Google Business Profile for hotels: how to show up on Google Maps.

What is a Google Business Profile, and why does a hotel need one?

A Google Business Profile is the free listing that shows a business on Google Search and Google Maps, with its address, photos, reviews and contact details. Many people still search for it by its old name, Google My Business.

For a hotel, it is often the first thing a guest sees: when they search for your name, look at a map of the area or ask for "hotels near me". Google's own hotel playbook reports, from Google internal data, that businesses with complete profiles receive 7 times more clicks, and that businesses that add photos receive 42% more requests for directions and 35% more clicks through to their websites (Google, Hotels GBP Best Practices Playbook 2026).

How does Google decide which hotels to show on Maps?

Google says local results are mainly based on three factors (Google Business Profile Help):

• Relevance: how well your profile matches what someone is searching for. Complete and detailed information helps.
• Distance: how far your hotel is from the person searching. If they don't share where they are, Google uses what it knows about their location.
• Prominence: how well-known your business is. Google says this is also based on information like how many websites link to your business and how many reviews you have, and that more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking.

Google is clear on one more point: "There's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google." What you can do is verify the profile and keep it complete and accurate. Google notes that businesses with complete and accurate information are more likely to show up in local search results (same source).

Which name and category should your hotel use?

The name must be your real-world name, as on your sign. Google's guidelines say that including unnecessary information in your business name isn't permitted and could result in the suspension of your profile. Their example: "Holiday Inn Salem" is acceptable, but adding location details to the name is not (Google Business Profile guidelines). So no "Sea View Hotel Rhodes Best Price".

The category decides in which searches you appear. Google sorts lodging into hotels, vacation rentals and outdoor lodging. A property counts as a hotel or a related category if it has a front desk or on-site management, accepts overnight guests and has its address listed publicly. If the answer to any of these is no, it is likely a vacation rental or outdoor lodging. Google also notes that the name of your business does not decide the category: a "Main Street Hotel" may be an inn or a bed and breakfast (Google Hotel Center Help).

If your hotel has a restaurant, bar or spa that people can visit without staying with you, it can have its own profile. Google's guidelines list a restaurant, café or bar inside a hotel among the businesses that should each have their own profile, (Google Business Profile guidelines), and you can ask Google support to link them to the hotel with a "located in" relation (Google Business Profile Help).

What hotel details can you edit?

Hotels have their own section in the profile. According to Google (Google Business Profile Help):

Go through the amenities one by one. A guest filtering for a pool, parking or free Wi-Fi should not miss you because a box was left empty.

What should you post on your profile?

Photos and videos of the rooms, the views, the breakfast, the pool, the entrance and the surroundings. Google's playbook advises showing your room types, on-property amenities and services, so use real, recent photos.

Posts keep the profile current. Google's playbook suggests posting at least once a week, with a good visual, a description and a date, and using update and event posts. One limit matters for hotels: they can't create "offer" posts, or any post that mentions or links to deals, promotions, special offers or discounts (Google, Hotels GBP Best Practices Playbook 2026). Write about what is happening at the hotel and in the area instead: a new menu, the opening date of the season, a local festival.

The playbook also suggests adding your social media links and a WhatsApp or text message number, so guests can reach you directly from the profile.

How do reviews affect your profile?

Reviews count towards prominence, and your replies are visible to everyone who looks at the profile. Google advises replying to reviews, because it shows that you value customer feedback (Google Business Profile Help). For the hard ones, read how to reply to a bad hotel review.

The profile also sends guests to your website. If that is where you want bookings to end up, check why hotel websites lose direct bookings, including how free booking links work.

How do you keep control of your profile?

Many hotels discover the problem only when they need to change something: the profile was set up by a former employee or an outside partner, and nobody at the hotel can log in.

• Verify the profile. Google says that only a verified business can edit its information and interact with customers. Google assigns the verification method based on your category, and its playbook notes that verification review can take up to 5 business days.
• Claim it if someone else has it. If your hotel already appears on Maps but you don't have access, you can request ownership.
• Add more than one manager. A profile can have several managers but only one primary owner, and ownership can be transferred when staff change (Google, Hotels GBP Best Practices Playbook 2026). Check the list of people with access every season.

A checklist before the next season

1. The profile is verified, and at least two people from the hotel have access.
2. The name is exactly as on your sign, with nothing added.
3. The category is right (hotel, resort hotel, aparthotel, bed and breakfast or another lodging category).
4. Address, phone, website and check-in and check-out times are correct.
5. All amenities are filled in, and the highlights are correct.
6. There are recent photos of every room type, the common areas and the surroundings.
7. You publish a post at least once a week in season.
8. Every review gets a reply.

Vibrande is a digital marketing agency in Rhodes, Greece, working mostly with hotels and hospitality brands across Rhodes and the Dodecanese. If you want your hotel to be found more easily on Google, our Website & SEO service includes the SEO work behind it. Tell us where you're at.