Paid and free channels
Google Free Booking Links: How to Get Your Hotel Listed for Free
Free booking links show your hotel's room rate on Google, with a link to your own booking page, and Google charges nothing for the clicks. Hotels cannot connect to Google directly. You need a connectivity partner, such as a booking engine, channel manager or property management system, to send your rates and availability.
When a traveler searches for a hotel on Google, the prices they see are often from booking sites. Free booking links put your own booking page in that comparison without a bid or a per-click fee. This guide explains how they work and how an independent hotel gets on them. Everything about how they work is from Google's own Hotel Center Help pages.
What are Google's free booking links?
Google describes free booking links as links that show your site name or hotel name with the room rate for the traveler's chosen dates, and send them to your landing page at no cost. They appear across Google when people search for hotels, and they can appear alongside paid hotel ads in Google's booking module. The details are on Google's free booking links page.
What do free booking links cost?
Google says there is no cost for clicks on free booking links, and that it collects no payment for placement or for user engagement. It also says free links are ranked on signals such as consumer preference, the value offered to the user, landing page experience and how accurate your past prices were, not on bids. Bidding does not improve their position, and taking part in paid ads does not change where a free link ranks. So you cannot pay to move up.
You may still pay a provider for the tools that send your rates to Google, so ask what your plan includes.
How does a hotel get listed?
Google's guide for hotel owners has three steps: identify your hotel, share your rates, and, optionally, run hotel ads. The catch is step two. Google says direct integration is currently unavailable due to high demand, so hotels cannot send rates to Google themselves. They must use a connectivity partner: a central reservation system, an internet booking engine, a channel manager or a property management system (Hotel Center Help: share your rates).
- Claim and complete your Google Business Profile. This is how Google identifies your hotel (Hotel Center Help: get started).
- Ask your booking engine, channel manager or PMS provider whether it is connected to Google, and to start sending your rates and availability. If it is not connected, ask it to follow Google's starter guide, or find a partner in Google's directory.
- Check eligibility. Google says listings from booking partners that have a Hotel Center account and take part in Hotel Ads are already eligible for free booking links (Hotel Center Help: free booking links).
- Consider paid Hotel Ads later. They are optional.
How do you see what free booking links bring?
Google says partners with access to Hotel Center can see performance on its Reports page. You can also track clicks in third-party analytics by adding dynamic landing page variables to your links. Reports are in Hotel Center, so ask your provider whether they can share them with you, and set up tracking so bookings show which channel they came from.
Does the price on a free booking link have to include fees?
The FTC's Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees has applied since May 12, 2025. It requires businesses that advertise short-term lodging to show the total price, including mandatory fees, up front (FTC). The rates you send to Google and the price on your booking page should follow it. Check ftc.gov and ask your lawyer how it applies to your hotel.
How do free booking links differ from paid Hotel Ads?
| Item | Free booking links | Paid Hotel Ads |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of a click | None, per Google | You pay for the ads |
| How they are ranked | By signals such as user preference and price accuracy | Advertisers can bid to rank higher |
| Do bids change position? | No | Yes, advertisers can bid for a higher rank |
Source: Google Hotel Center Help. Paid Hotel Ads costs depend on your setup.
Why do free links matter for direct bookings?
Cloudbeds found that OTAs made up 52.7% of independent hotel bookings in North America in 2025. A free link puts your own booking page next to the booking sites in Google's results, at no cost per click. Every guest who books there costs you far less than one from a booking site, as the sums in direct booking vs OTA: what each booking really costs show, and our guide to the real cost of an OTA booking explains why. MarginStay also runs Google Hotel Ads and other channels that send guests to your own booking page. See our channels.
MarginStay helps independent hotels bring in direct bookings, so we have a stake in this topic. How free booking links work is from Google's Hotel Center Help pages, which can change, so check them before you act.
Free booking links: quick answers
Are Google free booking links really free?
Yes for clicks and placement. Google says there is no cost for clicks on free booking links and that it collects no payment for placement or user engagement. You may still pay your booking engine or channel manager for their service, so ask what your plan includes.
Do I need Google Hotel Ads to get free booking links?
Google says listings from booking partners with a Hotel Center account that take part in Hotel Ads are already eligible for free booking links. New partners connect through a starter guide. Paying for ads is optional, and Google says bids have no impact on where a free link ranks.
Can a hotel connect to Google directly?
No. Google says direct integration is currently unavailable due to high demand. Hotels share rates and availability through a connectivity partner: a booking engine, channel manager, property management system or central reservation system. Ask your provider to connect you.
How do I track bookings from free booking links?
Hotel Center shows free booking link performance on its Reports page for partners with access. Google also says you can track clicks in third-party analytics by adding dynamic landing page variables to your links. Set this up so each booking shows which channel it came from.
Does the price on my free booking link have to include fees?
The FTC's fee rule, in effect since May 12, 2025, requires total-price disclosure for short-term lodging, including mandatory fees. Make sure the rate you send to Google and your booking page show the total price. Check ftc.gov and ask your lawyer how it applies to your hotel.
Want direct bookings from Google and beyond?
Talk to us about getting guests from Google, Instagram and email to book on your own website.
Sources
- Google Hotel Center Help: About hotel free booking links
- Google Hotel Center Help: Getting free booking links
- Google Hotel Center Help: Hotel owners, how to get started on Google
- Google Hotel Center Help: Hotel owners, share your rates
- FTC: Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees takes effect May 12, 2025
- PhocusWire: Independent hotel reliance on OTAs increased in 2025