In today’s competitive hospitality industry, maximizing direct bookings is key to boosting your hotel’s revenue and reducing commission costs. Google’s “Official Website” badge on its Metasearch platform helps you achieve just that by highlighting your hotel’s direct booking link.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

• What the “Official Website” badge is.
• Why it matters for your hotel.
• How CultBooking can seamlessly integrate your website with Google Metasearch to unlock its full potential.

What is Google Metasearch?

When potential guests search for your hotel on Google, they often see a rate comparison table under the “All options”section of your Google Business Profile. This feature, known as Google Metasearch, displays pricing and availability from:

• OTAs (Online Travel Agencies): Platforms like Booking.com and Expedia.
• Your Official Website: The direct link to your booking engine.

Here’s an example of how it looks:

Google Metasearch: Unlocking the Power of the Official Website Badge for Your Hotel with CultBooking

By clicking “View More”, users can compare rates across platforms and choose the option that suits them best. Google adds the “Official Website” badge to your direct link, signaling that it’s the trusted source for booking directly with your hotel.

• • (a comparison tool for rates and availability across different platforms like Booking.com, Expedia, and your official website).

• • Google adds an “Official Website” badge next to your hotel’s direct booking link. This badge helps users identify your own website as the trusted and authentic source to book directly with your hotel.

1. Who Controls This Badge?
   • Google automatically inserts this badge for your direct booking link as part of how they display search results on Google Metasearch.
   • This is part of Google’s system, and it cannot be removed or customized. It is their way of ensuring transparency and trust for users looking to book a hotel stay.

So, we can not control it, modify it or eliminate it. This is the way Google is communicating with guests and showing them they get direct bookings and the best value from the property.

1. Why is This Important for Your Hotel?
   • The “Official Website” badge encourages travelers to book directly with you, bypassing third-party booking platforms (like OTAs) that charge high commission fees.

What are OTAs? Booking platforms, where you pay a commission as you previously made a contract with them and you work with them for a long time by now. Here are few examples:

Here is what a search on Google reveals about main OTAs:

• • It reassures guests that they are dealing directly with your hotel for:

# accurate information and branded. Here you have your own logo, address, and much more, it can be fully customized also with colors to match your own brand:

# better rates, or unique offers:

1. How Does CultBooking Help You with This?
   • CultBooking is an official and legitimate Google partner, fully integrated as a Booking Engine and Channel Manager. This means:
     • Your website is connected seamlessly to Google Metasearch, ensuring that your direct rates and availability are always accurate and displayed prominently.

So, we do this integration automatically via our technical partnership and we do not need the login user and password or any user invitation inside your Google Business account. As trusted partner Google enables us to do this for you.

We always recommend, you have a direct contract with CultBooking or our International Partners. Our partner in Africa will help you and provide all documents needed and confirmation letters via email and as PDF as requested and as needed:

Here is a complete explanation about it from Google itself via a YouTube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaYkr4B-8Ls

Here is recommendation from Google:

New hotels and booking partners

‘’ If you are a hotel owner that uses a reservation system (similar to OTA and Booking Engine), you may already be connected to Google through your provider.

Check with them, and they can set up your booking links for you.’’

https://travel.google/partners/hotels/

Here is more about Google Integration:

• • • CultBooking optimizes the technical integration, so your Official Website link performs smoothly alongside OTAs.

Find official partner of Google as well:

https://travel.google/partners/hotels/find-a-partner/

You can see CultBooking inside Official Partners Google:

As of 04 Dec 2024: there are 294 Google Partners and CultBooking is one of them:

• • • CultBooking helps you stay competitive by reducing dependency on OTAs, promoting direct bookings, and saving you commission costs.

1. What Do You Need to Do?
   • As the hotel owner, you just need to ensure that:
     • Your rates and availability are updated regularly through your Booking Engine or Channel Manager (CultBooking handles this).

Here is the calendar to control this:

Also, here is a video that shows how to do it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQfHaasUoeE

• • • You take advantage of the trust and visibility that the “Official Website” badge provides by promoting direct bookings on your website.

Key Benefits Recap for the Hotel

• Build trust with guests by being clearly labeled as the “Official Website.”
• Boost direct bookings, reducing reliance on OTAs.
• Leverage CultBooking’s technology to manage your Google Metasearch integration effortlessly and maintain competitiveness.