Google recently announced that Google Places has replaced Google Local Business Center. This seemingly minor change means big opportunities for hotels and destinations. Here’s how:

Local content is becoming increasingly important to online success. In local search, consumers see a map at the top of the search results that contains a short list of area businesses. Google determines what is deemed a “local search” based on the query, and provides local content automatically. Within the results, each business has a “pushpin” that identifies its location on the map. Clicking on the pushpin opens up additional information, and that information is powered by Google Places. It’s a pretty straightforward concept with one caveat. Listings that provide more information are more likely to show up as a pushpin, and listings that provide little or no information are more likely to be excluded from the results.

Google Places is a boon for hoteliers and destinations alike. When a potential customer searches “hotel” in combination with your city or neighborhood, you have a great opportunity to reach that customer with content that is extremely relevant to their search. The same would obviously apply to destinations that hone in on the promotion of local businesses and activities in their marketing efforts. In addition, local search accounts for an extremely large portion of search. In fact, one study by Google found that 73 percent of all online activity is related to local content. Enhancing your profile for local search won’t just affect online revenue; it can impact offline revenue as well. A 2009 study found that 83 percent of local search users contacted businesses offline. That’s a lot of customers calling for reservations or walking up to the front desk for check-in.

So what should you do to show up more often and with higher placement?

Google Places allows for many listing enhancements that were already available through Local Business Center. Hoteliers can provide accurate and up-to-date information about their property, such as the address, phone number, business information, and website URL. They can upload photos and videos to showcase the property. Hoteliers can also list features that make their property stand out, like hotel amenities, pool hours, and nearby attractions. Finally, Google Places automatically enhances some listings by pulling information that customers might find useful, such as reviews from 3rd party sites.

In addition to all of the great benefits of Local Business Center, Google Places also offers:

* Real-Time updates- If your property is running a 48 hour sale or coupon, you can promote it instantly on a Google Places page.

* Enhanced Listings through Google Tags – For a $25 monthly fee in select markets, you can add a coupon, photo, or other special feature to make your listing stand out in Google Maps results.

* Free Hotel Photo Shoot – If your hotel is in one of 25 select markets in the U.S. (or a handful in Australia or Japan), you can apply for a free photo shoot. If approved, Google photographers will photograph the interior spaces of the hotel and post them in your Google Places listing. Hotels outside of the select markets shouldn’t feel left out – the program will eventually be rolled out worldwide. There are some limits to the photo shoot (Google retains all the rights to the photos, and they are not accepting applications from “chain establishments”), but overall it is a great opportunity to showcase your property.

* Customized QR Code – QR codes are two-dimensional bar codes that can be placed on the front entrance of a hotel or restaurant. Customers can scan them with certain smartphones to be taken directly to the mobile version of the Google Places Page for that business. This makes it easy for customers to instantly provide guest reviews. For example, if you have an onsite restaurant, customers can simply scan a QR code from the front of the restaurant’s window, bringing them directly to your website, online reviews, chef’s suggestions and more. This tool allows you to provide far more information than a paper menu posted by the door. Customers can even save the info in their phone should they decide to return later for another meal.

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