Many accommodation owners try to add their holiday home to Google Maps, expecting greater visibility and more direct enquiries. In practice, the opposite often happens, the location is removed, the profile disappears, or it is never approved at all.

The reason is not a technical error, but Google’s own rules.

Are holiday homes allowed on Google Maps?

In most cases, they are not.

According to the rules of the Google Maps platform and the Google Business Profile system, only business entities that meet the following criteria can be displayed on the map:

• open to the general public
• have permanent or clearly defined opening hours
• allow visits without prior reservation

Holiday homes and apartments do not meet these criteria.

Accommodation is available exclusively to guests with a confirmed reservation, it does not offer public access and does not operate as a traditional business premises. As a result, Google treats such properties as private real estate rather than public locations.

Why Google removes holiday home profiles

The most common reasons for profile removal are:

• reports submitted by other users
• automated content review
• lack of a public business premises
• non compliance with Google Business Profile policies

It is important to note that profiles are often removed retroactively, even if they were visible for a certain period of time. This means that a short term approval does not indicate a stable or permanent solution.

Can this rule be bypassed?

In practice, there are attempts, but it is important to be honest.

Some accommodation owners:

• register the property as “apartments” or “lodging”
• hide the accommodation name
• use only the address without additional information

Such profiles sometimes pass initial checks, but very often later end up:

• suspended
• permanently removed
• with no possibility of reinstatement

This means it is a risky and unstable solution that does not provide real long term benefits.

What Google actually wants for holiday homes

Google clearly separates:

• public business locations
• private accommodation

For holiday homes, Google does not promote Google Maps, but rather other visibility channels, primarily through:

• Google search results
• Google Travel sučelje
• Google Vacation Rentals system

Google Vacation Rentals, what it is in practice

Google Vacation Rentals is Google’s system for displaying accommodation that is not open to the general public, such as holiday homes and apartments.

An important point:

• accommodation owners cannot apply independently
• Google works exclusively with booking platforms, channel managers, and agencies.
• data is pulled through technical integrations

For this reason, holiday homes most often appear in Google results via booking platforms or through agencies and systems that have Google integration, for example specialised tourism agencies for a specific area, such as TA Krk Adria / Visit Krk for properties located on the island of Krk.

Does Google Maps make sense for accommodation owners?

In most cases, no.

If you do not have:

• a reception desk
• an office
• a publicly accessible business premises

A Google Maps profile for a holiday home is neither a stable nor a recommended solution.

It makes much more sense to focus on:

• a proper presence on booking platforms
• visibility through the Google Vacation Rentals system

Conclusion

Google Maps and holiday homes are simply not a good match. The solution does not go through Google Maps, but through an agency or a system that has the appropriate integration.

For additional information and available options, you can contact us and check which solutions are realistically available for your accommodation.