Webinar

Make the most of Google Hotel Search integration

With the Google Hotel Search integration, hoteliers can increase the discoverability of their property and get more direct bookings at no extra cost. The direct integration between Mews and Google ensures real-time inventory updates, customer data mapping and enhanced reporting to track number of bookings via Google.

Hear experts from Mews and Google talk in depth about the integration, give a visual walkthrough of the feature and answer customer FAQs.

Watch the full recording now or check out small snippets from the session here.

What you'll walk away with

A complete understanding of how to make the most of the integration

A guide on how to set it up in minutes

Answers to the common FAQs about the integration

Webinar Q&As and helpful user guides

Helpful user guides

Read the following guides first to get an overview of the integration before checking the webinar FAQs below

Do you need to make a dedicated booking engine for Google Hotel Search? Or can you also use your default booking engine? / If we already use the Mews booking engine, will we now have 2 booking engines after connecting the integration?

It's recommended to have a dedicated booking engine for Google Hotels so you can track reservations made in Google. It will be easier to manage if you have a Google-specific booking engine. This means you will have a second booking engine, which comes free of charge at Mews. The Google booking engine will be only visible in Google products.

How do I activate Google integration in Mews?

Start with this guide and it will offer you various Google related guides to cover all setup details https://help.mews.com/s/article/google-hotel-search-integration-setup?language=en_US

How do I connect my booking engine to the Google Hotel integration?

Please follow this guide - https://help.mews.com/s/article/google-hotel-search-integration-setup?language=en_US#Link5

How do I set up a Google hotel search travel agency contract?

Please follow the following guides:

Travel agency setup - https://help.mews.com/s/article/linking-mews-booking-engine-configurations-with-travel-agencies?language=en_US

How do I add Mews Booking engine to my property's website?

Please check this Mews booking engine guide - https://help.mews.com/s/article/how-to-set-up-and-configure-your-mews-booking-engine?language=en_US

Will my Booking engine directly connect to my Google business profile?

Google will match your Mews profile against Google Business profile by:

Business name
Business address
Phone number
Latitude and longitude

Once the profile is matched, Google will pull your Mews booking engine configuration and link it as an Official site.

Which rates should I share on Google?

There is no limitation on the number of rates you can offer via Google Hotel Search integration. But the more rates you offer, the more complicated it becomes to maintain price accuracy score. You need to make sure that there are no hidden costs, restrictions etc. When guests search on Google, it will always show the lowest rate, it won't display all rates. Google can show one rate or another based on cancellation policy or rate availability. So we would recommend to start with two rates- flexbile and non-refundable.

Step 4 explains how to connect room categories to rates. For example, you would like to sell only some specific space categories; and for other rates, you would like to offer all space categories. Or you would not like to sell certain space categories on Google at all.

Step 5 explains how to create a specific booking engine for Google Search. This will allow to assign Google as a reservation source so you can run Reservation report on it. This guide should help to set up a travel agency and booking engine - https://help.mews.com/s/article/linking-mews-booking-engine-configurations-with-travel-agencies?language=en_US

How much traffic does on average come to the website from Free Booking Links vs Paid Booking Links?

Please refer to this page for more information - https://www.phocuswire.com/What-Google-overhaul-of-hotel-booking-ads-really-means

How can I see (when link is not online) what kind of problems I have with the connection?

Mews is notified about such cases and able to check on the exact problem. In such cases, Mews Support team will reach out to you.

If we show live rates which are cheaper than OTA's, we get penalised in their systems. Can we show a discount code on the Google Business to circumvent this?

Everything else being equal, the best prices are usually shown on top. So, it is important to be able to send Google the best price for a room. The default rate shown is the cheapest rate for 2 adults. You can also use Google promotion API to show promotional rates: https://developers.google.com/hotels/hotel-prices/xml-reference/ari-promotions

Is Google Search just for Hotels that use Mews booking engine and how can we use it with booking engine partners like simple booking? / If we use Mews PMS but a different Booking Engine, will the Free Booking Links still work as described?

The integration allows to map only Mews booking engine. If you would like to use a third party booking engine, you will need to use them for the Google integration. Mews-Google direct integration does not support third party booking engines.

Previously this only seemed possible with a connectivity partner, is there a benefit of using a connectivity partner?

The only missing piece in Mews is managing Hotel ads bidding. Everything else can be managed via the Mews-Google direct integration. The benefit of Mews-Google direct is zero distribution cost, real guest details, secured payments and faster connection as there is no party in between. The direct integration gives you all the benefits of using Mews products that can be missing when you work with a third party.

Can you use the cost per click or cost per view ads functions also with the Mews integration?

No, it's not possible to manage Ads from Mews. For this, you will still need to use a third party integration or manage it directly in Google.

My google hotel search is disabled in Mews.

Most likely it's disabled because of poor accuracy score. Please check if Mews Support team contacted you. If not, please send an email to support@mews.com so they can investigate.

Can I replace my current hotel ads with channel manager integration with the free booking links to reduce the commission I paid?

You can move to Google-Mews direct integration to use Free booking links. However, the integration does not support ads bidding in case you would like to start bidding again.

Will #googlehotels stay FREE ?

Yes, neither Mews or Google plans on charging for Free booking links connection. Just make sure that your Mews package allows for enough integrations so you can add the Google Hotel Search integration.

Does it work equally in Chrome/Edge/Firebox/Safari browsers?

Hotel search is a web product that can be shown regardless of the user client configuration.

Our Google Free link (Official site) refers to REVATO (HotelsCombined) and not MEWS Distributor. Is it normal?

You just need to create a booking engine for Google Hotel Search and you will see it in the dropdown menu in your Google Hotel Search integration. Please follow these guides- https://help.mews.com/s/article/linking-mews-booking-engine-configurations-with-travel-agencies?language=en_US and https://help.mews.com/s/article/google-hotel-search-integration-setup?language=en_US#Link5

We have 2 Mews booking engines as we have 2 hostels combined in MEWS. Can we create 2 Google Hotel Search Integrations for each Booking Engine?

Each Google Hotel Search integration requires a unique business address/business account. If both hostels are in the same address, you can simply create one Google Hotel Search integration and one Mews booking engine.

It's not possible to connect two different hostels/businesses if they are on the same business adress because Google would have only one Business account for both.

After I activate the integration, how long does it take to activate on the Google search?

It takes up to 48 hours to get your profile matched with the Google Business account. As we have just released the integration, it might take longer.

Can you set up free booking links if you use a channel manager?

If you use a third party channel manager integration, you should check directly with them if they have an integration with Google. We would recommend you to try the Mews-Google direct integration as it comes at zero cost and gives you all the benefits of using Mews products that can be missing when you work with a third party.

With this integration do you specify the rate you want to show up or does it just automatically select the cheapest price?

Google automatically picks the lowest price from the distributed rates and it also takes cancellation policy and availability into account. For example, if you have 2 rates mapped in Mews-Google Hotel integration and both have same cancellation policy and availability, Google will show the lowest price/rate.

What are the benefits of adding this Google search integration?

Free clicks and incremental bookings. No commissions. The added possibility (no obligation and no interference) to augment that free traffic with Google ads.

Citytax is setup as a product here in Amsterdam. How do I send rates including citytax?

Please check this guide on city tax and packages setup - https://help.mews.com/s/article/google-hotel-search-packages-setup?language=en_US

Do I need the channel manager Id when I want to set up Google company?

This is an optional field, you can skip it.

At the moment we use a channel manager to apply restrictions to our online presence on ota's. That won't be possible because of the google - mews link, right?

A traditioanal channel manager integration and Google integration can run independently from each other. So restrictions won't affect each other.

Is the Google Hotel Search integration already available on Mews? What if I don't see the Google Hotel Search integration in my Mews marketplace?

You should be able to see Google Hotel Search integration in Mews Marketplace. If you can't see it for some reasons, please reach out to support@mews.com

I hear a lot of free possibilities. Do you anticipate in the near future that this is going to be a paid subscription? And what is then the near future.

Neither Mews or Google plan on charging for Free booking links connection. Just make sure that your Mews package allows for enough integrations so that you can add the Google Hotel Search integration.

Is Google going to do packages in the future?

There is a limited possibility to sell packages via Google and requires quite complex setup which you can read more about here - https://help.mews.com/s/article/google-hotel-search-packages-setup?language=en_US

Is our data protected if Google has access to our inventory?

Mews won't distribute any data before the integration is connected.

Hotel Insights is not available for Belgium. Any idea when this region will be added?

Thank you for the feedback, we'll work to expand to new countries.