How Google's June 2025 Algorithm Update Impacts Hotel Websites


As a digital agency working closely with luxury, independent hotels, Aró pays close attention to Google’s core updates - and June 2025’s algorithm update is one of the most consequential ones yet for the hospitality sector.

If your website is seeing traffic fluctuations, engagement drops, or ranking volatility, this update is likely the cause. Below, we break down exactly what changed, what it means for your business and how to adapt quickly to stay competitive.

What Changed in Google’s June 2025 Core Update?

This update emphasised three major areas:

1. Experience-First Content

Google is doubling down on content that demonstrates real, first-hand experience — particularly in travel and lifestyle industries. It’s no longer enough to just write about a destination or hotel; Google wants *authenticity*, ideally from people who’ve been there, stayed there, or experienced it directly.

2. Improved Spam Detection and Affiliate Scrutiny

Hospitality websites using aggressive affiliate tactics (e.g., hotel booking links or travel comparison widgets) saw devaluations, especially if the content wasn’t original or didn’t add unique value.

3. Local Search Signals Strengthened

Google has refined how it handles local search for hospitality businesses. Proximity, relevance, and local authority now weigh more heavily in rankings - meaning your local SEO game must be stronger than ever.

What This Means for Hospitality Businesses

1. Generic Content Is No Longer Enough

Hospitality websites relying on templated city guides, keyword-stuffed destination pages, or AI-generated overviews are seeing declines. Content now needs to feel real - ideally written by people with first-hand knowledge, using unique insights, media or reviews.

Action: Invest in content that reflects real guest experiences, local expertise, and unique storytelling. Think blog posts from your concierge or head chef, guest testimonials or “48 Hours in our area” guides written by staff.

2. Over-Monetised Pages Are Losing Ground

Hotel directories or travel blogs filled with affiliate links - especially without clear value or disclosure - are being flagged. Google now expects any monetised content to be transparent and genuinely helpful.

Action: Audit any affiliate content. Is it adding unique value? Are links clearly disclosed? Are you prioritising user experience over monetisation?

3. Local Authority Now Trumps National Reach

Google wants to show users the best local results, not just the highest domain authority. Localised backlinks, Google Business Profile engagement, NAP (name, address, phone number) consistency and reviews are all now stronger ranking factors.

Action: Focus on local SEO. Get listed in regional directories, optimise your Google Business Profile, earn reviews from real guests and build partnerships with local tourism boards or bloggers.

How to Adapt Your SEO Strategy for the Rest of 2025

Across our client portfolio (which includes independent boutique hotels, destination resorts and country house properties), we are recommending and implementing the following:

  • Double down on content with personal voice, photos and insights
  • Refresh old pages - don’t just let them linger untouched for years
  • Audit technical SEO health - slow sites and poor mobile UX are still killers
  • Get serious about review management and local link building
  • Prioritise schema markup for hospitality features like rooms, amenities, availability and reviews

Google’s June 2025 update has made one thing clear: the hospitality industry must lean into authenticity, local relevance and user trust. For hotels and tourism businesses that adapt quickly, this update isn’t just a challenge - it’s a huge opportunity to outperform outdated competitors.

If you’re unsure how your site is affected or need help recalibrating your SEO strategy, we’re here to help. We'd be delighted to hear from you via our contact page
 Author: Richard Blowes