Google announced significant updates to its hotel prohibited practices policy, set to take effect on February 17, 2025. The changes focus on ensuring transparent pricing and availability information for users booking accommodations through Google's hotel platform.
Key Policy Changes
The updated policy introduces two major requirements for hotel partners:
- Partners must display final room availability and rates before requesting any user information, implementing live price and availability checks on booking pages
- Price changes are prohibited after users provide personal information - if the originally quoted rate becomes unavailable, reservations must be completed at the initial price point
Google also addressed other aspects of hotel listings management. The company explicitly prohibits the creation of duplicate Hotel Center accounts to split inventory. Additionally, Google has revised its suspension clause to provide greater clarity around enforcement.
The company emphasized that failing to comply with these new transparency requirements may result in account suspension. Hotels and partners utilizing Google's hotel platform must ensure their practices align with these updated policies before the February implementation date.
This policy update reinforces Google's commitment to providing accurate, transparent pricing information for users searching for hotel accommodations through its platform.
