At a recent dinner party, the conversation turned toward hotels, as it always does when I'm around. A friend asked, “Where should we go in Phuket with our kids? Somewhere with a yoga pavilion and healthy food?” All eyes turned to me, the "hotel boy." I already knew how this would play out: My own biological database of properties would include excellent matches that AI would miss. Still, for fun, I played along when someone asked ChatGPT.
The answers weren’t bad, but they were incomplete. Several properties that fit perfectly didn’t even make the shortlist. My dinner companions were surprised. I wasn’t. And that brings us to the essential question: If your hotel isn’t findable by AI, does it even exist?
From search to ask
The rules of travel discovery have shifted. What used to be about SEO — keywords, backlinks, meta-tags — is now about asking AI. Generative AI tools don’t offer page after page of links; they serve up 3–5 confident answers.
Approximately 40% of global travelers are already using AI tools for travel planning, and more than 60% are open to trying them, according to Travala data from June. The shortlist is shrinking and you have to earn your spot.
And here’s the punch: AI doesn’t invent. It summarizes. If your content is missing or poorly structured, you’re invisible — not just to AI, but to the person using it.
Content is king but structure is queen
Hotels generate more content than ever on websites, OTAs, brochures, social media and more. But most of this content is in an AI blind spot since it's typically unstructured, inconsistent or too vague.
Many rely heavily on visuals. Gorgeous photos are powerful, but AI can't "see" a picture. It reads words, data, attributes. And so, a beautiful image of a villa is meaningless unless the text says how many bedrooms, whether it has a private pool or if it’s kid-friendly.
Even more fundamental is the disconnect in perspective. Too much content is written inside-out, or from the perspective of the hotel and what the company wants to highlight. But travelers ask outside-in questions about services like kids’ clubs, dining options, wellness facilities, sustainability credentials and more.
Compare these two search phrases: “Luxury villa with unforgettable views” and “Two-bedroom beachfront villa • 180 sqm • Private pool • Sleeps 4 • Solar water heating.”
The latter works for both humans and algorithms.
Hotels go wrong in a few ways when it comes to presenting content for machines to read. First, buzzwords like "luxury" or "exclusive" mean nothing to machines. Inconsistent descriptions of your property and features across channels erodes AI trust. AI scrapes ignored reviews heavily. And if you have stale content or outdated media, you're signaling irrelevance.
AI-findable content lives everywhere
Remember that when answering traveler queries, AI reads more than your website — it gathers data from OTAs, Google Business Profiles, press mentions, social media and guest reviews too.
This isn’t a threat; it’s an opportunity. Guests leaving attribute-rich reviews, like “family-friendly villa with vegetarian dining,” are creating AI-friendly content for you.
Being “AI-findable” doesn’t require total control. It demands clarity and consistency across all appearances. Let guests amplify your visibility through their feedback.
Authority and why it matters
Visibility gets you in the running. Authority wins the shortlist. AI now filters for trust as much as relevance.
Trust is built through structured, consistent information, supported by third-party validation — sustainability certifications, media mentions, reliable listings across OTAs and GDS.
Ask: Is your property just visible, or also trusted?
At that dinner, my biological database beat the AI. But that edge won’t last. Soon, travelers will trust the AI shortlist more than the “hotel boy” at the party.
The real risk isn’t being invisible to AI; it’s being invisible to the traveler using it.
AI is becoming the default travel agent, always in your pocket. If you’re not in that shortlist, you're effectively invisible.
What now?
So where do hotels go from here? The first step is to recognize that AI visibility isn’t a technical afterthought. It’s a core part of your commercial strategy.
That means starting with the basics:
• Audit your content. Does it actually answer the questions your target guests are asking?
• Brief your web team and marketing agency. Visuals matter, but structured copy is what AI reads.
• Talk to your CRS and booking-engine partners. Ensure your room categories, packages and attributes are consistently tagged and described.
• Train your team. Sales, marketing and revenue managers all have a role in creating guest-centric, AI-readable content.
Here’s the hard truth: In many hotels, the most relevant data doesn’t actually exist in any usable form. It often sits in people’s heads — the “biological databases” of reservations agents, concierges or GMs — and never gets captured. Or it’s released far too late, shared with guests only after check-in, when the real opportunity to influence booking decisions is already gone.
The challenge now is to translate that knowledge into structured, accessible content that answers guest questions before they book. Because in the end, AI doesn’t invent. It summarizes. And if you’re not part of the summary, you’re not part of the shortlist.
Abraham Lincoln said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
In hospitality, content remains king. But in the AI era, structured, guest-centric, authoritative content is the sharpened axe. Hotels that invest in generative engine Optimisztion (GEO) now will stay visible, trusted and chosen tomorrow. Otherwise, when a guest asks for yoga pavilions and healthy dining in Phuket, you won’t be on the list.
Philip Schaetz is founder and managing director of CUBE. Prior to establishing CUBE in 2018, Philip enjoyed a long career in revenue management, distribution expertise and sales and marketing strategy in senior global positions for some of the world’s largest hotel & resort brands.
This column is part of ISHC Global Insights, a partnership between CoStar News and the International Society of Hospitality Consultants.
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