If you run a hotel or homestay in Himachal, there’s a good chance your Google Business Profile brings in more calls than your website. Think about how people actually book a stay. They open Google Maps, look at what’s nearby, scroll through photos, read a few reviews, and call or WhatsApp the one that feels right. Getting your Google Business Profile for hotels and homestays right is one of the most useful things you can do, and it doesn’t cost anything.
What a good Google Business Profile for hotels looks like
Here’s what we’d focus on, roughly in order.
Pick the right category
Your primary category tells Google what you are. Hotel, resort, guest house, homestay, whichever fits your property best. It sounds small, but it affects which searches you show up in more than almost anything else on the profile.
Get the basics exactly right
Use your real business name, the same one on your signboard. Don’t stuff keywords into it, as Google doesn’t like that. Check your map pin carefully. In the hills, addresses can be confusing, and a pin that’s even a little off can send guests down the wrong road. Add a phone number that someone actually answers, your check-in and check-out times, and a link to wherever guests can book or enquire. Google’s own Business Profile page is where you manage all of this.
Photos do most of the selling
People book with their eyes. Add photos of the rooms, the bathrooms, the view, the food, the parking and even the road leading up to you. Update them with the seasons. A snowy view in January and green hills in July are both reasons to book, so show both. Real photos from your phone are fine. They often feel more trustworthy than overly polished shots.
Make reviews a habit
The easiest time to ask for a review is at checkout, when a guest has just had a good stay. Keep a small QR code or a short link handy. Then reply to every review, the good ones and the bad ones, calmly and specifically. Future guests read your replies too. And please don’t buy reviews or offer discounts for them. It isn’t worth the risk.
Post now and then
You don’t need to post every day. But sharing a seasonal offer, a festival package or a quick snowfall update every week or two keeps the profile looking alive, and it gives someone comparing three properties a reason to pick yours.
Keep your details the same everywhere
Your name, address and phone number should match across your website, the OTAs, Facebook, Justdial and anywhere else you’re listed. When they don’t, it confuses guests and Google both.
Answer common questions on your website
Guests always ask the same things. Is there parking? How far is it from the main market? Is the road okay in winter? Do you serve meals? Put clear answers to these on your website. Google increasingly uses your website and reviews to answer travellers’ questions directly, so it helps you there as well as with the guest.
If you’d like a hand with all of this, here’s how we help hotels and travel businesses in Himachal.
If you’re stuck on this for your own business, just message us. We’re in Shimla, and a 30-minute call costs you nothing. WhatsApp us on +91 93170 96295 or drop us a note here.