--- title: "Google Hotels glossary for independent hotels" description: "Plain-English definitions of ARI, Hotel Center, Free Booking Links, Hotel Ads, connectivity partners, channel managers and landing-page checks for independent hotels." url: https://hotels-connect.com/blog/google-hotels-glossary-for-independents canonical: https://hotels-connect.com/blog/google-hotels-glossary-for-independents markdown: https://hotels-connect.com/blog/google-hotels-glossary-for-independents.md author: "Daniel Olavio" author_url: "https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-olavio/" --- # Google Hotels glossary for independent hotels By [Daniel Olavio](https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-olavio/) This glossary defines the Google Hotels terms independent hotels meet when they try to show a direct rate on Search and Maps: ARI, Hotel Center, Free Booking Links, Hotel Ads, connectivity partners, channel managers and landing-page checks. Hotels Connect publishes an ARI feed from the hotel's own booking website for $15 per month per property, with no commission. ## What is ARI? ARI (Availability, Rates and Inventory) is the structured feed Google Hotel Center uses to show live hotel prices. Google documents the format in its [ARI overview](https://developers.google.com/hotels/hotel-prices/dev-guide/ari-overview). Hotels Connect builds that feed from the hotel's public booking-site rates, so the property does not have to emit XML, run an API or install a channel manager. Hotels Connect currently publishes rates **up to 180 days ahead**, for **2-person occupancy**, and for stays of **1 to 7 nights**. Those bounds are what Google receives from Hotels Connect, not a limit on what the hotel sells on its own website. [What is an ARI feed?](/blog/what-is-an-ari-feed) covers the format in more depth. ## What is Google Hotel Center? Google Hotel Center is the account and dashboard where hotels — or the services that publish rates for them — send prices to Google. Without that connection, Google can list the property as a place but cannot show a bookable rate. Hotels Connect delivers the ARI feed into Hotel Center so independent hotels can appear in Free Booking Links. Hotel Center is not a Google Business Profile. A Business Profile can show the hotel's name, photos and reviews. Bookable prices are a separate data product: they only appear once Hotel Center has a live ARI feed. Google's [Hotel Prices documentation](https://developers.google.com/hotels/hotel-prices) is the technical source for that feed. ## What are Google Free Booking Links? Google Free Booking Links are the no-cost-per-click prices Google shows in Search, Maps and the hotel module, sending the click to the hotel's own booking website. Google describes the programme in its [Free Booking Links overview](https://support.google.com/hotelprices/answer/10686338). Hotels Connect publishes the live rates those links need, at $15 per month per property with no commission. - Google does not charge a cost per click for Free Booking Links. - The hotel still needs a live ARI feed in Hotel Center — a website or Business Profile is not enough. - The click goes to the hotel's own booking page, not to an OTA. - [Google Free Booking Links explained](/blog/google-free-booking-links-explained) walks through eligibility. ## What are Google Hotel Ads? Google Hotel Ads are paid placements in the same hotel-price module as Free Booking Links. They need the same Hotel Center ARI feed; they are not a substitute for it. Hotels Connect makes a hotel eligible by publishing that feed. Any ads budget is billed by Google, not by Hotels Connect, and ads remain optional. Hotels Connect is not an ads agency. It publishes rates so the property can show Free Booking Links and can advertise later if it chooses. [Google Hotel Ads without a channel manager](/blog/google-hotel-ads-without-a-channel-manager) separates the feed from the bid. ## What is a Google connectivity partner? A Google connectivity partner is a company that builds a technical integration with Hotel Center and sends ARI for hotels. Google's [Hotel Prices documentation](https://developers.google.com/hotels/hotel-prices) describes that developer path. Hotels Connect is a separate rate-distribution product: it reads public booking-site rates and delivers ARI without asking the hotel to run an API or PMS project. Typical connectivity projects last **3–9 weeks** and assume engineering time or a partner contract. Hotels Connect setup is the hotel name plus the booking-website URL — about five minutes — with no API, PMS or channel-manager integration. ## What is a channel manager? A channel manager is software that pushes a hotel's rates and availability to many OTAs from one place. Google is often one extra channel on that stack. Independent hotels that only need their direct rate on Google do not need a full channel manager. Hotels Connect publishes that Google feed only, with no OTA distribution. | Option | What it does | What the hotel needs | Typical fit | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Channel manager | Pushes rates to many OTAs; Google is one extra channel | An existing CM or PMS contract | Hotels already distributing to OTAs | | Connectivity partner | Custom ARI or API integration with Hotel Center | Engineering time or a partner contract | Groups running a 3–9 week project | | Hotels Connect | ARI feed from the public booking website | Hotel name and booking-website URL | Independents with a direct booking site only | Hotels Connect does not replace a channel manager. It does not push rates to Booking.com or Expedia. It publishes the hotel's **direct** rate to Google for a flat **$15 per month per property**, with no commission on bookings. ## What is a landing-page check? A landing-page check is Google's comparison of the price shown on Google with the price on the booking URL in the feed. If the numbers differ, Google can drop or demote the link. Hotels Connect reads the same public booking-site rates a guest would see, so the ARI price is meant to match the landing page Google checks. That accuracy check is why a spreadsheet or a stale nightly file is a poor fit for Free Booking Links. Hotels Connect refreshes rates when its model predicts a price change, rather than on a fixed clock. Authorisation and how to revoke it are in [how Hotels Connect reads rates](/how-it-works/reading-your-rates). > Hotels Connect is a product of UBIO LIMITED (UK company 08725879), a travel-automation company founded in 2013. It is unrelated to other products that use the words "hotel" and "connect" in their name. Independent hotels that want these terms to stop being blockers can [join the Hotels Connect waitlist](/#waitlist). General availability is 1 October 2026; waitlist members lock in 20% off the first year. ## Questions people ask ### What is ARI in Google Hotels? ARI stands for Availability, Rates and Inventory. It is the structured feed Google Hotel Center uses to show live prices in Search, Maps and Free Booking Links. Hotels Connect builds that feed from the hotel's public booking-website rates. ### Do independent hotels need a channel manager for Google Hotel Center? No. Google Hotel Center needs a live ARI feed, not a channel manager. Hotels Connect publishes that feed from the hotel's own booking website, with no API, PMS or channel-manager integration. ### What is the difference between Free Booking Links and Hotel Ads? Free Booking Links show the hotel's direct rate at no cost per click. Google Hotel Ads are optional paid placements in the same module. Both require the same Hotel Center ARI feed. ### What is a landing-page check on Google Hotels? A landing-page check is Google's comparison of the price it displayed with the price on the booking URL. If they differ, Google can drop or demote the link. Hotels Connect reads public booking-site rates so the feed is meant to match that page. ### How much does Hotels Connect cost? Hotels Connect costs a flat $15 per month per property, with no commission on bookings. Waitlist members who join before general availability on 1 October 2026 lock in 20% off the first year. ## Related guides - [what-is-an-ari-feed](https://hotels-connect.com/blog/what-is-an-ari-feed) - [google-free-booking-links-explained](https://hotels-connect.com/blog/google-free-booking-links-explained) - [google-hotel-ads-without-a-channel-manager](https://hotels-connect.com/blog/google-hotel-ads-without-a-channel-manager)