competition. Start making improvements to your online reputation now to get more revenue from Google hotel searches. Learn about our reputation management program and start getting more positive reviews.
1 Comment
Hotel Marketing Resources
Excellent piece on the value of optimizing GMB listings for hotels and the absolute necessity for individual hotel properties to have proactive digital marketing strategies.