What is Google HPA and how does it work?

Google has been working on hotel-specific ads since about 2010, but this ad product has evolved over the years and in 2018 has really exploded, growing 65%, according to Google.  The current version of this product and the audience size are relatively new.  By some estimates they may have passed TripAdvisor, which has long claimed to be the "world's largest travel site".  Despite not being a traditional "travel site", their role in the industry is likely to get bigger.  As hotels look to reduce commissions and sell more rooms direct, this channel becomes even more important for boutique hotels.  Below are some more details and a quick informative VIDEO.  

If you are not familiar, Metasearch refers to the websites that aggregate hotel rates and availability from various sites so that consumers can compare rates and reviews from different bookings sites. They will typically pull in rates from OTAs and direct booking engines and once the consumer clicks, they end up booking their room on that particular website. For hotels, it gets their inventory in front of more consumers and the booking site (OTA or Hotel) pays on a Pay-Per-Click model.

Google HPA has a pay per click model and also a percentage of revenue. In some ways this is just another form of Search Engine Marketing, but instead of a regular Google ad (with a bit of text and link) this ad format allows the consumer to put in dates and see availability, location, pictures, and then click to make their booking.

This ad format will display when the consumer goes to Google and searches for a hotel with a phrase like "Hotels in New York City" and it works for almost any city in the world.  You should still think about other Google keywords, but you will notice that almost any keyword that starts with "hotel" will bring up HPA at the top and take up a lot of real estate.

Getting your hotel fully connected requires a connection with your booking engine, so you will need a compatible booking engine and a little technical help.  Click the video below to see costs and other information about Google HPA. 

 

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