Google uses different categories to help people understand what kind of lodging they’ll find at a given location. By picking the right category for your business, you can help the right customers find you.
Lodging accommodations fall into 3 distinct categories: hotels, vacation rentals, or outdoor lodging.
You can determine your lodging category by asking these questions. Does your business:
- Have a front desk or on-site management?
- Accept overnight guests?
- Have their property and business address listed publicly?
If you answer “yes” to all of these questions, your business is a hotel or a related category. If you answer “no” to any of these questions, your business is likely a vacation rental or outdoor lodging.
If you don't know if your lodging business is a hotel, vacation rental, or outdoor lodging, check the categories below to find the best fit for your business.
Hotel properties on Google
For your hotel property to be eligible on Google, your business should be able to accept overnight guests and must have a front desk and a manager or owner on-site. Your property should also have your business address and property name listed publicly.
- Has a front desk that may have limited operating hours
- Accepts guests for overnight stays
- Rooms arranged in low buildings
- Parking directly outside the guest room
- Cater to travelers with a common interest or age group
- Require a membership
- Offer private rooms for families or groups
- Extra amenities like beach access, skiing, or spa treatments
- Restaurants or all-inclusive dining options
- Athletic or social activities
- A front desk or host on-site
- A single building or several cottages
- Nature-related activities like hiking, fishing, kayaking, canoeing, or skiing
- Shared facilities, like kitchens, bathrooms, and other amenities
- Plumbing or climate control that may or may not be on-grid
- Options for travelers to camp in a tent or bring their recreational vehicle
- An individual kitchen
- A front desk with limited operating hours
- Open for overnight guests
- Oriented around privacy for romantic activities
- Also offers lodging
- Uses fewer than 20 rooms for lodging
- The owner or manager present
- A shared kitchen or provides home-cooked meals
- Provides overnight stays
- Has the owner or management on-site
- Has workers or farmhands present
- Locations in both rural and urban areas
- Amenities that range from basic to luxurious
- A bed or a futon for sleeping
- Compact sleeping spaces arranged in rows and often stacked
- Shared amenities, like lockers and bathrooms
- Found within a religious property such as a church, temple, monastery, or dharamshala
- Associated with a religion, but it doesn’t require guests to practice any religion
- Be family-run
- Have tatami mat flooring
- Offer a futon for sleeping
A Holiday park consists of multiple dwellings, such as bungalows, cottages, cabins, or mobile homes, within an enclosed area and:
- Must offer at least one shared facility or amenity (for example, a swimming pool, communal bathroom, or reception area)
- Usually doesn’t have on-site personnel
- Must have at least one of the following (on or off-grid): plumbing, electricity, or climate control
Vacation rental (VR) properties on Google
For your vacation rental property to be eligible on Google, your property must provide a furnished space that’s private to the guest who’s renting it. A vacation rental must also accept short-term, overnight reservations and be managed and cleaned in-between stays.
Vacation rental (VR) categories
- Is located in a multi-unit building or complex
- Has other residents living within the area
- A front porch
- A sloping roof
- Built with logs or wood
- Located by the forest or mountains
- Found in locations popular for skiing
- Used as a summer home
- Located in rural areas
- Near a lake or a beach
- Found in rural, countryside locations
- A converted cottage or barn
- Near a primary residence
- Stay in villas or apartments co-located with other residences
- Have access to a central area with shops, entertainment, and amenities
- A wall (like a duplex)
- An outdoor space
- Indoor and outdoor spaces
- Large gardens
- A swimming pool
- Your property is a lodging business
- Doesn’t fall under any of the categories mentioned
Outdoor lodging on Google
Outdoor lodging properties with an open area for tents or a simple roof and walls where guests can sleep are not eligible on Google. An outdoor lodging property doesn’t have climate control or indoor plumbing in the units, but it may have them in shared facilities, like communal washrooms.
Outdoor lodging categories
- A stay in a simple structure or tents
- Communal areas, like washrooms and recreation spaces
- Amenities, like a beach or a lake
- Bring their RVs
- Park overnight
- Ranges from sailboats to luxury yachts
- Remains moored to the dock when guests are visiting
