trivago, KAYAK, Skyscanner and Google Hotels: how a small hotel appears on metasearch and what it costs

Updated: 10 November 2026

A metasearch engine does not sell rooms: it compares prices from online travel agencies (OTAs) and, if connected, from the hotel's own website, and sends the traveller elsewhere to book. We read the official pages of trivago, KAYAK, Skyscanner and Google (links at the end). We only give what they say; anything we could not confirm is marked «not confirmed». This is not professional advice: each platform's and provider's terms are what count.

Summary

Your hotel can appear on a metasearch engine without doing anything, with prices from Booking, Expedia or other OTAs you already use.
For your own website's price to appear as well you almost always need a connectivity partner (booking engine, channel manager) connected to each metasearch engine.
trivago: registering on Business Studio is free; showing your direct rate is paid (Rate Connect, per click or per booking).
Google Hotels: free booking links cost nothing per click, but since 30 July 2025 you need a connectivity partner.
KAYAK and Skyscanner: the official pages require a connection via partners or an API; we found no free sign-up for small hotels.

What a metasearch engine does

trivago, KAYAK and Skyscanner say on their official pages that they are not travel agents: they show offers from several providers for the same property and redirect the traveller to the seller's website.

KAYAK: the «Recommended» sort considers price, guest ratings, popularity (clicks) and KAYAK's potential revenue from each result.
Skyscanner: there may be several providers per property; its potential revenue influences the order, except when sorting by «lowest price», which is strictly by price.
trivago: when a traveller clicks an advertised rate, they go to the advertiser's website to book.

Cost per click (CPC) vs commission (CPA)

These are the two payment models trivago describes on its official page:

CPC: you pay what you bid for each click, whether or not the traveller books.
CPA: you pay a pre-defined percentage of the booking value, only when a booking is made.
With CPC the risk is paying for clicks that do not book; with CPA the cost resembles an OTA commission, usually lower. In a case published by trivago, an independent hotel had an average CPA of 4.8%: an example, not a rate.
Google says its free booking links are not paid per click or per booking; its hotel ads are paid.
Note: the connectivity partner may charge its own fee. trivago warns that «connectivity provider fees may still apply».

trivago: what is free and what is not

According to trivago's official blog and «Get listed» page:

Free: registering on trivago Business Studio, editing your profile content (photos, details), viewing statistics and the Guest Ratings app, «with no fees and no commissions involved».
Paid: promoting your direct rates in the results (Rate Connect, CPC or CPA), posting special offers and other apps.
In 2023 trivago announced free booking links for independent hoteliers registered on Business Studio whose connectivity provider works with trivago. We have not confirmed whether they are still active in 2026.
«trivago Business Studio Pro»: not confirmed. trivago mentions a «PRO package» for special offers, with no price, and a «Business Studio Plus» guide we could not open. We give no price.

KAYAK

KAYAK's official «Hotel Manager» page says:

To show price and availability you connect through one of its booking engine partners (the page shows, among others, Sabre, D-Edge, WIHP, Mirai, Amadeus, myhotelshop, Nozio and DerbySoft).
Holiday rentals must be bookable on an OTA for KAYAK to show their prices.
The page says nothing about a free listing or prices; a programme called «KAYAK for Hotels»: not confirmed.
KAYAK is paid by providers for redirecting or helping to book, not by the traveller.

Skyscanner

Skyscanner Hotels' official partner pages are technical:

The partner provides a real-time pricing and availability API that responds in under 10 seconds, and the minimum price must match the website after redirect.
It sends an inventory feed with each hotel's name, address, country and coordinates.
It must send all price components, taxes and fees included (price integrity policy, 7-11-2024).
How an independent hotel can sign up directly: not confirmed. In practice your hotel appears with prices from connected OTAs; ask your booking engine whether it connects to Skyscanner.

Google Hotels

We explain it in detail in our free booking links guide: /google-hotels-free-booking-links-2026.

Free booking links are not paid per click and are ranked by usefulness, not by auction.
Since 30 July 2025 you can no longer type rates by hand into your Business Profile: you need a connectivity partner.
Google publishes a list of connectivity partners on Google for Developers.

Why it matters for AI

AI assistants sometimes cite or link to metasearch engines such as trivago or KAYAK when someone asks about hotels. Which assistants use their data and how: not confirmed by an official source.

If only OTA prices appear on the metasearch engine, that is what an assistant may repeat.
A complete profile (photos, amenities, correct details) and a visible direct price help make sure the information is yours.
Before paying CPC or CPA, compare with what you pay OTAs: /booking-expedia-airbnb-commission-fees-hotels-2026.

What to do as a hotelier

Register for free on trivago Business Studio and check photos, details and description.
Ask your booking engine or channel manager which metasearch engines it connects to (Google, trivago, KAYAK, Skyscanner), what it costs and whether it charges extra.
If you pay per click, set a maximum budget and measure bookings, not just clicks.
Keep the same total price, taxes included, on the metasearch engine and your website: the platforms require it.

How iQuota helps

We make your property available to AI assistants through a connector and a website with direct booking, payment at the property and 0% commission. We are not a connectivity partner of trivago, KAYAK, Skyscanner or Google. Nobody can guarantee that an AI will recommend a property.

Want an official booking page AI can read and a connector with your real prices, commission-free? The first 30 hotels join free until 30 June 2027.

See the Founding Hotels programme

Frequently asked questions

Is it free to appear on trivago?

Registering on trivago Business Studio and editing your profile is free. Showing your direct rate in the results with Rate Connect is paid, per click (CPC) or per booking (CPA).

Which is better, CPC or CPA?

With CPC you pay for every click even without a booking; with CPA you pay a percentage only when someone books. It depends on your budget and conversion; measure bookings, not clicks.

Can I enter my prices by hand on Google Hotels?

No. Since 30 July 2025 you need a connectivity partner to show prices on your Business Profile.

Sources

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