In March, Google added vacation rental properties to its Hotel Search function, and it’s now adding the first vacation rental management brand to the mix through a partnership with Vacasa.
Portland-based Vacasa, which bills itself as North America’s largest vacation rental management platform with 14,000 properties, joins the roster alongside existing partners such as Expedia, HomeAway, Vrbo, RedAwning and TripAdvisor.
(Airbnb and Booking Holdings’ brands remain unintegrated with the function.)
Through a direct API, travelers can search and book homes managed by Vacasa on Google. The vacation rentals appear in an interactive map alongside hotel results, and when a home is selected, the booking takes place on Vacasa’s website.
“Partnering with Google to make the homes we manage available through the search engine is yet another way for us to drive exceptional financial returns for our homeowners,” says Eric Breon, Vacasa founder and CEO.
Subscribe to our newsletter below
“Travelers who are accustomed to staying in a hotel may now consider alternative accommodations, such as a Vacasa vacation rental, as our unique, professionally managed rentals will appear within their Google search."
Earlier this year, a Google spokesperson said vacation rental listings are “organically ranked, based on relevancy for the user.
“We show each listing individually with a name, description, reviews, content, price and booking link from only one partner. The reason is that it's often difficult to determine that two listings on two sites are definitely the same.”
In addition to Vacasa.com, Vacasa’s listings appear on platforms such as Airbnb, Vrbo, Expedia and Booking.com.
In July, Wyndham Destinations offloaded its last Vacation Rentals division to Vacasa for $162 million.
When the deal closes, Vacasa says its inventory will increase by 9,000 vacation homes, which will also be available through Google.