Google’s 2025 Marketing Trends: What Every STR Pro Needs to Know

December 10, 2024

Each year, new trends reshape the marketing landscape, and 2025 is no exception.

Inspired by Think With Google’s latest insights into digital marketing trends in 2025, this article adapts their forward-thinking research for the short-term rental (STR) industry.

By translating these high-level predictions into actionable strategies, we’ll explore how short-term rental operators can harness emerging innovations to attract guests, increase direct bookings, and future-proof operations.

Google’s trends highlight transformative ideas like ethical marketing, AI-powered systems, and the rise of augmented and virtual experiences.

So let’s delve into how some of these concepts can be applied specifically to your STR business, demonstrating practical ways to elevate your marketing strategies and stand out in an increasingly competitive market.

Beyond Profit: Building trust and loyalty through ethical marketing

Johan Eriksson, Google’s Northern European Insights Leader states that ethical marketing isn’t just a trend, it’s the foundation for long-term success.

Translate that into the travel and tourism sector and today’s travellers expect more than just accommodation—they’re looking for values-driven brands they can trust.

Ethical marketing offers an opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to sustainability, inclusivity, and transparency while building deeper guest loyalty.

Actionable marketing strategies:

Highlight sustainable practices, such as renewable energy sources, waste reduction programs, or partnerships with local suppliers. Incorporate these into your property listings and marketing comms.
Create transparency by sharing behind-the-scenes content that demonstrates your efforts to minimize environmental impact or contribute to your local community.
Develop marketing campaigns that focus on inclusivity, emphasising accessibility features or unique experiences that cater to a diverse audience.
Interactive Storytelling: Incorporate augmented reality (AR) to showcase sustainable elements of your properties. For instance, an AR tour could allow prospective guests to visualise energy-efficient installations or the surrounding natural environment before booking.

Ethical marketing isn’t just good for the planet and society—it’s a powerful way to attract socially conscious guests and build long-term trust.

Mindful Marketing: Precision in overcoming decision distress

Francois Bracq, Head of Innovation Partners at Google France, highlights a growing desire among consumers to escape information overload.

Recent data reveals a sixfold increase in searches for “dopamine fasting,” reflecting a widespread need to step back from overstimulation. Additionally, two-thirds of people report hesitating or avoiding decisions entirely when overwhelmed with too much information or too many choices.

Similarly, guests booking a trip also crave simplicity. As a multi-unit operator, you have the data to craft thoughtful, hyper-relevant marketing campaigns and personalised communication with guests that will both reduce decision fatigue and make it easier for guests to choose a stay with you time and again.

Actionable strategies:

Use data-driven insights to segment your audience and deliver personalised marketing messages. For example, target past guests with tailored offers based on their booking history, such as a promo discount for a stay during an event they enjoyed in the past or a reminder that they stayed with you for a birthday or anniversary the previous year. And an invite to stay again.
Simplify your booking process by reducing unnecessary steps and making your website intuitive and mobile-friendly. Include clear calls-to-action and easy access to essential information.
Offer curated experiences or packages, so you take the fact-finding and itinerary organisation away and align with specific guest preferences. Use interactive widgets like Mount to integrate personalised experience suggestions and trip planners directly into your website, making it easier for guests to plan and finalise their stay.

Taking a mindful, guest-centric approach ensures your marketing efforts stand out and resonate with those guests who will want exactly what you offer.

The AI Agent: Simplifying operations and guest experiences

Senior director of marketing for Google Cloud, Guillaume Roques says 2025 will be the year of the AI Agent.

AI isn’t just a buzzword; in 2024 it’s been a game-changer for managing the complexities of your STR portfolio and operation at scale. From guest interactions to operational efficiency, leveraging AI strategically can transform your business.

Actionable strategies:

Automate guest communication by deploying AI-driven chat tools that respond to inquiries, suggest personalised stays, and assist with booking modifications around the clock.
Integrate AI into your pricing strategy to dynamically adjust rates based on demand, seasonality, and market trends, ensuring competitiveness without sacrificing profitability.
Centralise data management to connect guest feedback, booking behaviours, and operational insights, enabling smarter decision-making and predictive analytics across your portfolio.

By strategically integrating AI into your workflow, you’ll reduce administrative burdens and deliver a more seamless guest experience.

Shoppable Video: Engaging guests through interactive content

Video remains one of the most effective tools for showcasing properties, and Alison Lomax, YouTube’s Managing Director for UK & Ireland thinks shoppable video presents a great opportunity for brands in 2025. Taking video marketing one step further and transforming visual storytelling into actionable booking opportunities.

Actionable strategies:

Create immersive property tours that allow potential guests to experience your spaces virtually and book directly from the video. Use storytelling to highlight unique aspects like local attractions or premium amenities. @daniela from Skol Apartments Marbella has nailed this video strategy, receiving most of her bookings through video and social media marketing.d
Video storytelling is going to reign in 2025. If you don’t feel confident enough to create your own videos, then why not partner with content creators to produce authentic, engaging videos that feature your properties and designation, and encourage direct bookings? Use tools such as Matterport or LCP Media for immersive 3D video tours that highlight unique property features and link directly to booking pages.
Use live video to host Q&A sessions or property tours that build excitement and trust with prospective guests. Offer limited-time incentives during the broadcast to convert viewers into bookers. Platforms like Restream allow you to broadcast live property tours simultaneously across YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Pair this with tools like LiveShopping to integrate clickable booking links during streams.

Shoppable video bridges the gap between inspiration and action, making it a powerful way to convert interest into bookings.

Augmented Reality: Elevating the guest experience

Augmented Reality (AR) is reshaping how guests discover and interact with accommodation and destinations. By offering immersive experiences, you can differentiate your brand and build stronger connections with prospective travellers. We’ll be covering this topic at SCALE España in Madrid, 13-14 March 2025.

Actionable strategies:

Create AR-guided tours that showcase local attractions, walking guests through the nearby restaurants, shops, and cultural highlights before they even arrive.
Use AR to highlight property features in innovative ways, such as showing different room configurations or illustrating how spaces can accommodate groups.
Build gamified AR experiences that encourage engagement, such as interactive property maps or virtual scavenger hunts tied to loyalty rewards.

How to implement AR in your marketing:

Virtual Neighborhood Tours: Create AR experiences that guide potential guests around your destination, showcasing attractions, your favourite restaurants, or hidden gems, immersing them in the lifestyle they’ll enjoy during their stay.
Interactive Property Features: Let guests use AR apps to envision how your spaces will suit their needs, from furniture layouts to adding extra beds for large groups.
Gamified Experiences: Develop gamified AR features tied to your loyalty programs or promotions. For instance, guests could “unlock” discounts by exploring your property’s virtual amenities.

Augmented reality not only captures attention but also creates memorable experiences that drive bookings and guest loyalty.

Search GPT: Revolutionising how guests discover you

Search GPT is transforming the way travellers search for accommodation. By combining conversational AI with search functionality, it enables users to ask highly specific questions and receive tailored results, making the booking process more intuitive and efficient.

Actionable strategies:

Optimise for Conversational Queries: Revise your property descriptions to include natural, conversational language that aligns with how people search using AI. For example, include phrases like “perfect for remote work” or “ideal for families visiting Malaga.”
Leverage Long-Tail Keywords: Anticipate highly specific guest searches, such as “luxury short-term rental near the beach with a pool.” Update your content and meta descriptions to ensure your listings match these detailed queries.
Integrate Search GPT Features on Your Website: Offer an AI-driven search bar that allows guests to ask questions directly, such as “Which properties are pet-friendly?” or “What’s available for a weekend stay in March?”
Real-Time Updates: Use Search GPT to provide instant responses about availability, rates, and amenities. This feature can help guests make decisions faster and drive direct bookings.

By embracing Search GPT, you can meet guests where they are, delivering the fast, accurate, and personalised answers they expect. This not only enhances the user experience but also increases the likelihood of conversion.

Measure Up in 2025

If you are a multi-unit operator managing a diverse portfolio, understanding which marketing channels drive the best results is essential.

According to Dyana Najdi, the managing director for Google Advertising in the UK and Ireland, 2025 will see the resurgence of the Marketing Mix Model (MMM). A powerful strategy that can provide a clearer picture of performance across your campaigns, helping you make more informed decisions about where to invest your budget.

How can this work for STR operators?

If you’re running paid ads on Google, Instagram, and Facebook while also relying on OTA bookings and email marketing, MMMs can help you see which combination delivers the highest ROI.
With advancements like real-time insights, you can adjust campaigns to align with booking trends or seasonal demands, ensuring you’re not wasting money on underperforming channels.
For larger operators, MMMs can provide granular data to optimise specific campaigns, like marketing for high-end listings versus budget-friendly stays.

That said, MMMs are most impactful for larger marketing budgets and multi-channel campaigns. If your strategy isn’t as complex, focusing on direct attribution and cost-per-acquisition tracking may provide clearer, more actionable results.

Turning Trends Into Growth

As a community of dynamic short-term rental operators, you’re constantly finding creative ways to adapt and thrive in the short-term rental industry, and these strategies are designed to help you go even further.

Whether it’s connecting with your guests through thoughtful, mindful marketing, weaving ethical storytelling into your brand, or embracing tech to simplify operations.

By putting some of these ideas into action, you’ll not only attract more guests and boost direct bookings but also ensure your business is ready for whatever the future holds.

We’re excited to see how you make these strategies your own—because no one knows your business and guests like you do.

Here’s to a 2025 filled with successful marketing initiatives and more direct bookings!