Do you run a hotel, a holiday cottage, a B&B or a holiday rental? Your Google profile works a little differently from a shop’s. The main difference: you cannot write your property’s description yourself. Google composes it from the profile information and the reviews. What then matters most are your amenities.
Here is why they matter, which ones to fill in, and how to do it without mistakes.
An accommodation profile is not like any other
For accommodation, Google displays specific information: check-in and check-out times, amenities, services, policies (pets, non-smoking)… Google’s help on managing your hotel information explains that these amenities are filled in in a dedicated section, and that a verified profile is required to edit them.
This information plays a double role:
- it answers the filters travellers apply: “pool”, “pets allowed”, “free parking”, “wheelchair accessible”;
- it feeds the presentation Google makes of your property, since you cannot write the description yourself.
An amenity you offer but have not declared is a filtered search you are excluded from.
The amenities that matter most
Depending on the type of accommodation, some amenities weigh particularly heavily in travellers’ choices:
- Pool (indoor, outdoor), hot tub, paddling pool for children;
- wellness: spa, sauna, massages, gym;
- Wi-Fi, specifying whether it is free;
- parking, free or not, and charging points for electric vehicles;
- pets allowed, with or without a supplement;
- families: child-friendly, activities, kids’ club;
- meals: breakfast (included or not), restaurant, bar;
- accessibility for people with reduced mobility;
- activities: bikes, tennis, horse riding, beach access;
- rules: non-smoking property, check-in and check-out times.
Yes, no, or “depending on the season”
For each amenity, there are three possible situations: you offer it, you do not, or it depends on the season (a pool open from May to September, for example). Google lets you indicate this nuance: it is better than a “yes” that will disappoint the guest arriving in February.
And if you do not know? Leave it “not specified” rather than guessing. Wrong information produces negative reviews; missing information is simply neutral.
Your reviews already say what you offer
A rarely used lead: your guests describe your amenities in their reviews. “The hot tub at sunset was magical”, “perfect with our dog”, “handy parking right outside the cottage”… These sentences are all clues about the amenities to declare. Your website too, often more complete than your profile.
Rereading your reviews with this in mind often reveals forgotten amenities, which you can then declare knowing that guests appreciate them.
An example: the holiday cottage that forgot its hot tub
Take a group holiday cottage in the Pyrenees. Its Google profile lists Wi-Fi and the pool, nothing more. Rereading the reviews, the owner discovers that guests regularly mention the hot tub, the pétanque court, the barbecue, the welcome given to dogs and the charging point installed last year. None of these amenities is declared on Google.
Once this information is added (with “depending on the season” for the pool), the cottage appears in searches filtered on pets allowed or EV charging, and the presentation Google makes of the property finally reflects what guests appreciate most.
Think about travellers with disabilities too
Accessibility is a decisive criterion for some travellers, and an information obligation for you. If your property is wheelchair accessible, if your car park or your pool are, say so. If not, fill in “no” rather than leaving any doubt: a traveller who needs this information prefers to know before booking.
Mistakes to avoid
- Declaring an amenity you no longer have (a closed spa, a restaurant that has stopped): guests will point it out in their reviews.
- Forgetting seasonality: a pool advertised without any detail creates expectations in winter.
- Neglecting check-in and check-out times: it is one of the first things travellers look for.
- Thinking the description will make up for it: for accommodation, you cannot edit it.
For the rest of the profile (photos, reviews, categories), our guide to optimizing a Google profile also applies to accommodation, and your replies to reviews matter particularly in tourism.
Update with every change
A new amenity (charging point, sauna, bikes available) or, on the contrary, a service that has stopped: remember to update your profile the same day. Take the opportunity to publish a post announcing it, and add a photo of the amenity. Travellers compare several properties before booking: a visible, recent amenity can tip the balance.
How Replik helps you
If Google recognizes your profile as accommodation, Replik’s profile management displays an “Accommodation amenities” section:
- around 60 amenities grouped into themes (pool, wellness, internet, parking, pets, families, meals, services, activities, transport, accessibility, rules), each one set to yes, no, depending on the season or not specified;
- check-in and check-out times;
- a “Suggest with AI” button: Replik reads your website and your latest reviews, spots the amenities you clearly offer and ticks them for you, with the sentence that proves it. AI never suggests a “no” and never guesses: you check, then you save.
Only the amenities you change are sent to Google, and editing your profile is free. Replik also alerts you if Google changes your information, as we explain in the article on changes made by Google.
In short
For accommodation, the description is not in your hands: your amenities are. Declare everything you really offer, specify seasonality, leave blank what you are not sure about, and use your reviews so as not to forget anything. Start with the free audit of your profile to see where you stand.