Is Google Free Booking Links actually free?
Google Free Booking Links are free of Google click charges. The hotel still pays whatever it costs to produce the ARI (Availability, Rates and Inventory) feed Hotel Center requires. Google states the programme in its Free Booking Links overview. The hidden cost is connectivity, not the click.
Vendor guides usually conclude that the hotel should "adopt a channel manager." That can be the right answer if the property already needs OTA distribution. It is an expensive answer if the only goal is to put the direct rate on Google.
What do the usual Google connectivity options cost?
Usual Google connectivity options cost a channel-manager subscription, a connectivity-partner project, or both. Those products solve a wider problem — pushing rates to many OTAs — and Google is one extra channel. Google's partner documentation describes 3–9 week integration timelines for full connectivity setups.
| Option | Typical commercial model | What you get on Google |
|---|---|---|
| Do nothing | $0 | Maps listing, often with only OTA prices |
| Channel manager / PMS partner | Monthly CM fee, sometimes plus commission | ARI via that vendor; weeks to configure |
| Direct connectivity partner | Project fees; 3–9+ weeks | Custom ARI/API into Hotel Center |
| Hotels Connect | $15 / month / property, no commission | Direct-rate ARI from the booking website |
Hotels Connect is not the cheapest way to distribute rates to every OTA. It is the cheapest dedicated path onto Free Booking Links for a hotel that already has a booking website and does not want a channel-manager stack. The comparison page is how to get a hotel on Google without a channel manager.
Why do most articles say you need a channel manager?
Most articles say you need a channel manager because the writers sell or review channel managers. Google's own help centre explains Hotel Center and ARI — see the ARI overview — without requiring a named CM vendor. The missing product has been a feed that starts from the public booking site.
Hotels Connect is that product. It reads publicly available live rates from the hotel's own booking website, with authorisation, and delivers ARI to Google. No API, no PMS mapping, no OTA contracts. How Hotels Connect reads rates is the consent and accuracy page.
What does $15 per month include?
The $15 per month per property includes automated rate reads, ARI formatting, delivery to Google Hotel Center, and a dashboard to see what is live. There is no commission on bookings and no per-click charge from Hotels Connect. Google also charges nothing per click on Free Booking Links.
- List price: $15 per hotel per month.
- Waitlist before 1 October 2026: 20% off the first year ($12 per month).
- Annual billing: two extra months free; waitlist first year is $120 per hotel ($10 per month).
- Setup: hotel name and booking URL, about five minutes.
- Coverage: up to 180 days ahead, 2-person occupancy, 1–7 night stays.
Hotels Connect is built by UBIO LIMITED (company 08725879), a UK travel-automation company founded in 2013. To lock in the waitlist price, join the waitlist.
Questions people ask
What is the cheapest way to get a hotel onto Google Free Booking Links?
Google charges nothing per click for Free Booking Links. The remaining cost is the ARI feed. Hotels Connect publishes that feed from the hotel's booking website for $15 per month per property, with no commission and no channel manager.
Is a channel manager required for Free Booking Links?
No. Google requires an ARI feed in Hotel Center, not a channel manager. Hotels Connect builds the feed from publicly available booking-site rates.
How much does Hotels Connect cost?
Hotels Connect costs $15 per month per property. Waitlist members get 20% off the first year ($12 per month). Annual billing adds two months free.
Does Hotels Connect take a commission on bookings?
No. Hotels Connect charges a flat monthly fee and no commission on bookings. Google does not charge per click on Free Booking Links either.