Google Business Profile for Hotels and Villas

First: how to get into your profile and claim it

Start here, even if you think you already have a profile. Many small hotels and villas already appear on Google Maps because a guest or Google added them. You just need to take control of the listing.

Step 1: Sign in with a Google Account

You need a Google Account to manage a profile. Use one that the business will keep, such as a shared business Gmail. Do not use a staff member's personal account that may leave with them.

Step 2: Find or claim your listing

Follow these steps from Google's help page on requesting ownership (opens in new tab):

Go to business.google.com/add.
Enter your business name and address.
Choose your business from the list.
If someone else already manages it, select "Request Access" and fill in the form.
Select Submit.

Google also says that if you can't find a "Claim this business" or "Own this business" button, you may already be the owner.

Step 3: Verify your profile

Verification proves to Google that you really run the place. Google's verification help page (opens in new tab) lists the ways it may offer you:

Phone or text message
Email
A short video recording (Google recommends this when you can choose it)
A live video call
A postcard by mail (not offered to every business)

Google decides which ways you can use. If you get a postcard, Google says most codes arrive within 14 days. Do not edit your profile while you wait.

That is all you need to get in. If you get stuck, Google's own help pages are the best place to look. Now let's set your profile up properly for guests.

See the booking page you can link from your profile in a Kiyo demo

How to add your hotel or villa to Google Maps

If your place is not on Google Maps yet, you add it yourself. Google's help page for hotel profiles (opens in new tab) gives these steps:

On a computer, sign in to Google Maps.
Add your business in one of three ways: type your address in the search bar and select "Add your business", right-click on the map and choose "Add your business", or open the Menu and select "Add your business".
Enter your business name.
Pick a category. Google says to choose the most specific one, for example hostel instead of hotel if that is what you are.
Follow the steps to verify.

A note for villas

Google's guide for vacation rental property managers (opens in new tab) says homeowners are not eligible for a Business Profile for their physical home. So the answer depends on how you run the villa.

Made-up example: a villa company in Canggu with an office, a team and six villas. This is a business with a real place guests and staff can find. It can usually have a profile for the business.
Made-up example: one owner who rents out their own villa in Amed. Google says a homeowner can't get a profile for the home itself. The villa can still reach Google travel searches through booking sites that work with Google.
Made-up example: a villa complex with a reception desk and staff on site. This may fit a hotel-style category. See the next section.

The right category: hotel, villa or guesthouse?

Your main category tells Google what you are. Get it wrong and you may show up in the wrong searches, or have problems later.

Google's page on lodging categories (opens in new tab) asks three questions. Does your business:

Have a front desk or on-site management?
Accept overnight guests?
Show its address publicly?

If yes to all three, Google treats you as a hotel or a similar lodging business. Then choose the most specific category that is true. A small guesthouse should pick a guesthouse-type category, not just "hotel". A hostel should pick hostel.

Here is a quick way to use the three questions. The places are made-up examples:

Your place (made-up example)	Front desk or on-site team?	Overnight guests?	Public address?	Likely fit
12-room guesthouse in Sanur with a small reception	Yes	Yes	Yes	Guesthouse-type lodging category
20-bed hostel in Kuta	Yes	Yes	Yes	Hostel
Villa complex in Ubud with staff on site	Yes	Yes	Yes	The most specific lodging category that is true
One private villa, owner lives in Jakarta	No	Yes	Often no	Not eligible for a profile for the home itself

If you are not sure, pick the category that a guest would use to describe you. Then check that your name, photos and description tell the same story.

Google's Business Profile guidelines (opens in new tab) add a few rules that matter for hotels and villas:

One profile per business. Do not make a second profile for the same place.
Use as few categories as you need. Pick the main one that describes you best.
Use your real address. It must match the place guests actually arrive at.
Indoor lodging should not list opening hours. Hotels are open to guests all day and night, so Google says not to add hours.

Name, photos and description

Name: use the real name on your sign. Do not add extra words like "best cheap hotel".
Photos: add clear photos of rooms, bathrooms, the pool, the view and breakfast. Every room type should have at least one photo.
Description: say who you are for, what is nearby, and how to book. You will find a template below.

How to add a booking link to your Google Business Profile

This is the step that brings direct bookings. A direct booking is when the guest books with you, not through an OTA. An OTA (online travel agency) is a site like Booking.com or Agoda that sells your rooms for a commission.

Google's help page on adding links (opens in new tab) gives these steps:

On Google Search, find your profile and select Booking. On Google Maps, select Edit profile and then the type of action, such as bookings.
Select Add link.
Paste the address (URL) of your booking page.
Select Save.

A few things from the same page are worth knowing:

You can add up to 10 links for each type of action.
You can mark one link as Business preferred. Mark your own booking page.
If you see links from other booking providers that you don't want, you can ask to remove them.

Where should the link go?

Point it to a page where guests can pick dates and book, not just your home page. A home page with only a phone number makes guests leave and search again. Often they end up on an OTA.

Your website link should also be on your profile. For help building that page, read our guide to direct booking websites for small hotels (opens in new tab).

Google Maps for business: what guests check before they book

Google Maps for business is really your Business Profile, shown on the map. Guests use it to judge your place in a few seconds. They look at:

Photos. Are the rooms clean and bright?
Reviews. What did recent guests say?
Location. How far is it from the beach, the rice fields or the airport?
Booking options. Can they book with you, or only through an OTA?

A short note on reviews

Reviews matter a lot on Google. Reply to them politely, both good and bad. A short, kind reply shows future guests that you care. Our guide to hotel reputation management (opens in new tab) explains how to handle reviews and what to say.

If guests send you questions after seeing your profile, answer fast. Our guide to hotel guest communication (opens in new tab) has simple message ideas.

Your monthly 15-minute Google Business Profile routine (ready-to-copy template)

Here is a simple routine you can copy into a note, a spreadsheet or your phone calendar. Do it once a month. It takes about 15 minutes. The minutes are our estimate for a small property.

``` GOOGLE BUSINESS PROFILE: MONTHLY 15-MINUTE ROUTINE Property: ____________ Month: ____________ Done by: ____________

[2 min] Search our name on Google Maps. Does it look right? [2 min] Check name, address, phone and category. Fix anything wrong. [2 min] Click the Booking / website link. Does it open OUR booking page? [1 min] Is our booking page marked "Business preferred"? [3 min] Add 2 new photos (a room, a view, breakfast or an event). [3 min] Reply to every new review from this month. [1 min] Update the description if something changed (new pool, new rooms). [1 min] Write one note: what to improve next month.

Notes: ______________________________________________ ```

And here is a description template you can fill in and paste into your profile:

`` [Property name] is a [number]-room [guesthouse / hotel / villa resort] in [area], [time] from [landmark]. Best for [couples / families / surfers]. We offer [2 or 3 things guests love, e.g. pool, breakfast, airport pickup]. Book direct on our website for [your direct-booking extra]. ``

Made-up example: "Rumah Padi is a 10-room guesthouse in Ubud, 10 minutes from the market. Best for couples. We offer a pool, breakfast and rice field views. Book direct on our website for a free welcome drink."

Do this inside Kiyo. Lines 3 and 4 of the routine check that your Booking link opens your own booking page. With Kiyo, that page comes with every plan, and it uses the same calendar and prices your channel manager sends to your OTAs. Paste its link into your profile once, then the monthly check takes seconds.

See the booking page your Google profile can open in the demo

Common mistakes

Using a staff member's personal account. If they leave, you may lose access.
Linking only to an OTA. Guests book there and you pay commission.
Making a second profile. Google allows one per business.
Adding opening hours to a hotel. Google says indoor lodging should not list hours.
Editing while waiting for a postcard code. Google says to wait.

How Kiyo helps your Google Business Profile bring direct bookings

Your profile brings guests to the door. Your booking page has to let them in. Kiyo gives you that page, ready to link from Google.

A direct booking page on every plan. The Kiyo direct booking engine (opens in new tab) gives you a booking page you can paste into the Booking link on your Google Business Profile, and mark as Business preferred. Guests book with you directly.
Prices and rooms kept in sync. The Kiyo channel manager (opens in new tab) connects to 75+ OTAs. When you change a price or close a date, your channels and your booking page update together. That way the guest from Google sees the same price as everywhere else.
One place for guest messages. On Pro and Business plans, the Kiyo guest inbox (opens in new tab) brings your OTA messages into one place, so questions from guests are easy to answer.

Villa owners can also read our guide to the channel manager for villas and vacation rentals (opens in new tab).

Try the guest booking page demo

Your next step: open your profile today, click the Booking link, and check that it lands on your own page.

Plans start from Rp40k per room per month (opens in new tab). Free setup, pay from go-live, 14-day money-back guarantee.

See a Google guest book direct in the demo