Google Business Profile for small hotels: the complete guide

What is Google Business Profile?

Google Business Profile (formerly "Google My Business") is a free page that displays your hotel or pousada on Google Search and Maps. When someone searches "hotel in Ouro Preto" or clicks on your address, they see your Profile first — photo, hours, reviews, phone number, booking link. It's the digital business card Google offers for free. Creating it takes minutes; filling it completely takes an hour. What sets you apart is detail: photos that work, correct category, responses to negative reviews, regular updates.

How do you create and verify your hotel profile?

Go to business.google.com, click "Create or manage your profile," log in with Gmail. Choose "Pousada" or "Hotel," fill in name, exact address (use the same as your tax registration), phone, and category. Google sends you a PIN (paper or SMS). When it arrives, you type it in and verify. Until then, your Profile stays hidden from searches. If a Profile already exists but isn't yours, use "Claim this business" — you prove ownership with documents.

What should you fill in to rank higher in searches?

Complete profiles rank better. Name: don't repeat keywords — use the real name, city if it fits. Category: choose 1 primary (Hotel) and up to 10 secondary categories relevant to you (breakfast, pool, etc.). Hours: enter exact times — travelers arrive without surprises. Description: up to 750 characters. Write for humans with clear differentiators: "12 rooms in the historic center, mountain views, homemade breakfast with fresh bread." Exact address and WhatsApp-enabled phone drive phone calls.

What do you post on the profile (photos and posts)?

Photos: minimum 12, maximum useful 20. Each shows something different: facade, front desk, bedroom, bathroom, breakfast area, common spaces, views. Add a title to each: "Mountain-view bedroom with porch" — better than "Photo 1." Travelers scroll — photo 3 or 4 decides if they click your site. Shoot with natural light if possible. Posts: 1 per week on your Profile. Photo + 150 characters: "Sunday breakfast with rain cake and fresh-brewed coffee, 7–10am — book your weekend now." Posts stay for 7 days, then disappear. Regular posts boost local search visibility.

How do you handle Google reviews?

Reply to all within 48 hours — positive and negative. Positive: "Glad you enjoyed it! We look forward to your return." Negative: read without emotion, identify the real issue, apologize specifically. Example: "Sorry for the experience. Bad mattress is a priority — I'll check personally. Your name so I can follow up?" Offer a solution (discount next stay?). That public reply shows future readers you care. Replying to most reviews correlates with RevPAR up to 12% higher, according to TrustYou research with 25,000 hotels.

How do you know if your profile is bringing guests?

The dashboard shows stats: calls, website clicks, directions to your address, views. Click "Insights" to see them. If 200 people saw your Profile in a month, 5 called, 2 got directions — you're being found, but conversion is low (bad photo? unclear description?). Only calls coming through your Profile count — don't mix them with regular calls.

Checklist: complete profile setup

Field	What to do	Done?
Name	Real name + city if it fits (max 80 characters)	☐
Category	Hotel (primary) + up to 10 secondary	☐
Address	Exact as on tax ID, no abbreviations	☐
Phone	WhatsApp enabled, reply within 1 hour	☐
Hours	Real check-in and check-out times	☐
Description	150–200 characters, clear differentiators	☐
Website	Link to booking or homepage	☐
Photos	12+ photos, each with a title	☐
Posts	1 post per week (Monday–Friday)	☐
Replies	All reviews answered within 48 hours	☐

Fill it all in? Your Profile goes live in 2 to 3 weeks.

Found on Google, delighted by your stay: a well-built Profile turns search into a call, call into a booking. Create your account and integrate your profile with an AI manager — free trial 14 days, no credit card.