Find answers to common questions about Google Vacation Rentals in Hostaway, including eligibility, listing visibility, booking flow, sync behavior, and setup requirements.
What is Google Vacation Rentals?
- Google Vacation Rentals is a channel that allows you to show your listings when people search for accommodation on Google
- Google Vacation Rentals appear next to hotels, and guests can go to the direct booking website (our Booking Website) to complete the booking
- Reservations will appear in the Hostaway Dashboard as Google reservations and will have the same options and details as Hostaway direct bookings.
What are the guidelines for the brand name & logo to be approved by Google?
- The logo must be square, at least 72x72 pixels, in PNG format, with a transparent or non-white background, and no more than three letters
- The name must be user-friendly (no: shortTermRentalzHouston or forestcottage, yes: Blue Lake Cabins, Miami Beach Rentals), should be mostly text, and not numbers, and capitalized when suitable
Can pricing or specific rules be added to Google?
No, Google uses the Booking Website, so all the Booking Website settings also apply to Google reservations.
Can I switch between two booking websites on Google VR?
For example, unpublish the current one and publish the second booking website with its listings.
Answer: Google VR can only be connected to one Booking Website at a time. Therefore, it is not possible to switch between two booking websites.
Since Google reservations come from the Booking Website, how does Hostaway distinguish between a Booking Website reservation and a Google reservation?
We use URL parameters for that, which means that some guests who arrive from Google may be marked as Booking Website reservations if they do not book immediately. The other way around is not possible.
How to capture Google Vacation Rentals payments?
Auto-payments need to be set up for Google so that guests are charged correctly.
Read more about Hostaway: Auto-payments.
My pictures set in Hostaway are not the same as in Google; why?
Please note that Google will reorder the pictures. This is the same for the main image. This cannot be changed at the moment.
To update the photos on your listing, go to the Listings tab in Hostaway, select the listing you want to update, and then click on the Photos section to add, remove, or reorder the images as desired. However, please note that Google does not respect the order of the photos set in Hostaway. The primary photo shown on Google will be determined by Google's own algorithms and may not match the order you have set in Hostaway.
How can I see how my listings look on Google once they are published?
- Go to your Hostaway Dashboard > Listings > Click on the Google icon next to the listing
- You can also do this from the Monthly Calendar
- You will be taken to the listing as it appears on Google
Please note that the link to the Google icon will take you to might not display the price & availability of the listing. To find this information, you may search for the listing at https://www.google.com/travel/
How can I create a Booking Website for my listings to be shared in Google VR without compromising my WordPress site?
- The Hostaway Booking Website will not affect the WordPress site
- However, for Google VR to work, the listings must be live on the Hostaway Booking Website
- This means that the Hostaway Booking Website Hostaway site and WordPress will be available on the Internet. However, it will be hard for guests to find the Hostaway site unless they have the exact link. It will not be in the first few pages of results.
How long does it take for my Hostaway listings to be indexed on Google Vacation Rentals?
- It typically takes 2-3 weeks for Hostaway listings to be fully indexed by Google after being exported to the Google Vacation Rentals channel.
Why are my listings no longer appearing on Google Search from European (EEA) countries?
Starting September 8, 2026, Google removed the Vacation Rentals unit from its Search results page for users in European Economic Area (EEA) countries. This is part of Google's compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and is a Google-side change — it is not an issue with your listing, your account, or your Hostaway connection.
- Guests searching from EEA countries will no longer see the Vacation Rentals unit on Google Search, so you may see fewer impressions, clicks, and bookings originating from Google.
- Listings may look "missing" from Google Search to anyone testing from an EEA country; this is expected behavior.
- Search continues to work normally in non-EEA countries, and your integration, feed delivery, and listing sync are unchanged.
- No action is required from you. Google has not provided a timeline for a replacement experience in the EEA.