Google+ Local hotel listings hijacked by third-party booking services

Thousands of local hotel listings on Google+ Local were hijacked and replaced by third-party booking services. The issue was first reported by industry observer Danny Sullivan. Google has since cleaned up the problem and restored most of the correct links. The hijacked listings displayed third-party hotel booking links for at least a month, possibly longer. Google acknowledged the incident but did not explain how it happened or provide further comments.

Mike Blumenthal of Local U and GetFiveStars.com suggested the move from the old dashboard to the new one may have contributed to the hijacking. Nyagoslav Zhekov, Director of Local Search at Whitespark, suspected a connection to Map Maker and possible involvement of Google Reviewers.

David Mihm, Director of Local Strategy at Moz.com, noted that the affected listings had their history scrubbed and were left unverified after restoration. Steve King, Vice President of Product at SIM Partners, warned that similar incidents could occur in other local business categories and platforms. Google has resolved the issue by removing the unauthorised links and reinstating the original listings. The company has not shared details on the cause or preventive measures. Experts continue to monitor the situation for potential recurrence in other sectors.