Overview
In Google's words:
Google Analytics is a platform that collects data from your websites and apps to create reports that provide insights into your business.
Enter a Google Analytics Tracking ID into your Cloudbeds account to track your booking engine visits and conversion rate and collect other data. This article will walk you through the basics of adding a Google Analytics tracking code to your Cloudbeds Booking Engine page.
Before getting started
- Keep in mind that conversion tracking won’t work well when the booking engine is configured inside an iframe on a website. A web developer or third-party marketing company can assist with additional codes and configuration.
- Old Booking Engine iframe embeds are not compatible with Booking Engine Plus. You can update to the Cloudbeds Booking Engine Immersive Experience; and/or widgets and/or redirect using the Book Now button.' If you are transitioning to the latest Cloudbeds Booking Engine Plus, see the Transition to Booking Engine Plus - Checklist and FAQ.
- If a Book Now button that redirects the guest to your Booking Engine is configured, having the cross-domain tracking setup from the steps below, conversions will be tracked properly.
- If you do not have a Google Analytics account yet: Create your account on the Google Analytics website: Welcome to Google Analytics. Once your Google Analytics account has been successfully created, access the Booking Engine section of your Cloudbeds account to follow the steps below and get started.
- If you already have a Google Analytics account: Continue with Step 1 to connect Google Analytics with your Cloudbeds PMS account. Access Google's Help portal if you need any assistance with your Google Analytics setup.
- If you are already using the latest Booking Engine Plus, we recommend having your Google Analytics 4 ID placed in the Analytics settings page of the Booking Engine, as per the instructions in Step 1. For more information about Booking Engine Plus and Google Analytics, check out this article.
Connect Analytics with Cloudbeds Booking Engine
Which analytics should I use?
- We highly recommend using the GTM connection. Google Tag Manager (GTM) is often preferred over Google Analytics 4 (GA4) because it offers greater flexibility and control in managing website tags, tracking pixels, and custom scripts without requiring direct edits to site code.
- GTM allows marketers, analysts, and developers to deploy and modify tracking elements quickly, reducing reliance on developers and speeding up implementation timelines.
- While GA4 focuses on data collection, analysis, and reporting, GTM acts as a centralized tag management system. This enables users to manage multiple analytics tools (including GA4), advertising pixels, and third-party scripts all in one place. This separation of tracking logic from analytics configuration makes GTM more versatile and user-friendly.
Google Tag Manager (GTM) connection
- Go to Google Tag Manager and log in with your Google credentials
- Click Create Account
-
Fill out the account setup fields:
- Account Name: Enter your property’s name
- Container Name: Enter the name of your property
- Target Platform: Select Web
- Accept the terms of service and click Yes.
- Note down your GTM ID. You'll need it to connect GTM to Cloudbeds.
Analytics connection in Cloudbeds PMS
For Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
- Click on the Account icon
and go to Settings
- Go to the Booking Engine section
- Click on the Analytics tab
- Select the GA4 Connection analytic
- Enter your Google Analytics Tracking ID. Learn more about where can I find my Google Tag ID? Proceed to enter your website's Primary Domain. Your website domain is the highlighted part of this example: https://www.your-website.com, as shown below
- Click Save
By adding your tracking code on Cloudbeds, your Google Analytics account will start tracking any visits your booking engine receives and also reservation details when a visitor finalizes a booking.
Information sent to Google Analytics
- Reservation Number
- Property Name
- Reservation Total
- Reservation Taxes
- Room Type
To link Google Tag Manager (GTM) with the Cloudbeds Booking Engine
- In the Analytics tab of the Booking Engine section, select GTM Connection
- Under GTM Container ID, enter the GTM ID from Step 1. Learn more about the Google Tag Manager ID here.
- Click Save
You must choose one connection method: either connect your Booking Engine directly to GA4 or connect it to GTM (Google Tag Manager).
- If you select GTM, you can then place your GA4 tag (and any other tags, such as Ads or Meta Pixel) inside the same GTM container.
- Running both connections side by side (GA4 entered in the Analytics page and a GTM container ID) is not supported.
- Cross-domain tracking is essential if you have a website for your property and a way to redirect guests to the booking engine, such as a Book Now button or a Date picker widget.
- Cross-domain tracking should be enabled since the Cloudbeds Booking Engine is hosted in a different domain than yours. To do so, follow the instructions in this article from Google's Help.
- If you do not have a website and want to track activity only on the booking engine, skip this section and proceed to configure your Google Tag Manager.
- As your guests' first point of contact, it is recommended that you add Google Analytics tracking to your website. We suggest using Google Tag Manager.
- In the Cross-domain measurement settings -> Cross-domain Linking Configuration, we recommend the following setup:
- Match type: 'Contains'
- Domain: hotels.cloudbeds.com (if your Booking Engine link starts with hotels.cloudbeds.com or us2.cloudbeds.com)
- Include your domain name; see the example below and check Google's detailed instructions here:
-
For the Cloudbeds domain, check which one is used for your Booking Engine by accessing Settings
and following the steps below:
-
Click on the Booking Engine section
-
Go to Summary
-
Find the Booking Engine link on the page
-
- For more information about the Google Tag Manager, visit Google's Support portal.
- Also, visit Google's guide, including the steps to Configure Google Analytics 4 in Google Tag Manager.
- Access the Tag Manager's Workspace, and click Tags from the navigation menu
- Click New to create a new Analytics tag
- Name the tag
- Under Tag Configuration, click the icon to begin setup.
- Choose Google Tag from the list
- Enter your Google Analytics Tracking ID. Learn more about how to find your tracking ID
- Optional settings: Access Google's Help Portal for more information about the optional settings setup.
- Save your new tag
If your website is built on WordPress, we recommend you use this plugin to add your tracking code. To install the plugin, follow these instructions:
- On your WordPress dashboard, click on Plugins on the menu and click to add a new plugin. Search for Google Tag Manager For WordPress, click on Install, and then Activate
- After installing, click on the link at the top of the page to enter your GTM ID:
- Enter your GTM ID on this page and Save. You can find your GTM ID on your Workspace on the Google Tag Manager website:
- Adding Your Google Tag Manager Account ID to Your Wix Site
- Using Google Tag Manager with Squarespace
- For other services, refer to the respective website host Support Team.
If your website is not designed for WordPress or services like Wix and Squarespace, you may need to enter the code manually. Follow the instructions provided by Google in this article.
Final steps and troubleshooting
To make sure everything is configured correctly, use the Google Tag Assistant extension for Chrome. Learn more about the Google Tag Assistant in the video below:
To learn how to test your Google Analytics setup, read this article from the Google Analytics Help Guide.
💡To keep in mind:
- By adding your Google Analytics tracking code to your Cloudbeds PMS configuration, you will only track visitors and reservations from the moment they arrive at the booking engine. You must also add the tracking codes to your website to track visits to it.
- If you don't see any E-commerce or Goals results in your Analytics report, check if you have received any website reservations during that period. If you have not received any reservations, you could also make a test reservation to verify that it is tracking properly.
- Check all information about reservation amount, user interaction, and source from within Google Analytics reports. The tracking information is not available in Cloudbeds reports.
- If you have configured Google Analytics in Cloudbeds PMS but can only see the bookings engine page as visited on your reports, you must configure Google Analytics on your website as well, and it must include cross-domain instructions, as explained in Step 1.
- If you encounter any issues, refer to the Troubleshooting checklist below to fix them.
|
✅ Ensure the GA4 configuration in the Google Tag Manager |
Confirm that your Google Analytics 4 configuration is correctly set up in your Google Tag Manager account. Remember to verify that the GA4 tag is added to the container and configured with the correct GA4 Measurement ID; take a look at the help article from Google here. |
|
✅ Check trigger configurations
|
Confirm that the triggers associated with your GA4 tag are correctly configured. For hotel-related tracking, consider using triggers on specific pages like the booking confirmation page or other relevant interactions. For more information, take a look at the following help article from Google here. |
| ✅ Verify the installation on your hotel website |
Check if the GTM container code is correctly implemented on all pages of the hotel website. Ensure it's placed immediately after the opening <body> tag. Confirm that the GA4 tag fires on the desired pages by using the GTM Preview mode, and feel free to check the help article from Google here. |
|
✅ Debugging in GTM Preview mode
|
Use the GTM Preview mode to debug tag firing and check for any errors. Inspect the data layer and events triggered on different pages to ensure the expected data is being sent to GA4. |
| ✅ Examine GA4 real-time reports |
|
| ✅ Check GA4 debug view |
|
| ✅ Data layer variables |
|
| ✅ Review GA4 settings |
|
| ✅ Verify cross-domain tracking |
|
| ✅ Check for browser console errors |
|
| ✅ Update GA4 libraries |
|
| ✅ Collaborate with website developers |
|
| ✅ Document and test |
|
| ✅ Follow-up with Cloudbeds |
|
Why do I see an "Access Denied" error when saving my GA4 or GTM tracking ID?
This error appears when your user role does not have the required permissions to update analytics settings. To successfully save GA4, GTM, or other tracking pixels in the Booking Engine, your role must include both Hotel Profile and Booking Engine permissions. Ask your property administrator to review your permissions if you are unable to save changes.
⚙️ Transition Now to the Cloudbeds Booking Engine Plus Immersive Experience 2.0
The old booking engine iframe will soon be discontinued. To ensure your property continues to receive bookings seamlessly, transition to the Immersive Experience 2.0 before the end of the year. The upgraded Cloudbeds Booking Engine Plus offers faster performance, a modern design, and improved conversion rates.
Learn more and make the switch today: Cloudbeds Booking Engine – Immersive Experience 2.0: Everything You Need to Know.
Comments
I pasted both GTM code sets in the Javascript box and am receiving errors.
Where should the code go?
"Information
There are syntax errors in your Javascript code."
Hello, Eric Dalessio,
We have created a ticket for you, so our Support Team can look closely at this case and assist you as soon as possible.
Kind regards,
Hello, I have the same issue as Edalessio, when inputting the GTM code into the Javascript section it tells me there are syntax errors.
Hello, Alexandre .,
Our apologies for this inconvenience; we have created a new ticket for you as well. Our Support team will take a deeper look at this case as soon as possible.
Regards,
Article is closed for comments.