Should my hotel use Google's free booking links?
Short answer
For most hotels that take direct bookings, yes — free booking links are worth setting up. They let your own booking site appear in Google's hotel booking module alongside other providers, showing your name and room rate for the traveller's dates, with no cost per click. Google says nobody can pay for a higher ranking: links are ranked on signals such as consumer preference, value offered, landing page experience, and price accuracy. Many hotels can connect through their booking engine, channel manager, or reservation system provider rather than building anything themselves.
By Lodging Engine Editorial Team· Reviewed by Eric Zwanenburg· Last reviewed
What free booking links are
When travellers look at a hotel on Google, they can see a list of places to book with rates for their dates. Free booking links let your own booking site appear in that list without paying per click. Clicking takes the traveller to the landing page you provide.
How hotels get them
- Through a provider: Google notes that hotels using a reservation system may already be connected through their provider. Ask your booking engine or channel manager whether they support free booking links and price feeds.
- Through Hotel Center: hotels and booking partners can work with Google Hotel Center directly. See Google Hotel Center explained.
Your property must be matched to the right Google Maps location — keep your Business Profile accurate.
How they're ranked
Google lists signals including consumer preference, the value offered to the user, landing page experience, and the historical accuracy of prices you send. Google states that its commercial relationship with providers has no effect on this ranking and nobody can pay for a higher one — participation in paid hotel ads doesn't change it.
What makes them work well
- Accurate rates: prices on Google must match what guests see on your booking page.
- A good landing page: fast, mobile-friendly, showing the selected dates and rate.
- Competitive value: where your contracts allow, benefits of booking direct.
Tracking
Google provides performance reports in Hotel Center and supports a landing page variable to tell free booking link clicks apart from ads in your analytics. Make sure your analytics setup also follows the visitor into your booking engine. See tracking direct bookings.
When it's less useful
- You don't take direct online bookings.
- Your rates on Google are frequently inaccurate because of connection problems — fix those first.
Common mistakes
- Assuming your provider has turned it on without checking.
- Landing pages that drop the selected dates.
- Price mismatches between Google and the booking engine.
Checklist
- Asked booking engine / channel manager about free booking links
- Property matched to the correct Maps location
- Prices accurate between Google and booking page
- Landing page fast and shows the selected stay
- Clicks and bookings tracked separately
Sources
- About hotel free booking links — Google Hotel Center Help
- Best practices for your hotel property listing — Google Hotel Center Help
- Tips to improve your local ranking on Google — Google Business Profile Help