Worldwide: Property management tech company Guestline has partnered with Google to allow hoteliers to add rates and inventory directly on Google.
The partnership forms part of Google’s latest release of free hotel booking links. When users now search for hotels on Google, a property’s booking site appears across Google Search and Google Maps.
Hoteliers do not pay a fee for free bookings links, which display the hotel name and room rates. When clicked, users are directed to the booking page nominated by the hotelier.
For Guestline clients, bookings will be facilitated by the company’s booking engine which is directly integrated into the hotel’s Guestline PMS. It will enable hoteliers to capture the direct market.
Chris Jones, product manager at Guestline, said: “2022 looks set to be the year when hoteliers really sharpen the focus on direct business. The last two years have seen hoteliers prove their mettle and the appetite to capitalise on the direct channel is stronger than ever.
“Our new connectivity partnership with Google and this direct connection to their free booking links offers hoteliers a solution that will enable them to realise that ambition. Not only with the opportunity to improve search listings but also the ability to deliver an enhanced and integrated guest experience that takes them seamlessly from search to booking via our PMS.
“It has been built with a guest and hotelier-first approach, to deliver a host of benefits. Not least an increase in direct bookings and revenues but also the opportunity to own the guest relationship and the guest journey end-to-end. From the outset hoteliers have more autonomy and can have full ownership of the guest data, rather than via an often costly third-party OTA. Higher engagement also presents more opportunities for up-selling and guest loyalty.
“With the focus it places on integration and price parity between the search price and bookable price coupled with its growth in the ever-advancing metasearch market, Google was the clear choice when it came to selecting a search partner and developing a search product that was fit for purpose in the direct market. We look forward to working with hoteliers to build their search and listings capabilities now and in the future.”
Further information about Guestline’s partnership with Google can be found here.
Guestline provides property management, guest engagement and distribution software to the hospitality industry. Leveraging cloud technology, the group powers independent hotels and small hotel groups and its PMS can be integrated with nearly 200 third-party solutions.
