How to list your holiday rental on Google My Business
August 2026
Is your holiday rental listed on Google My Business yet? If not, why not? This giant tech company has a near-monopoly on web searches, so if you’re not listed, you could be missing out on huge amounts of business. Here’s what you need to do.
What is Google My Business?
You’ve almost certainly seen Google My Business in action before – even if you didn’t know it at the time. Essentially, Google My Business (GMB) is like a modern version of the yellow pages. Registered businesses can create a profile, which contains essential information like contact details, opening hours, photos and more.
How to use Google My Business
When someone searches Google – either for your business specifically, or for holiday rentals in your area – your GMB page will pop up. It will also appear when someone is using Google Maps, looking for a holiday rental that way.
Most users never actually log onto Google My Business. It’s part of Google’s meta-search for flats and other businesses, so the GMB pages will appear as part of standard Google search results.
What are the requirements for Google My Business for holiday rentals?
Google doesn’t usually have a lot of criteria for listing a business on GMB. All you need to have is someone who serves customers – whether in-person, online or over the phone – during business hours.
However, if you want to list a holiday rental, there are a couple of extra requirements. In fact, the requirements are exactly the same as for hotels, so your property will also appear in a Google hotel search. You will need two things:
- A permanent sign at the entrance the property with your business name
- A 24-hour reception service
This service does not require someone to be physically sitting in a reception area at all times. A phone reception service is acceptable.
How to list your holiday rental on Google My Business
To list a business on Google, you’ll first need a Google profile. It’s a good idea to create a fresh one for your business, rather than using your own personal profile; in the future, you may need someone else to log into the account.
Look for the Add Your Business button in your account. You’ll need to fill in the following information:
- Business name
- Type of business. This can be quite specific, with categories including bed and breakfast, tourist apartments, cabin rentals, non-smoking vacation homes, and more.
- Address
- Phone number
- Email address
- Website
- List of services offered
You’ll also need to choose a verification method. The most common is postal verification, which proves that your address is correct. Google will send a letter containing a code to your listed address. You then enter the code online to verify your listing.
How to optimise your Google holiday rental listing
Now that your business is listed on GMB, it’s time to make it stand out from the competition. A well-designed GMB profile will encourage more people to rent your house for holidays.
On some holiday rental platforms, you can pay a fee for a better spot in search results. That’s not the case on GMB; there is no option for paid optimisation, so you’ll just have to improve your listing. Here are some methods to optimise your profile to advertise your holiday home:
- Make sure you have plenty of nice photos. Remember, guests can also upload photos to your listing.
- Upload a video. GMB allows videos that are up to 30 seconds long and up to 100 MB in file size.
- Add the specific services that you offer to your listing. Remember, people are searching for something in particular. The more services and amenities you can add, the better.
- Put a couple of different contact methods. As well as a phone number for calls, you can list a number for WhatsApp messages. The more instant contact options, the better. Many guests prefer to send a message rather than making a phone call.
Your listing should link to your holiday rental website. This means that the guests you get from GMB will book with you directly. That’s an added bonus, as you won’t have to worry about paying commission to a holiday rental portal.
How do reviews work on Google My Business?
One important feature of GMB is this: your guest reviews will appear on your listing. That can be a blessing or a curse, depending on your average ratings.
Your listing will show your average score, from 0 to 5 stars. The Google algorithm will also highlight some reviews to appear in your search results. The Google algorithm tends to favour longer reviews, pushing them higher up in visibility.
Guests can upload their own photos and videos of your holiday rental when they write a review. These photos don’t just stay attached to the review; they’ll appear on your main GMB listing. Because of this, it’s a good idea to ensure you have lots of your own photos uploaded. You can control the quality of your own pictures, while guests can upload photos that may not be entirely representative of your business.
What can you do if you get a negative review on Google My Business?
GMB does not allow you to remove negative reviews unless you have a good reason. However, you can reply to all the reviews that people leave on your listing. Keep in mind that other potential guests will see your replies, so make sure you maintain a polite, professional tone.
You do have the option to flag a review as inappropriate. Google staff will then check it and remove it if your complaint is valid. They only tend to do this in extreme situations – such as in the case of fake reviews, or if the reviewer uses abusive or highly offensive language.
If you flag a review as inappropriate and Google disagrees, you can appeal the decision. You will need to contact Google customer support for further assistance.
Be sure to take reviews seriously on Google My Business. This is an extremely powerful platform, as your property will be visible to everyone on the world’s largest search engine. As a conscientious landlord, you should respond to all your GMB reviews. Thank guests who’ve left a positive comment, and politely acknowledge any issues flagged by negative reviews.
Google My Business can be extremely helpful to any holiday rental landlord looking to expand their reach. With a well-crafted profile, you can get thousands of eyes on your listing. Don’t neglect this valuable platform for holiday rental searches.