Hotel List XML Reference

A hotel list is one or more XML files that lists all hotels for which you will provide pricing information. The hotel list file itself does not contain pricing information.

The root element of a hotel list is the <listings> element which contains <listing> elements that describe your properties.

You create a hotel list as part of your initial implementation, and then add or remove hotels from it as part of regular maintenance.

Make sure your files conform to the syntax guidelines. For example, use UTF-8 encoding and specify this encoding schema by including the encoding attribute in your XML tag.

After creating a hotel list, you can manually upload it to Google using Hotel Center or host it on your server.

Find and fix data issues

To find and fix data issues in your hotel list, refer to the following articles:

Listing requirements

To be eligible for Google Hotel Ads, a property in your hotel list must have the following:

  • Rooms in which paying guests can stay
  • A physical presence and fixed location that is open to the public
  • Fixed walls and plumbing
  • A minimum stay requirement of no greater than 7 days

Common examples of ineligible properties include cruises and apartments because they usually don't meet the Listing requirements criteria.

Camping cabins and other camping establishments with fixed walls, plumbing, and climate control (including wood stoves or propane heaters) are eligible. Outdoor lodgings that are not eligible include:

  • Campsites, where guests stay in tents
  • RV parks, where guests bring their own RV

<listings>

<listings> is the root element of a hotel list and it contains a <language> element and at least one <listing>.

The <listings> element appears in the following place in the hotel list XML hierarchy:

+ <listings>
    + <language>
    + <datum>
    + <listing>

Syntax

The <listings> element uses the following syntax:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<listings xmlns:xsi="xsi"
    xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="schema_xsd">
  <language> language_code</language>
  <datum> datum_code </datum>
  <listing> listing</listing>
  ...
</listings>

Attributes

The <listings> element has the following attributes:

Attribute Required? Description
xmlns:xsi Required Set to http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance.
xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation Required Set to http://www.gstatic.com/localfeed/local_feed.xsd.

Child elements

The <listings> element has the following child elements:

Child element Required? Type Description
<language> Required string The language in which your feed is written. Set the value of this element to a two-letter language code. For example, en for English.
<datum> Optional enum This element specifies the geodetic datum or reference model for the latitude/longitude coordinates provided in the feed. If no datum value is provided, the default value for this element is WGS84, which is used by most modern GPS devices. The Tokyo datum is only applicable to addresses in Japan.

The valid values for this element are:

  • WGS84
  • wgs84
  • TOKYO
  • tokyo
Note: To use the default value of WGS84, don't include the <datum> element in the hotel list.
<listing> Required <listing> One or more entries that describe each hotel in the feed. Note that each hotel in the list must have an ID that is unique to your site, and that this ID should never be re-used.

Examples

Structured Address

The following example shows a partial hotel list with a structured address:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<listings xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
    xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="http://www.gstatic.com/localfeed/local_feed.xsd">
  <language>en</language>
  <listing>
    <!-- The value of <id> must be unique to your site for all time. Do NOT reuse IDs. -->
    <id>123abc</id>
    <name>Belgrave House</name>
    <address format="simple">
      <component name="addr1">6 Acacia Ave</component>
      <component name="addr2">Floor 5</component>
      <component name="city">London</component>
      <component name="province">Greater London</component>
      <component name="postal_code">SW1W 9TQ</component>
    </address>
    <country>GB</country>
    <latitude>35.070374</latitude>
    <longitude>-106.213648</longitude>
    <phone type="main">123-456-7890</phone>
    <category>hotel</category> <!-- You can use whatever property type categories you wish -->
  </listing>
  ...
</listings>

Free-Form Address

The following example shows a partial hotel list with a free-form address:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<listings xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
    xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="http://www.gstatic.com/localfeed/local_feed.xsd">
  <language>en</language>
  <listing>
    <!-- The value of <id> must be unique to your site for all time. Do NOT reuse IDs. -->
    <id>123abc</id>
    <name>Belgrave House</name>
    <address>6 Elm Ave, Boston, MA, 02472</address>
    <country>US</country>
    <latitude>35.070374</latitude>
    <longitude>-106.213648</longitude>
    <phone type="main">123-456-7890</phone>
    <category>hotel</category> <!-- You can use whatever property type categories you wish -->
  </listing>
  ...
</listings>

Optional Content

The following example shows a partial hotel list with a listing that contains an optional <content>:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<listings xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
    xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="http://www.gstatic.com/localfeed/local_feed.xsd">
  <language>en</language>
  <listing>
    <id>123456</id>
    <name>My Apartment</name>
    <address format="simple">
      <component name="addr1">1 Sandstone Building</component>
      <component name="city">Los Angeles</component>
      <component name="postal_code">90210</component>
      <component name="province">CA</component>
    </address>
    <country>US</country>
    <latitude>40.730610</latitude>
    <longitude>-73.935242</longitude>
    <phone type="main">12345678</phone>
    <category>hotel</category> <!-- You can use whatever property type categories you wish -->
    <content>
      <text type="description">
        <link>https://examplelisting.com/listings/12345</link>
        <title>3 bedrooms with ocean views</title>
        <body>Stay in this newly renovated 3BR house with ocean views.</body>
        <date month="7" day="23" year="2023"/>
      </text>
      <review type="editorial">
        <link>https://example.com/reviews/42</link>
        <title>A little piece of heaven</title>
        <author>EXAMPLE.COM</author>
        <rating>8</rating>
        <body>This place is really good.</body>
      </review>
      <review type="user">
        <link>https://exampleperson.org/reviews/82</link>
        <author>Susan von Trapp</author>
        <rating>6</rating>
        <body>Not a bad place, but I prefer to be closer to the beach.</body>
        <date day="6" month="7" year="2023"/>
        <servicedate day="16" month="6" year="2023"/>
      </review>
      <attributes>
        <website>https://hotel.example.com</website>
        <client_attr name="rating">8.2</client_attr>
        <client_attr name="num_reviews">14</client_attr>
      </attributes>
      <image type="photo" url="https://image_url">
        <link>https://image_url</link>
        <title>Main hotel picture</title>
      </image>
    </content>
  </listing>
  ...
</listings>

<listing>

A hotel definition within a hotel list <listings> element.

The <listing> element appears in the following place in the Hotel List Feed XML hierarchy:

+ <listings>
    + <language>
    + <listing>

Syntax

The <listing> element uses the following syntax:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<listings ... >
  <listing>
    <!-- Specify <listing>'s child elements in the order shown below. -->
    <id>hotel_ID</id>
    <name>hotel_name</name>
    <address>
      <component name="addr1">street_address_1</component>
      <component name="addr2">street_address_2</component>
      <component name="city">city_name</component>
      <component name="province">province_name</component>
      <component name="postal_code">postal_code</component>
    </address>
    <!-- You can also define an address freeform, although this is not recommended: -->
    <!-- <address>freeform_address</address> -->

    <country>country_code</country>
    <latitude>hotel_latitude</latitude>
    <longitude>hotel_longitude</longitude>
    <phone type="[fax|main|mobile|tdd|tollfree]">phone_number</phone>
    <category>hotel</category> <!-- You can use whatever property type categories you wish -->
    <content>content</content>
  </listing>
</listings>

Attributes

The <listing> element has no attributes.

Child elements

The <listing> element has the following child elements:

Child element Required? Type Description
<id> Required string A unique identifier for the hotel.

Note: This value must be unique to your site for all time. Do not re-use IDs, as that might cause problems when trying to resolve property matching issues.
<name> Required string The name of the hotel. For example: 
<name>Belgrave House</name>
<address> Required Object or string

The full physical location of the hotel.

This element takes a single attribute, format, which you must set to simple.

At a minimum, you must provide the street address, city, state or region, and postal code for the hotel. Use <component> child elements to describe each of the following parts of the address:

  • addr1: The primary street address of the hotel.
  • addr2: The secondary street address, if necessary.
  • addr3: A third portion of the street address, if necessary.
  • city: The name of the hotel's city.
  • province: The name of the hotel's state, region, or province.
  • postal_code: The hotel's postal code.

For example:

<address format="simple">
  <component name="addr1">6 Acacia Ave</component>
  <component name="addr2">Floor 5</component>
  <component name="city">London</component>
  <component name="province">Greater London</component>
  <component name="postal_code">SW1W 9TQ</component>
</address>

Alternatively, you can provide a "free-form" address, although this is not recommended. For example:

<address>6 Elm Ave, Boston, MA, 02472</address>

Note that P.O. boxes or other mailing-only addresses are not considered full physical addresses.
<country> Required string The country that this listing is located in. The value must be an two-letter country code. For example, United States is "US" and Canada is "CA". For example: 
<country>US</country>
<latitude> Required* float The latitude that corresponds to the location of the listing. For example: 
<latitude>37.423738</latitude>

This value can be generated with GeoCoding tools like the Google Maps API.
<longitude> Required* float The longitude that corresponds to the location of the listing. For example: 
<longitude>-122.090101</longitude>

This value can be generated with GeoCoding tools like the Google Maps API.
<location_precision> Optional integer Precision of the location of the property sent in meters when the property latitude and longitude is obfuscated. Zero (0) means there is no obfuscation and that it is the exact location. Note: This element applies to Vacation Rentals only.
<phone> Required* string

One or more contact numbers for the hotel. If the listing is business branch, please provide the phone number specific to branch location (not the phone number of central headquarters).

The type attribute can be one of the following:

  • fax: Fax telephone number.
  • main: Main voice telephone number.
  • mobile: Mobile telephone number.
  • tdd: Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) telephone number.
  • tollfree: Toll free telephone number.

For example:

<!-- Singapore (country code +65) -->
<phone type="main">+65 6722-2323</phone>
<!-- U.S. (country code +1) -->
<phone type="fax">+1 408-555-1111</phone>

At a minimum, you should provide a main type.
<category> Optional string The type of property, such as a hotel. Partners may use whatever internal categories they have to describe their property, such as "business hotels," "resorts," "motels," and similar.
<content> Optional <content> Optional details used for the listing, such as a description, ratings, and features of the property.

* Either a phone number or latitude/longitude is required. We recommend that you define both.

Examples

Structured Address

The following example shows a partial hotel list with a structured address:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<listings xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
    xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="http://www.gstatic.com/localfeed/local_feed.xsd">
  <language>en</language>
  <listing>
    <!-- The value of <id> must be unique to your site for all time. Do NOT reuse IDs. -->
    <id>123abc</id>
    <name>Belgrave House</name>
    <address format="simple">
      <component name="addr1">6 Acacia Ave</component>
      <component name="addr2">Floor 5</component>
      <component name="city">London</component>
      <component name="province">Greater London</component>
      <component name="postal_code">SW1W 9TQ</component>
    </address>
    <country>GB</country>
    <latitude>35.070374</latitude>
    <longitude>-106.213648</longitude>
    <phone type="main">123-456-7890</phone>
    <category>hotel</category> <!-- You can use whatever property type categories you wish -->
  </listing>
  ...
</listings>

Free-Form Address

The following example shows a partial hotel list with a free-form address:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<listings xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
    xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="http://www.gstatic.com/localfeed/local_feed.xsd">
  <language>en</language>
  <listing>
    <!-- The value of <id> must be unique to your site for all time. Do NOT reuse IDs. -->
    <id>123abc</id>
    <name>Belgrave House</name>
    <address>6 Elm Ave, Boston, MA, 02472</address>
    <country>US</country>
    <latitude>35.070374</latitude>
    <longitude>-106.213648</longitude>
    <phone type="main">123-456-7890</phone>
    <category>hotel</category> <!-- You can use whatever property type categories you wish -->
  </listing>
  ...
</listings>

Optional Content

The following example shows a partial hotel list with a listing that contains an optional <content>:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<listings xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
    xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="http://www.gstatic.com/localfeed/local_feed.xsd">
  <language>en</language>
  <listing>
    <id>123456</id>
    <name>My Apartment</name>
    <address format="simple">
      <component name="addr1">1 Sandstone Building</component>
      <component name="city">Los Angeles</component>
      <component name="postal_code">90210</component>
      <component name="province">CA</component>
    </address>
    <country>US</country>
    <latitude>40.730610</latitude>
    <longitude>-73.935242</longitude>
    <phone type="main">12345678</phone>
    <category>hotel</category> <!-- You can use whatever property type categories you wish -->
    <content>
      <text type="description">
        <link>https://examplelisting.com/listings/12345</link>
        <title>3 bedrooms with ocean views</title>
        <body>Stay in this newly renovated 3BR house with ocean views.</body>
        <date month="7" day="23" year="2023"/>
      </text>
      <review type="editorial">
        <link>https://example.com/reviews/42</link>
        <title>A little piece of heaven</title>
        <author>EXAMPLE.COM</author>
        <rating>8</rating>
        <body>This place is really good.</body>
      </review>
      <review type="user">
        <link>https://exampleperson.org/reviews/82</link>
        <author>Susan von Trapp</author>
        <rating>6</rating>
        <body>Not a bad place, but I prefer to be closer to the beach.</body>
        <date day="6" month="7" year="2023"/>
        <servicedate day="16" month="6" year="2023"/>
      </review>
      <attributes>
        <website>https://hotel.example.com</website>
        <client_attr name="rating">8.2</client_attr>
        <client_attr name="num_reviews">14</client_attr>
      </attributes>
      <image type="photo" url="https://image_url">
        <link>https://image_url</link>
        <title>Main hotel picture</title>
      </image>
    </content>
  </listing>
  ...
</listings>

<content>

Adds information about a listing, such as ratings and reviews, amenities, and other details. The <content> element is optional. Within <content>, all child elements are optional.

The <content> element appears in the following place in the Hotel List Feed XML hierarchy:

+ <listings>
    + <language>
    + <listing>
        + <content>

Syntax

The <content> element uses the following syntax:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<listings ... >
  <listing>
    <content>
      <!-- Specify <text>'s child elements in the order shown below. -->
      <text type="description">
        <link>listing_link</link>
        <title>listing_title</title>
        <author>listing_author</author>
        <body>listing_description</body>
        <date month="MM" day="DD" year="YYYY"/>
      </text>
      <!-- 0 or more reviews: -->
      <review type="[editorial|user]">
        ...
      </review>
      <!-- 0 or more attributes: -->
      <attributes>
        <website>https://hotel.example.com</website>
        <client_attr name="alternate_hotel_id">alternate_hotel_id</client_attr>
        <client_attr name="custom_0">custom_attribute_0</client_attr>
        <client_attr name="custom_1">custom_attribute_1</client_attr>
        <client_attr name="custom_2">custom_attribute_2</client_attr>
        <client_attr name="custom_3">custom_attribute_3</client_attr>
        <client_attr name="custom_4">custom_attribute_4</client_attr>
        <client_attr name="hotel_brand">hotel_brand</client_attr>
        <client_attr name="num_reviews">number_of_reviews</client_attr>
        <client_attr name="rating">aggregate_rating</client_attr>
      </attributes>
      <!-- a picture of the hotel or property-->
      <image type="photo" url="https://image_url">
        <link>https://image_url</link>
        <title>Main Hotel Picture</title>
      </image>
    </content>
  </listing>
  ...
</listings>

Attributes

The <content> element has no attributes.

Child elements

The <content> element has the following child elements:

Child element Required? Type Description
<text type="description"> Optional Object

The webpage associated with the listing from the provider. Has the following child elements:

  • <link>: A link to the description. Include the "http://" or
    "https://" in this element (optional).
  • <title>: The title for the description (optional).
  • <author>: The author of the description (optional).
  • <body>: The body of the description (required).
  • <date>: The date of the description (optional).

    • Note: These elements must appear in the order above.
<review type="[editorial|user]"> Optional <review>

Contains a user review or an editorial review of the listing. Your listing can have any number of reviews in it, of either type.

You don't need to include all reviews for a property in your <listing> element; this element is intended for you to include selected reviews that illustrate this listing's features or quality.
<attributes> Optional Object

Contains 0 or more <client_attr> child elements that provide details about the property. The child elements use the following syntax:

<client_attr name="attribute_name">attribute_value<client_attr>

For a list and a description of child elements, refer to <attributes>.

All <client_attr> elements are optional.

If there is a <website> child element, it must be positioned before any <client_attr> element.
<image> Optional Object Repeated tag, contains detailed image information.

Example

The following example shows a partial hotel list that includes the <content> element:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<listings xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
    xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="http://www.gstatic.com/localfeed/local_feed.xsd">
  <language>en</language>
  <listing>
    <id>123456</id>
    <name>My Apartment</name>
    <address format="simple">
      <component name="addr1">1 Sandstone Building</component>
      <component name="city">Los Angeles</component>
      <component name="postal_code">90210</component>
      <component name="province">CA</component>
    </address>
    <country>US</country>
    <latitude>40.730610</latitude>
    <longitude>-73.935242</longitude>
    <phone type="main">12345678</phone>
    <category>hotel</category> <!-- You can use whatever property type categories you wish -->
    <content>
      <text type="description">
        <link>https://examplelisting.com/listings/12345</link>
        <title>3 bedrooms with ocean views</title>
        <body>Stay in this newly renovated 3BR house with ocean views.</body>
        <date month="7" day="23" year="2023"/>
      </text>
      <review type="editorial">
        <link>https://example.com/reviews/42</link>
        <title>A little piece of heaven</title>
        <author>EXAMPLE.COM</author>
        <rating>8</rating>
        <body>This place is really good.</body>
      </review>
      <review type="user">
        <link>https://exampleperson.org/reviews/82</link>
        <author>Susan von Trapp</author>
        <rating>6</rating>
        <body>Not a bad place, but I prefer to be closer to the beach.</body>
        <date day="6" month="7" year="2023"/>
        <servicedate day="16" month="6" year="2023"/>
      </review>
      <attributes>
        <website>https://hotel.example.com</website>
        <client_attr name="rating">8.2</client_attr>
        <client_attr name="num_reviews">14</client_attr>
      </attributes>
      <image type="photo" url="https://image_url">
        <link>https://image_url</link>
        <title>Main hotel picture</title>
      </image>
    </content>
  </listing>
  ...
</listings>

<review>

Contains a user review or an editorial review. You don't need to include all reviews for a listing in your <listing> element; this element is intended for you to include selected reviews that are indicative of this listing's features or quality.

The <review> element appears in the following place in the Hotel List Feed XML hierarchy:

+ <listings>
    + <language>
    + <listing>
        + <content>
            + <review>

Syntax

The <review> element uses the following syntax:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<listings ... >
  <listing>
    <content>
      ...
      <!-- Specify <review>'s child elements in the order shown below. -->
      <review type="editorial">
        <link>review_link</link>
        <title>review_title</title> <!-- Title is for reviews of type "editorial" only -->
        <author>review_author</author>
        <rating>review_rating</rating>
        <body>review_text</body>
        <date>review_date</date>
        <servicedate>review_servicedate</servicedate>
      </review>
      <review type="user">
        <link>review_link</link>
        <author>review_author</author>
        <date month="MM" day="DD" year="YYYY"/>  <!-- Date is for reviews of type "user" only -->
        <servicedate month="MM" day="DD" year="YYYY"/>  <!-- Service Date is for reviews of type "user" only -->
        <rating>review_rating</rating>
        <body>review_text</body>
      </review>
    </content>
  </listing>
</listings>

Attributes

The <review> element has the following attributes:

Attribute Required? Description
type Required The type of review. Set to one of the following values:
  • editorial: A review by a website or other reviewing authority.
  • user: A review by an end user.

Child elements

The <review> element has the following child elements:

Child element Required? Type Description
<link> Optional string A link to the review. Include the "http://" or "https://" in this element.
<title> Optional string (Editorial reviews only) The title of the review.
<author> Optional string The review's author; for example, "Susan von Trapp". This can also be the name of a website or publication in which the review appears if it is uncredited.
<rating> Optional string A floating point number from 0 to 10 (inclusive) representing the score of the review. For example, "8.9".
<body> Optional string The text of the review. This element shouldn't contain HTML.
<date month="MM" day="DD" year="YYYY"/> Optional Object (User reviews only) The date of the review, which you specify with the following attributes of this element:
  • day: The day of the month; for example, "7".
  • month: The month, where 1 = January ... 12 = December.
  • year: The four-digit year; for example,"2023".

For example, June 7th, 2023 is written as:

<date month="6" day="7" year="2023"/>
<servicedate month="MM" day="DD" year="YYYY"/> Optional Object (User reviews only) The date the reviewer visited the listing being reviewed. The format is the same as <date> above.

For example, June 7th, 2023 is written as:

<servicedate month="6" day="7" year="2023"/>

Reviews without at least the month and year of <servicedate> filled may not be shown. Day is not required.

Note that <title> is a valid child element of <review> only if the review's type is editorial, and <date> is only valid if type is user.

Example

The following example shows a partial hotel list with a listing that contains an editorial and a user review:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<listings xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
    xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="http://www.gstatic.com/localfeed/local_feed.xsd">
  <language>en</language>
  <listing>
    <id>123456</id>
    <name>My Apartment</name>
    <address format="simple">
      <component name="addr1">1 Sandstone Building</component>
      <component name="city">Los Angeles</component>
      <component name="postal_code">90210</component>
      <component name="province">CA</component>
    </address>
    <country>US</country>
    <latitude>40.730610</latitude>
    <longitude>-73.935242</longitude>
    <phone type="main">12345678</phone>
    <category>hotel</category> <!-- You can use whatever property type categories you wish -->
    <content>
      <text type="description">
        <link>https://examplelisting.com/listings/12345</link>
        <title>3 bedrooms with ocean views</title>
        <body>Stay in this newly renovated 3BR house with ocean views.</body>
        <date month="7" day="23" year="2023"/>
      </text>
      <review type="editorial">
        <link>https://example.com/reviews/42</link>
        <title>A little piece of heaven</title>
        <author>EXAMPLE.COM</author>
        <rating>8</rating>
        <body>This place is really good.</body>
      </review>
      <review type="user">
        <link>https://exampleperson.org/reviews/82</link>
        <author>Susan von Trapp</author>
        <rating>6</rating>
        <body>Not a bad place, but I prefer to be closer to the beach.</body>
        <date day="6" month="7" year="2023"/>
        <servicedate day="16" month="6" year="2023"/>
      </review>
      <attributes>
        <website>https://hotel.example.com</website>
        <client_attr name="rating">8.2</client_attr>
        <client_attr name="num_reviews">14</client_attr>
      </attributes>
      <image type="photo" url="https://image_url">
        <link>https://image_url</link>
        <title>Main hotel picture</title>
      </image>
    </content>
  </listing>
  ...
</listings>

<attributes>

The <attributes> tag can be used to describe property amenities and to classify ratings and reviews of the property.

+ <listings>
    + <language>
    + <listing>
        + <content>
            + <review>
            + <attributes>

Child elements

Child element Required? Description
<website> Optional The primary website for the hotel. If present, it must be positioned before the first <client_attr> element. Example: 
<website>https://hotel.example.com</website>
<client_attr name="attribute_name"> Optional An additional characteristic or "attribute" of the property that can be specified using the supported attribute_name or attribute_name for Vacation Rentals.

Values for the attribute_name placeholder

The following table lists valid values for attribute_name in the <client_attr name="attribute_name"> element.

Values for attribute_name Description Valid content values
alternate_hotel_id An alternate identifier for your property. Having separate IDs is useful if you might need one property identifier for your feed information and another property identifier for your booking engine. Any string value
custom_[0-4] Any string type custom attribute. These are not displayed to users. Any string value
hotel_brand The brand to which this hotel belongs. For example, "Marriott" or "Hilton". This is not displayed to users but can be used for grouping hotels. Any string value
lodging Encoded representation of all fields available in the Lodging proto. Base64-encoded string of the encoded Lodging proto
num_reviews Number of reviews of the listing. Any non-negative integer.
rating A floating point number representing the aggregate property rating. This number is typically from 0-5, 0-10, or 0-100, but you can use any range that represents your rating system.

Values for the attribute_name placeholder for Vacation Rentals

Refer to Vacation Rentals-specific attributes and XML example.

<image>

+ <listings>
    + <language>
    + <listing>
        + <content>
            + <review>
            + <attributes>
            + <image>

Images are used to show the property in the listing ID. All images used must follow these guidelines:

  • The recommended aspect ratio for images is 4:3.
  • The image URL must be accessible by the Googlebot Image crawler.

  • If your site includes a robots.txt at the root level, verify that it contains one of the two options shown below:

    1. Allows the Googlebot crawler to crawl your site's content, images included.

      • User-agent: Googlebot
      • Allow: /

    2. Allows the Googlebot Image crawler to crawl the images on your site.

      • User-agent: Googlebot-Image
      • Allow: /

  • Screenshots of images or websites aren't permitted. Images must be original and actual images or photographs.

Attributes

  • "ad" if the image is an advertisement
  • "menu" if the image is a restaurant menu
  • "photo" if the image is a photo of the business
Attribute name Required? Format Description
type Required Text

An image must be one of the following:
url Required Text The URL of the full-sized image. Use the url attribute to specify the image to use on that page.
width Required A non-negative integer Width of the image, in pixels (greater than 720 pixels is recommended)
height Required A non-negative integer Height of the image, in pixels (greater than 720 pixels is recommended)

Child elements

Child element Required? Description
<link> Requested, but required for local photo listings. This tag contains the valid and up-to-date URL of the page on your site that the relevant image is on. It doesn't contain the URL for the image itself. Example:
<link><http://www.example.com/magic_pizza/></link>
<title> Requested This tag contains the title of the image. Example: 
<title>"Luxury Apartment"</title>
<author> Not required The name of the author of the content. The value can either be a user name or a full name in the format "Firstname Lastname."
<date> Required

This tag identifies the date that the content item was created. You must enter a year, month, and day, as in the following example:

<date month="6" day="7" year="2023"/>

Example

The following example shows a partial hotel list with image tags:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<listings xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
    xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="http://www.gstatic.com/localfeed/local_feed.xsd">
  <language>en</language>
  <listing>
    <content>
      <review>
      </review>
      <attributes>
      </attributes>
      <image type="photo" url="https://image_url" width="400" height="300">
        <link>https://image_url</link>
        <title>Apartment at Sandstone</title>
        <author>Jessica Landlord</author>
        <date month="6" day="7" year="2023"/>
      </image>
    </content>
  </listing>
  ...
</listings>

Syntax guidelines

When creating an XML-based hotel list, use the following guidelines:

  • Validate your Hotel List XML files with Google's XSD Schema.

  • Use UTF-8 encoding. Specify this encoding schema by including the encoding attribute in your XML tag, as shown in the examples below.

  • You can specify data values in your feed with CDATA sections. If you use CDATA sections, don't escape special characters.

  • Use escape codes for data values that are not in CDATA sections, including URLs. You can use either the entity code or the character code to represent these special characters. The following table lists common entity and character codes you can use:

    Character Entity Character Code
    Ampersand (&) &amp; &#38;
    Single Quote (') &apos; &#39;
    Double Quote (") &quot; &#34;
    Greater Than (>) &gt; &#62;
    Less Than (<) &lt; &#60;

  • Omit XML elements that doesn't contain data. For example, if you don't have the latitude and longitude for a hotel, you shouldn't include empty <latitude/> and <longitude/> elements.

  • Don't use HTML in your XML elements under any circumstances (even if it is escaped).

  • To validate your feed prior to uploading, you can use the local feed XSD http://www.gstatic.com/localfeed/local_feed.xsd.

  • To use comments in your feed, wrap the comment in <!-- and --> tags, as the following example shows:

    <!-- This is a comment -->

  • Be sure that you close the <date> element in a user <review>. For example:

    <date day="2" month="12" year="2017"/>