Google Maps API - Multiple keywords in place searches

I had the same problem as I tried to figure out how to use multiple keywords with one request. At first the answer of @netoale helped me, but this is no longer possible. After some general problems with Google I asked in the support and one of the employees wrote me that it is possible to link several keywords with a simple "|".

As an example:

https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/place/nearbysearch/json?location=lat,lng&key=API_KEY&keyword=theater|castle|park&rankby=distance

Works for me now.

EDIT: This appeared to work initially but more results were not reliable and were not predictable. We ended up not being able to use the API in this way for our scenario.

I use the web service but I assume it should work with all API access points. It took me quite a number combinations to test but I eventually landed on realizing the API required parentheses AND quotes to get multi-word OR conditions to work.

For example, in url param form:

keywords=("Place Name 1") OR ("PlaceName2") OR ("Place Name3")

Using Google place API, Make a boolean search seems to work like this :

var request = {
            location: /*your location*/,
            radius: /*your radius*/,              
            keyword: "(cinema) OR (theater)"           
        };

you can use OR, AND but respect case!!

It looks like the answer is "no" (at least at the present time, you could request an enhancement on the issue tracker.

A work around would be to send three separate queries, one for each keyword. Should be OK for 3 keywords, at some point you will run into the query rate limit.

  var request = {
    location: pyrmont,
    radius: 500,
    keyword: 'theater'
  };
  infowindow = new google.maps.InfoWindow();
  var service = new google.maps.places.PlacesService(map);
  service.nearbySearch(request, callback);
  var request2 = {
    location: pyrmont,
    radius: 500,
    keyword: 'gym'
  };
  var service2 = new google.maps.places.PlacesService(map);
  service2.nearbySearch(request2, callback);
  var request3 = {
    location: pyrmont,
    radius: 500,
    keyword: 'tacos'
  };
  var service3 = new google.maps.places.PlacesService(map);
  service3.nearbySearch(request2, callback);

proof of concept

code snippet:

var map;
var infowindow;

function initialize() {
  var pyrmont = new google.maps.LatLng(-33.8665433, 151.1956316);

  map = new google.maps.Map(document.getElementById('map-canvas'), {
    mapTypeId: google.maps.MapTypeId.ROADMAP,
    center: pyrmont,
    zoom: 15
  });

  var request = {
    location: pyrmont,
    radius: 500,
    keyword: 'theater'
  };
  infowindow = new google.maps.InfoWindow();
  var service = new google.maps.places.PlacesService(map);
  service.nearbySearch(request, callback);
  var request2 = {
    location: pyrmont,
    radius: 500,
    keyword: 'gym'
  };
  var service2 = new google.maps.places.PlacesService(map);
  service2.nearbySearch(request2, callback);
  var request3 = {
    location: pyrmont,
    radius: 500,
    keyword: 'tacos'
  };
  var service3 = new google.maps.places.PlacesService(map);
  service3.nearbySearch(request2, callback);
}

function callback(results, status) {
  if (status == google.maps.places.PlacesServiceStatus.OK) {
    for (var i = 0; i < results.length; i++) {
      createMarker(results[i]);
    }
  } else alert("Places request failed: " + status);
}

function createMarker(place) {
  var placeLoc = place.geometry.location;
  var marker = new google.maps.Marker({
    map: map,
    position: place.geometry.location
  });

  google.maps.event.addListener(marker, 'click', function() {
    infowindow.setContent(place.name);
    infowindow.open(map, this);
  });
}

google.maps.event.addDomListener(window, 'load', initialize);

html,
body,
#map-canvas {
  height: 100%;
  width: 100%;
  margin: 0px;
  padding: 0px
}

<script src="https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/js?key=AIzaSyCkUOdZ5y7hMm0yrcCQoCvLwzdM6M8s5qk&libraries=places"></script>
<div id="map-canvas"></div>