The rise of AI and social platforms is transforming the way people search, and hotels could be losing out on potential bookings by not optimising for modern discovery channels*.
While there are around 74,000 monthly Google searches for “hotels in London”, there are 47,300 searches on TikTok and 28,100 on Perplexity for the same term, highlighting a growing shift in how travellers research and discover hotels online.
In response, hospitality AI tech company, Access Hospitality, has shared an overview of modern search, outlining ways businesses can increase visibility across AI and LLM platforms as well as social channels.
The evolution of modern search for hotel businesses
Modern search has been evolving for several years. AI began gaining traction in 2021 with platforms like you.com, and the landscape has since expanded with additional platforms.
As of 2025, ChatGPT received over 5.21 billion visits in December, making it the 5th most-visited website globally*. Google is also utilising AI in overviews, shifting from ‘query-and-click’ behaviour to ‘answer-based’ searching.
With AI search traffic predicted to overtake traditional organic search by 2028*, brands need to consider how they appear on AI-powered search engines.
They also need to consider social discovery tools, because social media has evolved over the years, and a new generation of users now use it as their primary search engine.
How hotels can increase their visibility
Nicola Longfield, Chief Commercial Officer, Global Accommodation & Payments at Access Hospitality, comments, "Hotels that focus only on traditional search risk becoming invisible during key discovery moments. To stay competitive, hospitality brands need to ensure they are visible wherever travellers are searching for inspiration and recommendations.”
“Search has the power to shape and create demand. To truly lead in hospitality, hotels need to create content that influences the way people frame their queries, whilst also responding to how travellers now search.”
Eight ways to be more visible on AI and LLM platforms
Optimise your business profiles:
“Check that Google Business and Bing are 100% full or as near as feasible, because AI heavily scans them for local searches.”
Strengthen your website with unique points:
"Businesses need distinct differentiators that AI can use because it recommends the best options, not just lists them. Therefore, businesses need unique points with multiple discrete data points"
“Make sure your website includes your address and other important information. Consider adding pages on the local area or popular activities. These can connect your business to other amenities, which is useful when someone looks for hotels nearby.”
Keep OTA listings consistent:
“Synchronise your exact amenities, policies, and descriptions across all the major OTAs you're listed on.”
Maintain official tourism listings:
“Update your profile on any official tourism boards or local tourism sites. For example, VisitBritain or your city's official tourism site. This is because LLMs consider .gov.uk or official tourism domains to be high-authority seed data.”
Implement structured data called a schema:
“Attempt to implement a thorough hotel room and local business schema on your website. While it is not quite certain that AI/LLMs pull this data, it is a standardised format, and having it up to date is likely to be beneficial.”
Ensure schemas are consistent and match:
“If you utilise the above schema, make sure it matches what you've stated in Google Business Profiles and other web sources.”
Provide clear location data points:
“Include geo-coordinates, such as check-in and check-out times, and precise distances to important local landmarks. The less AI needs to assume about your location and offerings, the more likely it will recommend you.”
Encourage detailed guest reviews and always respond:
“Instead of asking guests to 'leave a 5-star review' like every other hotel, ask them to leave a review about your improved breakfast, nearby cliff top walks, or any other element that an AI or LLM might use to recommend you when a user searches for ‘a hotel with great breakfast with cliff top walks’.”
“Generate five to ten new reviews as a minimum monthly. Respond to reviews and mention amenities such as free parking or wellness retreats. This shows responsiveness and provides forward-looking information.”
Three ways to be more visible on social
Access Hospitality has also shared its top three tips for optimising social content:
- Launch a discovery-led content strategy by identifying what your audience is searching for on socials and creating content that answers their questions. This will enable your brand to appear for non-branded search terms.
- Optimise your content to rank for these searches through keywords and captions; files and alternative text, tag locations, optimised profile name, shareable and saveable content and more.
- Make your content both personally and culturally relevant to your customer. Do this by finding cultural ways into content, ensuring it's aligned for the platform fit and intent.
For those interested in learning more about the role of AI in hospitality, Access Hospitality is hosting a webinar on 14th May on how hotels can stay visible in the age of Intelligent Search.
