Everything you need to know about Hotel Campaigns in Google Ads

Google Travel is an overarching department at Google that includes Google Hotels and Google Hotel Ads. This Google umbrella (Google.com/travel) focuses among other things on travel matters such as flights, hotels and holiday homes.

Although Google Travel is reachable via its own URL, many users unknowingly end up in this environment after a search, for example when they are looking for a hotel or a flight.

Via a general search in Google (hotel “city x”)

A search with a general term, for example 'Hotel Paris', will take you to a so-called SERP (Search Engine Result Page) in Google. Between the ads (SEA) and organic results (SEO), a traveller finds recommendations based on their search. They often stand out prominently!

Via a specific search in Google (hotel name “x”)

When a traveller searches for the name of an accommodation, for example 'Dormio Resort Les Portes Du Grand Massif', its Google Business Profile will appear on the right side of the desktop browser. On mobile, the Google Business Profile will appear under the Search Ads. All advertisements are displayed there too. This includes Dormio's own advertisement via Hotel Ads, but also that of all resellers who use this term in their advertisements.

Via Google Maps

Do you want to advertise in Google Maps? This is also possible by using Hotel Ads. For example, if a traveller searches for 'Hotel Barcelona' in Google Maps, they will immediately see all recommendations with their corresponding prices.

Getting started in 5 simple steps

To use Google Hotel Ads, you must be connected to Google Hotel Ads via direct integration. Usually, Google recommends an integration partner.

The following steps are taken during an integration:

A Google Hotel Listing solely, is not enough. Since your prices are shown in your Google Business Profile, it is extremely important that these are up-to-date. Collect Google Hotel Ads reviews, for example.

In addition to an optimal Google Business Profile, there are a number of other factors that ensure that you rank well in Google Hotel Ads. Some examples:

• The degree to which the prices in the ads match the prices on your website.
• The degree of user-friendliness of your landing pages.
• Your price compared to that of your competition.
• Your bids.
• Whether you use room bundles.
• Whether you have acquired the official site badge.
• Whether you use highlight extensions.
• The amount of clicks you receive (this number tells Google how relevant your party is).

The cost of Google Hotel Ads varies and depends on the bidding strategies chosen. A key advantage of Hotel ads is the ability to apply different bidding strategies, such as Target ROAS and Enhanced CPC.

Changes to commission-based bidding strategies

From 30 April 2024, commission (per stay) and commission (per conversion) bidding strategies are no longer available for new hotel advertising campaigns. Active campaigns with commission-based bidding strategies will continue to run until February 2025. Historical reporting data will remain available, and it is recommended to change bidding strategies before this date to ensure campaign continuity.

Why these changes?

With the termination of third-party cookies and the move to more sustainable strategies, commission-based bidding strategies are being modified. These strategies rely on third-party cookies to measure when a customer has stayed overnight in a hotel and calculate the corresponding commission.

What to do after termination?

You can change your campaigns' bidding strategies to Target ROAS or Enhanced CPC to keep your campaigns active. In addition, you can create new Performance Max campaigns for travel goals to use the same inventory with a unified performance strategy.

Performance Max for travel goals is a multi-channel targeted campaign to drive more direct hotel bookings. These campaigns use Google's powerful AI to reach potential guests across all of Google's ad channels and inventory with one simple configuration.

You can read all about the strategies in our blog about Google Hotel Ads bidding strategies

An official Google Hotel Ads integration partner, such as Adchieve, has its own Hotel Center and sends your prices fast and optimal to Google by connecting with your reservation system.

Often, you can integrate between 4-6 weeks. Customarily this process follows these three steps:

Our experience with thousands of accommodations, has taught us how to best optimise your Hotel Ads. If you wish, you can also use our campaign creation and bid management software for optimal input, control and results.

 

Adchieve is an official Google Hotel Ads partner. Learn more about the official Google Hotel Ads integration partner Adchieve.

Google Travel’s ‘accomodations’ exist out of Google Hotel Ads and Vacation Rentals. To become an accomodation, you must offer short-term overnight stays to the public.

Hotel Ads

If your property has a listed Google Business Profile and provides a physical location with a continuously operating reception (and the location is open to the public at all times), Google considers the property a hotel.

To appear in Google Hotel Ads, the accommodations need to meet a number of qualifying criteria:

• In essence, the accommodation must offer a room where guests can spend the night.
• The space must have solid walls and is equipped with sanitary facilities.
• There must be a reception that is open and operating during normal business hours.
• It should be feasible to book for a minimum of 7 days/nights, preferably less.

Vacation Rentals

If you own a house, apartment, or other short-term (furnished) accommodation without a continuously operating reception or accept ‘walk-in’ reservations, it could qualify as a Vacation Rental. You can then advertise using Google Vacation Rentals.

A holiday park is therefore more likely to advertise on Google Hotel Ads and a holiday home on Vacation Rentals. Read more about Vacation Rentals here.

Hotel Ads vs. Google Ads

Google Hotel Ads is part of Google Ads. Next to Hotel Ads, Google Ads also offers Google Search Ads and Google Shopping Ads.

In the industry of hospitality, in addition to Google Hotel Ads, advertisements are often also placed on Google Search Ads.

Perhaps the biggest difference between the two channels is that with Hotel Ads you cannot choose the search terms for which you want to rank. Other differences are the degree of competition, the location or placement of your ads, what you pay, the available bidding strategies, etc. For your visitors and future guests, Search Ads and Hotel Ads also look dissimilar and follow a different format.

In the table below you can see the differences at a glance:

The two channels complement each other perfectly. An important question you should ask yourself is at which moments of the customer journey of a traveller you want to be visible. For example, you often see Search Ads throughout the entire customer journey and Hotel Ads are often shown at the very end of the customer journey.

In this article you will read how to optimally use Search Ads and Hotel Ads side by side.