Your property's name and category on Google Business Profile: what is allowed (2026)

Updated: 10 November 2026

«Hotel Sol – Best pool hotel in central Seville ★★★★». It is tempting to stuff keywords into your Google listing's name, but Google's guidelines forbid it and it can lead to suspension. This guide sums up what the official Google Business Profile help pages say about a property's name and category, checked on 10 November 2026, and flags what we could not confirm. Those pages show no update date.

The short answer

The essentials:

The name must be your property's real-world name, the one on your sign, website and invoices. Google: «Including unnecessary information in your business name isn't permitted.»
No taglines, services («with pool», «spa»), added locations, phone numbers, URLs, opening hours, all-caps words or ® symbols.
The primary category should complete «This business IS a…»: as specific as possible (hotel, motel, hostel…), with few additional categories.
Breaking the rules can lead to changes to your listing or suspension of the profile.
An exact, consistent name everywhere keeps your information consistent. Nobody can guarantee that a search engine or an AI will show you.

What the name must not include

According to Google's guidelines for representing your business:

Marketing taglines: Google's example is «TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank»; correct is «TD Bank».
Service or product information: «Verizon Wireless 4G LTE» no; «Verizon Wireless» yes. For a hotel, adding «with pool» or «spa & golf» when it is not part of the real name falls here.
Location information: «Holiday Inn (I-93 at Exit 2)» no; «Holiday Inn Salem» yes. So the city or area only if it is part of the name you really use, not as an added keyword («near the beach», «by the old town»).
Containment information: do not add «inside…» or «at … shopping centre».
Phone numbers, URLs, hours («open 24 hours»), store codes, trademark symbols, all-caps words and the same name repeated in two languages.
Special characters or legal terms («Ltd», «LLC») only if you can show they are part of the real name, for example on signage, business cards or invoices.

What about stars in the name?

What the sources say:

The guidelines do not mention stars explicitly. If «4*» or «★★★★» is not part of your real name, it counts as the unnecessary information Google does not allow.
Google has its own 1-5 star «hotel class rating», separate from reviews, shown on the listing.
Google sets it using third-party partners, direct research, hotelier feedback and machine learning (price, location, room size, amenities).
The help page does not say owners can change it directly: you can send feedback to Google through the contact page.

Which category to choose

According to the «Manage your business category» and hotel profile help pages:

Primary category: the one that best describes the business, as specific as possible. You cannot create new categories.
Google's example: a Super 8, a motel with a pool, should be «Motel», not «Hotel» or «Swimming Pool».
The hotel help page says you can pick a more specific category if appropriate, for example hostel or motel.
Categories influence local ranking and profile features: with a hotel category you can show class ratings and amenities.
B&B, apartment, guest house or rural cottage: Google's help does not publish the list of lodging categories. Search the editor for the one that describes your real business; the exact names available in each country: not confirmed.

Additional categories

How to use them well:

They are for special departments or services, not for every service you offer. Google recommends using only a few.
Do not use categories as keywords or to describe amenities (pool, parking, Wi-Fi): hotel attributes and amenities are there for that.
A restaurant or bar inside the hotel that operates on its own gets its own profile, not an extra category on the hotel.
The official help sets no maximum for additional categories; a Google best-practice playbook for hotels mentions one primary and up to nine additional.
If you change your category, Google may ask you to verify the business again.

What happens if you break the rules

What Google's help pages say:

Suspension: Google may suspend or disable profiles that do not follow the guidelines. A removed profile is no longer visible and cannot be managed.
Appeal: through the appeals tool, with evidence (registration, licence, tax certificate, utility bill) showing the same name and address as the profile. You can appeal only once and the decision arrives by email. Do not create a new profile for the same business.
Suggested edits: users and Google can propose changes (including to the name). When notified, «you have 4 days to accept or reject the suggestion»; Google may publish it if public sources such as your website support it.
Your own edits usually take up to 10 minutes to review, «sometimes it can take up to 30 days», and Google may not approve changes it cannot confirm.
Rebranding: a minor name change is made on the same profile; otherwise you may need to remove the profile and create a new one.

Why an exact, consistent name helps

What Google does say:

Local ranking depends on relevance, distance and prominence. Google: «If your business info isn't accurate, your Business Profile might not show up for relevant searches». You cannot pay for a better ranking.
In appeals, the name and address on your documents must match the profile: always using the same name avoids trouble.
Google Search Central: «There are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode», and it recommends keeping your Business Profile information up to date. Appearing is not guaranteed.
That a consistent name helps other AI tools identify your property is reasonable, but no official source confirms it.
Practical tip: use exactly the same name on Google, your website, Booking.com, Tripadvisor and your invoices.

How iQuota helps

iQuota makes independent properties available to AI assistants with direct booking, payment at the property and 0% commission, with the name, price and conditions 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

Can I put «pool hotel in Malaga» in my Google listing name?

Only if that is your real name. Google does not allow added services or locations as keywords; the official example: «Holiday Inn (I-93 at Exit 2)» no, «Holiday Inn Salem» yes.

Can I put stars in the name?

The guidelines do not name them, but they count as unnecessary information unless part of your real name. Google shows its own 1-5 star class rating.

Which category for my B&B or guest house?

The most specific one that describes what your business is. Google's help does not publish the list of lodging categories; search for it in the profile editor.

How many additional categories should I add?

A few, only for special departments or services, not as keywords. The official help sets no maximum.

What if my profile is suspended?

Fix what breaks the rules and appeal once through the appeals tool, with documents showing the same name and address. Do not create another profile.

Sources

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