HOUSTON, Texas—Hotels risk losing visibility and potential bookings as traveler search behavior shifts beyond traditional search engines to AI platforms, according to research by Access Hospitality.
Industry Research
Travelers are relying on AI to discover and compare places to stay. Deloitte’s 2026 Travel Industry Outlook cited nearly a quarter of travelers using Gen AI tools for trip planning in late 2025, thrice as many as in 2022.
With AI platforms taking on a bigger role in shaping preferences, hotel brands need to be visible earlier in the traveler’s decision-making journey, especially on platforms like ChatGPT, which recorded 73 percent share of AI searches and 891 million monthly users in March 2026.
SimilarWeb’s new Gen AI Brand Visibility Index showed that AI use is strongest at the earlier stages of a booking journey. The research found that 35 percent of consumers say AI tools are most useful for “discovering and getting initial ideas”, compared with 13.6 percent for search engines. AI also leads during the brand evaluation stage, with 32.9 percent of consumers saying it’s most useful “for evaluation value and instilling confidence” versus 15 percent for traditional search.
Access Hospitality’s global research AI in the Hospitality Sector across 1,000 hospitality businesses and 8,000 consumers found a market that’s primed for more AI-led discovery: 57 percent of consumers said technology has improved their experience across hospitality, and 34 percent of businesses said their main expectation from AI is better decision-making through improved data insights.
Statement From Leadership
Nicola Longfield, chief commercial officer, global accommodation and payments at Access Hospitality, said, “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 travelers 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 travelers now search.”
Adopting to AI
To improve visibility in AI searches, Access SHR recommends that hotels:
- Maintain 100 percent complete and accurate business listings across major platforms such as Google Business and Bing, with clear location data points, which AI platforms rely on for local searches
- Clearly highlight unique amenities and experiences on their websites
- Ensure consistency across OTA listings and directories
- Maintain listings on official tourism websites
- Implement structured data or schema to improve how information on the website is understood by AI tools, and ensure it’s consistent with any business profiles
- Encourage detailed guest reviews that reference specific features and experiences
