Google Things to do

This partnership allows users on Google Search and Google Maps to find our suppliers’ listings and book directly into their FareHarbor calendar.

• Our suppliers’ tours and activities will appear on Google’s platforms with live availability.
• Bookings come at no additional cost to our clients.
• Opportunity to gain exposure to Google users directly from the Google platforms.
• All bookings are online bookings created through FareHarbor. That means all bookings will contain all relevant booking information (contact information, custom fields, etc.)

Google offers two booking modules through TTD providing different options for how a customer can land on their booking link.

Operator Booking Module (OBM):

• Available on mobile and desktop via Google search and Google Maps.
• Listed under the “Prices” section (on mobile) or the “Booking Options” section (on desktop) on an operator’s Google Business Profile.

• All FareHarbor clients can be listed as the “Official Site”.

  

Things to Note:

• Operators will have the option to manually enable this in their Google account. We will never suggest FareHarbor clients go about using this feature in this way and should take advantage of FareHarbor’s integration to create a seamless experience where the data will automatically update from their FareHarbor Dashboard.
• Most companies that offer tours and/or activities are eligible for the integration, but eligibility will always be confirmed by the Connectivity team during the mapping process.

Point of Interest (POI) Module:

The POI Module also uses Google search to direct customers to booking links that are associated with specific Points of Interest (POIs). We will always suggest FareHarbor clients first work to enable the OBM module and POI after if they wish to do so or are if they are not eligible for OBM. Below are explanations and examples of the three different variations of the POI module.

Admissions:

• General Admission tickets to an eligible Point of Interest (POI)
• Available on mobile and desktop via Google search and Google Maps.
• Listed under “Tickets” on the Google Business Profile of the POI on mobile or “Admissions” on desktop

• All FareHarbor clients can be listed as the “Official Site” if they are the official ticket provider of the POI.

  

Experiences

• Tours & activities that are associated with a POI but are not general admission products
• Available on mobile and desktop via Google search and Google Maps
• Are visible on an eligible POI’s Google business profile
• Cannot be enabled unless the Admissions module is enabled on the POI

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Travel Campaigns (formerly TTD Ads)

• Based on search queries (ex Things to do in Amsterdam, Walking tours in Rome, etc.)
• While we will not manage this on behalf of our clients in their Google ads account, we can assist them to enable this integration on their own or with a third party. See “here” for the full process.

• Available on mobile and desktop search.

  

A supplier must meet a few requirements in order to list their products via Google’s Things to Do:

• No gift cards or retail items.
• An open Google Business Profile (not temporarily or permanently closed)
• Company does not fall under one of the categories of “restricted businesses” as defined by Google.
• Company provides tours, activities, or admission tickets. This integration is not available for events or lodging companies.

• Group pricing is supported as long as the CT is booked once for the whole party and includes a minimum of one person. If the FH item or CT has a minimum of two, a price sheet workaround is required to send Google the correct price for the minimum party size.

  Note: If you are unsure whether a product qualifies for group pricing, please reach out to the @connectivity-team in #connectivity.

• Items have recurring and consistent availability, not single or one-off events.

• OBM Module:
  • Client has claimed their Google Business Profile.
  • Ten products maximum can be displayed on this module.
• POI Module:
  • Product includes general admission to a major attraction or Point of Interest.
  • Product goes to or goes by (without admission) a major attraction or Point of Interest.
  • See FAQs to learn more about what makes a POI.

When you are speaking to a potential client during the sales process:

“Some exciting news – we have an integration with Google called Things to do (TTD)! So when users search for your company on Google search, they’ll have the option to book directly into your tours and activities, all with live availability. The payment will flow through FareHarbor too, so you’ll be able to benefit from our low credit card processing rate, and you’ll be able to cancel and refund reservations. These bookings appear as all other online bookings, but are tagged as coming from Google. Google is not taking commission for these reservations, so it’s just like a direct sale.”

When you are onboarding a client:

“I think I mentioned to you previously that we recently launched an integration with Google. This partnership will allow users on Google Search, Maps and the Google website to book directly into your calendar, with a live connection to your FareHarbor Dashboard – so just like with Booking, Viator, Expedia, etc., you won’t need to worry about overbooking and will be exposed to another sales channel. Plus these bookings will look just like an online booking. If you’re interested, we can start the set-up process now.”

If they are interested, then:

“Awesome! I’m thinking that these items [if you have an idea of which items would be best based on the requirements] would be the best to start, since you mentioned they do not typically sell out and could use the additional exposure. If you want to integrate more later on you can always reach out to our team and they’ll add more items to the integration for you.”

Refer to this section for detailed requirements.

If they are not interested, then:

“Out of curiosity, what is your hesitation here? Just as a reminder – Google is not taking any commission for these reservations, so it’s just like a direct sale. The payment will flow through FareHarbor too, so you’ll be able to benefit from our low credit card processing rate, and you’ll be able to cancel and refund reservations.”

For TTD

Once you have decided a company or item is a good fit for Google during the sales process (learn how to decide here), you will update the OB doc with the items that will be listed on Google. This is in the “additional features” section of the OB doc template.

For all Non-US companies:

Here is an example of what the booking will look like. You will see Google tagged as the affiliate, but the booking was made online. These bookings are ASN bookings.

Each company is put into the Connectivity team’s queue to connect. Once the mapping has been completed and gone through a series of checks it will be scheduled to go live on the API. Companies are prioritized by tier and date of request.

Once the mapping has been completed, the client should go live on the connection within 24-48 hours unless further troubleshooting is needed. In that case, Connectivity will be in close communication with the client.

To opt a client in to the Google integration, please use this form or send the client our client-facing form to have them fill out. If you are opting a client in, be sure to check to see if they are a good fit and ask them what items they would like to sell!

To opt a client out of Google TTD, fill out this internal form or the client can submit an opt-out request through our client-facing form.

Once this form is filled out, the Connectivity team will disable the connection. You can advise the client that the integration will be disabled within 24 hours as it takes time for the two systems to sync up with one another.

To see a list of clients that have opted OUT of TTD, use this search term in Close: “custom.Connectivity – Google Opt Out”:”Yes”

To submit a request to the Connectivity team, complete the API Mapping Request Form. This form should be used for new items, mapping updates, and troubleshooting requests. You can also send the client our client-facing form to have them fill out their request.

Travel Campaigns can be managed on behalf of clients as part of the FareHarbor Direct Ads program. If a client runs the campaign themselves, or work with a third party, we can help connect their campaign. If a client would like to get setup we ask the client to submit a ticket here and that they include the products they want to connect as well as confirm the Google Ads customer ID. Once we receive the request we will follow the steps below to connect the accounts so that they can run ads.

1. Client requests FH to connect to TTD ads (Travel campaigns) and provides product names and URLs for the products they’d like to connect as well as their Google Ads customer ID.
2. FareHarbor provides TTD Center ID to client to enter in the Google Ads account which triggers linking.
3. FareHarbor receives a request to link the account and uploads a CSV with the product IDs that were requested in step 1.
4. FareHarbor team confirms with the client once complete.

Steps are also outlined here under the section: If you don’t manage your Things to do Center account.

Clients have the ability to add the action link of their own products in their GB profile rather than connecting it via FareHarbor.

What is the difference between Tour Editor, working with a third party and a Google inserted booking link?

• Tour Editor – Will likely be a FH URL but without the Google ASN tag like the example above Note: Often when you see “instant confirmation” it’s an indication that this link is likely not through the FareHarbor GTTD integration.
• Third Party – Will likely be the client’s website URL with a tracking (UTM) code in the link like this example.
• Google link – For POIs if a Connectivity partner has not sent a link for the POI then Google will crawl their website and place a link there such as the example below.

How do I check the status of an integration?

Reach out to the Connectivity Team in #connectivity.

Does the end-user receive a confirmation email from FareHarbor?

End customers will receive the FareHarbor confirmation email just like any other online booking.

How much does a supplier have to pay to be part of this program?

Nothing! Google does not take a commission on these bookings.

Do we control which items are shown?

Yes, this integration is managed through our Channel API. The Connectivity team can control which items are shown. If you would like to request an item to be added or removed please submit a ticket to the team (internal form or client-facing form).

How do cancellations and refunds work?

Cancellations and refunds work just like normal online bookings! As the payment will flow to the supplier, the supplier can then issue refunds, cancellations, rebookings, etc.

The end customer will need to call the supplier to make any changes to their booking.

What happens if a company works with FareHarbor and another Google partner (i.e. Viator or Tiqets)?

Both integrations will be shown to the end customer. We do not control the integrations of other partners and if a client has a question about a partner’s integration, they need to reach out to the OTA partner.

Can I tell a client that they can ask another platform that is selling their tours on TTD to take their listing down?

NO! Based on standard agreements clients have with OTAs, OTAs are allowed to distribute their activities anywhere within their network, including on Google Things to do. If the client has further questions they should reach out to the OTA as we have no control over these integrations.

What happens if a company has multiple Dashboards and only one Google Business Profile?

We can only integrate one of the client’s Dashboards to their GBP. It’s encouraged to have a Google Business Profile for each location.

What happens if a company has multiple locations offered in one FareHarbor Dashboard but multiple Google Business Profiles?

We can connect multiple Google Business Pages to one FareHarbor Dashboard.

Does Things to do work with FareHarbor price schedules?

Yes, Things to do will read and update price information based on price schedules set in the FareHarbor Dashboard.

Will clients that were already live on Reserve with Google automatically be opted-in to TTD?

Yes, there’s no need to opt-in again. However, we’re happy to review a mapping if a client is not finding their products on Google. In order to do so, please submit a mapping request to the team.

The FareHarbor team has confirmed that a client’s products are mapped for Google and “Ready to show.” When will their products be live on Google? Will clients be notified when they are bookable on Google?

We suggest that you keep in touch with the FareHarbor Connectivity Team. They’ll be able to let you know if products are displaying on Google. All clients will be notified when their products are bookable.

Can a client’s products show for booking on their Google Business Profile?

Yes! All operators who are eligible for the Operator Booking Module can now have their products listed on their own Google Business Profile.

What is considered a POI?

A point of interest is a business or similar entity that has a specific location, a name and is open to the public. Examples of POIs would include the “Eiffel Tower” or “ACME Bike Tours” in “London, Oxford Street 21.” “London,” “Tuscany,” or “Manhattan” are not considered POIs.

How can I search on Google to see if a client’s products are bookable? What specifically do I search for?

For the Operator Booking Module, we suggest you conduct a Google search for their business name and look under the prices section on mobile or the booking options section on desktop. For the Point of Interest (POI) Module, we suggest you search for a product’s associated Point of Interest.

A client is complaining because the FareHarbor pricing is higher than the OTA pricing, how should I respond?

Google requires prices displayed in the overview to be inclusive of taxes and fees, which is why you may be seeing a price that indicates the FareHarbor price is higher than the OTA prices. First, clarify to the client that they should always check their contracts to know if they have any clauses mentioning pricing parity. After that we suggest clients should raise their rates on OTA sites to equal the FareHarbor total price (inclusive of taxes and fees) to encourage more customers to book direct. This in turn is better for the client as they benefit from a commission-free booking through FareHarbor and get all the booking details included in their FareHarbor book form!