How hotels get found by AI
AI is rapidly changing how travelers discover hotels and resorts. Instead of only typing queries into search engines, guests are now turning to AI-driven tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and other conversational assistants to research destinations, compare properties, and make booking decisions. For hotels, this shift creates a critical question: how do you make sure your property gets found by AI?
The answer lies in clearing the path with accurate data, optimized content, and an adaptive strategy.
What is AI search?
Before we dive into what your hotel should do now to maximize its visibility, it’s important to take a step back and understand how AI search works. The way travelers discover hotels and resorts is evolving fast, and AI is quietly reshaping the path to discovery. Unlike traditional search, where results depend on keywords and backlinks, AI search engines interpret intent, context, and credibility. They look for clarity, accuracy, and consistency across your property’s digital footprint before deciding what to recommend.
Understanding how these systems think gives your team a critical advantage. It helps you identify where your data may be holding you back, and how small changes in structure, content, and presentation can make a big impact on your property’s visibility.
Explore a deeper look into the mechanics of AI search in our full blog here.
How AI engines work
AI models do not crawl the internet the way traditional search engines do. Instead, they learn patterns from large sets of data and then surface answers based on relevance, clarity, and authority.
When travelers ask AI for “the best hotels near Yellowstone with family suites,” the model looks for trusted, structured information it can confidently provide. If your property details are unclear, inconsistent, or missing, AI may pass you over.
This makes clean data and structured content more important than ever.
Optimizing your property for AI-driven SEO
AI-driven search is reshaping how travelers discover hotels and resorts. To stay visible, properties must take a holistic approach that connects structured data, local visibility, content quality, and digital engagement. While many of these elements overlap with traditional SEO, the emphasis now lies in how clearly and consistently your data can be understood by AI systems.
Strengthen your local foundation
AI SEO begins with local accuracy. Each study we’ve conducted on AI visibility for hotels shows that many key factors align with traditional local SEO best practices. Start by optimizing these core areas:
- Google Business Profile attributes and categories
- Reviews across Google, TripAdvisor, and other guest platforms
- Consistent and current property information across all listings
- Schema markup and structured data across your website
LLMs (large language models) prioritize structured content. On your website, implement schema.org structured data for:
- Local business organization
- Product listings
- FAQs and other key sections
This helps AI agents understand your property and ensures your most accurate information appears across channels.
Expand your website content
Your property website remains your strongest signal to AI search engines. Ensure your content reflects the full guest experience and the context of your destination.
Include:
- Rich, multi-format content: text, photos, and video
- Conversational, informative writing that anticipates traveler questions
- Expanded pages that fully answer search intent
- Organized and structured content, including dedicated FAQ sections
Comprehensive content not only informs guests—it strengthens your visibility in both AI and traditional search environments.
Prioritize technical health
Technical SEO still plays a major role, but for AI search optimization, precision matters more than ever. Focus on:
- Clean site code and validated schema markup
- Core Web Vitals performance and page speed
- Ongoing technical maintenance and crawlability checks
- Intentional internal linking to reinforce related topics
Each of these factors contributes to how effectively AI systems interpret and summarize your website data.
Engage through social channels
AI search is evolving toward “search everywhere optimization.” Social content now influences visibility across both traditional and AI-driven results. Platforms like Instagram are being indexed more frequently, creating new visibility opportunities.
Your property can strengthen its presence by:
- Sharing updates, news, and reviews through organic social posts
- Engaging in comments and community discussions
- Repurposing blog and PR content into discoverable, shareable formats
Build visibility through PR and brand mentions
In AI SEO, brand mentions are as influential as backlinks once were. AI systems reference contextual mentions across the web to form brand summaries and recommendations. Increase your visibility by:
- Partnering with local organizations and tourism boards for online mentions
- Ensuring listings on reputable local directories and chambers of commerce
- Collaborating with PR partners to secure coverage in relevant publications
- Working with regional bloggers and influencers to appear in guides and “top 10” lists
These connections create the digital footprint AI relies on to evaluate authority and trust.
Leverage YouTube, Reddit, and community platforms
YouTube remains the second-largest search engine, and one of the most favored by AI for structured learning. Its metadata, engagement signals, and video descriptions make it highly indexable. Community platforms like Reddit and TripAdvisor also serve as valuable data sources.
Opportunities for properties include:
- Publishing videos that showcase amenities and local experiences
- Collaborating with creators who highlight your destination
- Contributing to hospitality-focused threads or travel forums
These platforms provide accessible, structured content that enhances brand discoverability.
Focus where it matters
AI SEO shares much with traditional SEO, but not every tactic deserves equal priority. With limited time or budget, focus first on local visibility, technical structure, and credible brand mentions.
When resources allow, expand into new opportunities like community content, YouTube, and advanced schema implementations.
Our hospitality marketing team can help you identify the highest-impact areas for your property and guide your AI SEO roadmap. Reach out to learn how we can help your brand grow visibility and increase direct bookings.
Ready to strengthen your property’s visibility in AI search?
Connect with GCommerce to build a smarter SEO strategy that integrates structured data, AI insights, and hospitality expertise. Our team helps hotels and resorts increase direct bookings and stay ahead in the evolving digital landscape.
Contact us today to start optimizing your property for AI search success.
