Google removes holiday rentals in Europe: what to do?

Since 8 September 2026, Google no longer shows its "holiday rentals" module in Search results to users located in the European Economic Area. Accommodations do not therefore disappear from Google Maps, Google Travel or the classic search results. First check whether your traffic and bookings have actually dropped. A welcome book can then help a guest who has already booked to find your brand and your direct channel for a future stay; it does not replace a booking site or the lost traffic.

What exactly has Google removed?

Google has removed a module from the Search results page, not the holiday rental listings from all its services. The change concerns the location from which the guest performs the search, not only where the accommodation is located. The connection partner documentation Hospitable on Google Vacation Rentals specifies that feeds can still populate Maps, Google Travel and searches performed outside the European Economic Area.

Do not disconnect your connection to Google Vacation Rentals just because you no longer see the module from France. And do not confuse its disappearance with a deindexing of your website. Classic results and the partner-fed module are two different visibility channels.

How to stay visible on Google without that module?

Start with your own booking page. It should show the accommodation name, photos, terms and a clear path to availability. Check it on a phone: a visitor arriving from a classic result should be able to understand where to book without hunting for your booking engine in the footer.

If you manage several properties, ensure each public link leads to the correct listing. A management tool can maintain availability and bookings; our article on choosing a PMS and its booking site helps distinguish that role from the welcome book. The welcome book accompanies a stay already reserved. It does not, by itself, display a calendar of available nights nor replace a booking engine.

A Google Business Profile is not a universal solution. Under Google Business Profile eligibility rules, a holiday home or apartment offered for rent cannot simply create its own profile; an agency that manages rentals can request verification. Do not create a profile for each apartment hoping to recover the removed module.

What can the welcome book do for a future stay?

It can make your name and booking address easy to find after a stay secured through your direct channel. Place a link titled “Check availability for a future stay” in the departure section of the welcome book. Point it to the specific accommodation page, not to a homepage where the guest will have to restart their search.

Keep the order useful for the guest: access, wifi, instructions, departure, then an invitation to return. The welcome book template organised by stay stages gives you that base. To share the welcome book, use its link or its QR code from the Share screen. The welcome book address can be added to an arrival message when the booking channel rules allow it.

StyQR internal observation: 91 % of opens of its welcome books happen on mobile. So test the link to your booking page on a phone, all the way to the date-selection screen. An unreadable page at that step does not become more welcoming because the QR code looks nice.

The StyQR solution for short-term rentals keeps stay information up to date and shareable. It does not create a booking request out of nothing. For a single property with little-changing information, a shared document may suffice; the digital welcome book adds seamless updates without re-sending the file and statistics on consulted sections.

Can you collect payment for a booking from the welcome book?

Do not present the StyQR Boutique as a booking engine for nights. It is used to sell products and services related to the stay, such as breakfast or bike rental, with payment via Stripe or PayPal Business. For nights of a future stay, the welcome book link must lead to your own booking system, if the original channel permits it.

The journey therefore differs depending on what the guest purchases. The Boutique integrated into the welcome book charges for an available service; an external booking page checks dates and confirms a stay. To choose extras without bloating the welcome book, also see our guide on upselling during the stay.

How to measure the short-term impact?

Compare equivalent periods before and after 8 September 2026, then separate sources. Search Console measures clicks to your site from Google results; it does not, by itself, give the number of impressions your listing received in the former partner module. Look at the affected pages and the users' country before attributing a drop to this single change.

What to check	Where to look	What the result allows you to conclude
Clicks to your site from Search	Search Console, with date, page and country comparisons	You can observe a fall in your site traffic; its cause remains to be examined.
Visits to the booking page	Your site analytics tool	You can see whether visitors still reach the step where they choose dates.
Bookings originating from Google Vacation Rentals channel	Reports from your connection partner, if provided	You isolate that channel instead of attributing all Google variations to it.
Clicks from the welcome book to your site	A tracked link on your site and the corresponding bookings	You measure visits generated, without confusing opens of the welcome book with sales.

If your analytics tool allows it, add coherent parameters to the outgoing welcome book link, for example “utm_source=welcome_book”, “utm_medium=referral” and “utm_campaign=return_stay”. Google Analytics help recommends using source, medium and campaign together. Test the link, then verify that your booking system preserves the visit origin through to confirmation.

Which rules limit direct bookings?

Current as of 29 October 2026. A booking made on Airbnb remains on Airbnb, including for an extension. The Airbnb policy on off-platform bookings notably forbids inserting links in listings or messages that encourage booking elsewhere. Do not therefore turn the Airbnb arrival message into advertising for your direct site.

Airbnb also limits the request for additional contact details and their use for marketing purposes. If the same welcome book serves guests from multiple channels, check what each will see before adding an invitation to book elsewhere. The cautious choice is to remove that invitation from the journey intended for Airbnb guests, and to treat paid options according to the rules applicable to their booking.

For guests booked directly, having their address to prepare arrival does not amount to a general authorisation to send them promotions. The CNIL distinguishes messages necessary for the stay from commercial prospecting: the latter generally requires prior consent, with a regulated exception for some existing customers. Provide an explicit choice and check your setup before any follow-up. The welcome book must remain accessible to anyone who refuses promotional offers.

Frequently asked questions

Has my accommodation disappeared from Google? Not necessarily. It is the “holiday rentals” module on the Search results page that has been removed for people searching from the European Economic Area. Check your classic results, Maps, Google Travel and your connection partner reports separately.

Should I disconnect Google Vacation Rentals? No, not on the sole basis of this removal. The feed can still serve other Google surfaces and users searching outside the European Economic Area. Check your reports and your booking page before changing your distribution.

Does the StyQR welcome book take bookings for nights? No. You can direct a guest to your booking page from it when the rules of their original channel allow. The StyQR Boutique is used to sell products and services related to the stay; it does not replace a booking engine's calendar and payment.

Can I offer my direct site to an Airbnb guest? Do not use Airbnb messages to encourage them to book off-platform, including to extend their stay. Do not use contact details obtained to build a marketing list. Check the content of any welcome book shared with these guests and keep arrival information accessible without promotional signup.