Not long ago, travellers compared hotels by scrolling Google results. Then they moved to Booking.com filters and listings. Today, they’re asking ChatGPT and Gemini to choose for them — and the winners are the hotels whose websites are clear, structured, and easy for AI to understand.
Inga Kinnas
Board Member / Partner
First, people searched for hotels on Google. Then something changed.
For many travellers, Booking.com became the real search engine. Instead of browsing multiple websites, guests filtered by “pet-friendly,” “family rooms,” “spa,” or “free cancellation” — and choose from structured results.
Now we are entering the next shift. AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini are becoming the new hotel search engine. Travellers no longer search only by destination. They ask:
And AI delivers a structured answer.
According to a 2024 SiteMinder survey, 78% of global travellers want to use AI in their accommodation journey, and 84% say a trusted AI recommendation would make them more likely to book that property. A 2024 TakeUp travel study reported that many travellers had already booked primarily based on AI-generated recommendations.
Search behavior is evolving again.
If Google replaced brochures, and Booking.com replaced Google for comparison — AI is now beginning to replace Booking.com as the discovery layer.
And here’s the critical point:
If AI cannot clearly understand your website, it will redirect your potential guest to Booking.com — because that’s where information is structured, detailed, and machine-readable.
This is where AI hotel search optimization begins.
AI hotel search optimization is the evolution of traditional SEO.It focuses on making your website understandable to AI-driven answer engines and generative systems.
Two concepts define this shift:
Answer Engine Optimization for Hotels (AEO)
AEO means your website clearly answers real booking questions. Not general marketing language. Real answers.
AI tools scan for direct, structured information. If your website only says “perfect for everyone,” AI cannot use that.
If you state:
“Pets are welcome (extra fee €15 per stay).”
“Baby cot available free of charge upon request.”
AI can confidently include your property in recommendations. The clearer your answers, the less likely AI defaults to OTA listings.
GEO goes deeper. It structures your content so AI understands what kind of stay you offer and who it is best for.
AI builds recommendations from structured clarity. If your website explains this clearly, AI positions your property correctly. If it doesn’t, OTAs will define your positioning instead — because their data is already structured.
The Missing Link: Your Unified Digital Shelf. This is where many independent hotels fall behind. A Unified Digital Shelf means everything you sell exists online as structured, bookable services:
Why does this matter? Because AI prefers structured, machine-readable data.
OTAs dominate here because everything is standardized:
If your website does not present your services in a structured and bookable way, AI will rely on OTA data instead. If your digital shelf is incomplete, AI will guide the guest to the platform where the shelf is complete.
It’s About Readiness.You do not need complex AI hacks.
You need:
Write your website the way you would explain your property at reception. But make sure everything you mention can be booked online. Because the search engine is changing again. And in the AI era, visibility belongs to properties that are structured, understandable, and ready.
If AI cannot find you, it cannot recommend you. And if it cannot recommend you, your future guest will be redirected to someone who is ready.
At ED Hotels, we help hotels build structured, bookable, AI-ready websites connected to modern booking systems like BOUK.
Because direct booking visibility in the AI era is no longer about ranking. It’s about being understood.
If you’d like to assess whether your website is ready for AI hotel search optimization, get in touch with our team.