How guests contact you from Google in 2026: calls, retired chat, WhatsApp and booking links

Updated: 10 November 2026

A traveller who sees your hotel on Google Search or Maps can call you, message you or go and book. The options have changed: profile chat no longer exists and there are other ways to get in touch. This guide sums up what we could check on 10 November 2026 in the official Google Business Profile Help, and what we could not confirm.

The short answer

The essentials:

Business Profile chat and call history stopped being available on 31 July 2024.
Guests can still call you from the profile. The call button uses your own number, not a Google forwarding number.
Instead, Google offers WhatsApp or text messages (SMS) on the profile, but only in select countries and regions.
For hotels, booking links and prices come from Google Hotel Ads and free booking links, not from a field you fill in.

Chat retired, with dates

According to Google Business Profile Help:

15 July 2024: Google notified customers who had open conversations.
31 July 2024: chat and call history stopped being available on the profile.
30 August 2024: last day to download past chat and call history with Google Takeout.
Chat FAQs, quote requests and the BUSINESS_CONVERSATIONS metric in the Performance API were also removed.
Google's recommendations instead: add your phone number to the profile, offer text messages or WhatsApp if your account is eligible and use Reserve with Google where available.

Calls: the button stays, the history does not

What you can do:

You still receive calls from the profile. What was removed is the call history.
Add your phone number if it is missing or hidden. You can add the primary number and up to 2 more, mobile or landline (not fax).
Use a number someone actually answers, also at night if you accept late arrivals.

WhatsApp and SMS on the profile

How to add them, according to Google Help:

You need a claimed and verified profile. Go to Edit profile > Contact > Chat and choose WhatsApp or Text message.
For WhatsApp, paste your WhatsApp click-to-chat link; for SMS, a phone number that can receive text messages.
If you add both, Google only shows the text message option. Choose one.
Google says the option is only available in select countries and regions and does not list them. We could not confirm whether it is available in Spain, Italy, Portugal or Greece: if you do not see the option on your profile, it is not available to you.
A best-practice guide for hotels hosted by Google includes this step, so hotels do not appear to be excluded.

Booking links for a hotel

What Google says:

In its hotel help page, Google explains that the booking links and prices on the profile come from Google Hotel Ads and free booking links. We have a separate guide on free booking links.
Other businesses can add booking links (up to 10) manually to their profile. That help page does not mention hotels: not confirmed that a hotel can use them.
Not confirmed whether Reserve with Google applies to hotels.
Also add your hotel website to the profile, with a direct booking page that works on mobile.

What a hotel cannot edit

According to Google's hotel help:

Opening hours: hotels cannot edit them; Google shows them as open 24 hours.
Class rating (stars): if it is wrong or missing, you have to contact Google support.
Attributes cannot be changed through spreadsheet upload; edit them in "Hotel details" or through the API.
Hotels cannot create "offer" posts, according to the hotel best-practice guide.

How iQuota helps

iQuota makes independent properties available to AI assistants with direct booking, payment at the property and 0% commission, with the price and terms each property sets. We cannot guarantee that an AI assistant will recommend you.

Want AI to give your real details, with direct booking and no commission? The first 30 hotels join free until 30 June 2027.

See the Founding Hotels programme

Frequently asked questions

Does Google Business Profile chat still exist?

No. According to Google Help, chat and call history stopped being available on 31 July 2024.

Can I add WhatsApp to my Google profile?

Yes, if your profile is verified and the option is available in your country or region: Edit profile > Contact > Chat. Google does not publish the list of countries.

Can I see who called me from Google?

Not from the profile: call history was removed on 31 July 2024. Calls still reach your number.

How do I add a booking button for my hotel?

For hotels, booking links come from Google Hotel Ads and free booking links. Not confirmed that a hotel can add them manually.

Why can't I change my hotel's opening hours?

Google does not let hotels edit their hours and shows them as open 24 hours.

Sources

More guides for hotels

More guides for hotels →

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