Google My Business listing: the guide for hotels, campsites and spas (2026)

A traveler searching "campsite Castellane" or "hotel with spa Verdon" doesn't click on a website first: they see a map, three establishments at the top with their rating, their hours, a few photos — and they often decide before even opening an official website. That map is the local pack, and what feeds it is your Google Business Profile listing, still called a "Google My Business listing" by most owners.

What exactly is a Google Business Profile listing

It's your establishment's identity record as Google knows it: name, address, phone number, hours, business category, photos, customer reviews, and, for the past few years, posts and attributes (accessibility, amenities, payment methods). It appears on Google Maps, in standard search results, and — since 2025 — it feeds part of the answers AI assistants give when asked to recommend an establishment.

The name "Google My Business" officially disappeared in 2021, replaced by "Google Business Profile." In everyday language — and in Google searches themselves — the old name is still very widely used, which is why you still run into it everywhere.

Why it carries so much weight for a tourism business

For a hotel, campsite or spa, the booking decision is often made within minutes, on mobile, from a geolocated search. The Google listing is the first — and sometimes the only — visible point of contact before the traveler clicks through to your website or a booking platform. An incomplete, inconsistent or inactive listing can cost a booking for an establishment that would, fundamentally, have suited the customer perfectly.

The two situations that come up most often

The listing has a display or visibility problem

Listing invisible on Google Maps, missing from results, or incomplete despite information that was actually filled in: common causes range from a listing that was never claimed, to suspension over an address inconsistency, to duplicate listings after a change of ownership. Full detail, including how to identify your case: my Google My Business listing isn't showing up.

The listing exists and works, but it's underperforming

Listing visible, but ranking poorly against nearby establishments, few clicks, few calls: that's a different problem, one that comes down to information consistency, category choice, and how fresh your reviews and photos are. Detail here: optimizing your Google My Business listing.

What's changed since 2025: a second reader, with no interface

Your listing is no longer read only by humans opening Google Maps. Generative AI assistants (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity) increasingly rely on the same business identity databases to answer a question like "a family-friendly campsite near Castellane." A consistent, up-to-date listing therefore serves two audiences at once — travelers typing into Google, and those asking the question directly to an AI.

How to find out where yours stands

Before fixing anything, the first step is knowing precisely what's working and what's blocking on your listing — not on some generic listing. Inconsistent information across your channels is one of the most frequent causes of both problems described above. Here's a quick way to check yours:

Key takeaways

• The Google Business Profile listing (formerly Google My Business) feeds the local pack, search results, and part of generative AI answers
• For a hotel, campsite or spa, it often decides a booking before an official website is even visited
• Two distinct problems: the listing is invisible (claiming, suspension, duplicate), or it's visible but under-optimized (consistency, category, freshness)
• Since 2025, the same data also serves AI assistants — an up-to-date listing is no longer just a Google reflex