INTRODUCTION
According to Statista, Google is the leading search engine in the United States, with more than 60 percent of the market share. That means people searching for your hotel online are likely using Google to do it.
That’s why it’s important to set up a Google My Business page for your hotel. It gives you control over the information potential guests see about your hotel (e.g. services and amenities, contact information, photos) across Google products like Search and Maps. Plus, you can manage reviews, gather customer insights and review traffic metrics.
Following are some tips on how to set up a Google Business page for your hotel, resort or bed and breakfast.
HOW TO REGISTER FOR A GOOGLE MY BUSINESS ACCOUNT
To set up a Google My Business page, visit
https://www.google.com/business/ and sign in to the Google account for your hotel or create one. Then enter the name of your hotel and click “next.”
From there, you will enter the address of your hotel, select the business category (e.g. hotel, bed & breakfast) and enter the phone number and website URL. If your hotel doesn’t have a website, you will be able to create one in Google My Business once you’ve set up your account.
To activate your listing, you must verify your connection to the hotel. There are a few options, including verification by mail or by phone. If you select mail, you will receive a postcard with a 5-digit code within 14 business days. If you choose to verify by phone, you will receive an automated call with the verification code right away.
Once you enter the code, your listing will appear on Google and you will be able to manage your account.
HOW TO MANAGE A GOOGLE BUSINESS PAGE FOR YOUR HOTEL
Once your account is up and running, you should log back in to complete your listing. Select “My Business” from the menu and click on your property to update your page. You will be taken to the home page where you will see various tabs on the left side of the screen.
Click “Info” to add more information about your hotel–the more complete, the better. For instance, you can add hours of operation, an opening date and hotel attributes like room features, policies and payments, parking and transportation and more.
The “Photos” tab allows you to add images to your listing. You can upload a custom logo, choose a cover photo and even add a video to tell a story about your hotel. The cover photo will appear as your preferred photo in Search and Maps, so be sure to select an image that showcases the personality of your business. You may also add additional photos of your property by clicking the “+” button.
Eventually, you will be able to use the “Insights” and “Reviews” tabs to get performance data about your listing (e.g. number of Google searches, website visits and calls) and to view feedback from your guests.
To respond to reviews, click on the tab and hit “reply” under the review. It is important to respond to all reviews, good or bad, to maintain your reputation and to show guests that their input is important to you.