Is ChatGPT Recommending Your Hotel? Here’s How to Find Out

How People Actually Search for Hotels Now

Not long ago, everyone searched Google for “hotels in Paris.”

That’s no longer the default.

More travelers now open tools like ChatGPT and ask questions the way they’d ask a friend:

“I’m going to Paris with my kids.
We want a hotel close to the metro with a good breakfast.
Any ideas?”

AI doesn’t show pages of links.

It gives a short list of hotels and often includes booking links.

If your hotel isn’t on that list, you don’t exist in that moment.

And most hoteliers have no idea whether they’re being recommended or not.

What “AI Visibility” Really Means

AI visibility is simple:

Does AI mention your hotel when it should?

More specifically:

• Does your hotel show up for relevant searches?

• Where does it appear in the list?

• Does AI link to your website or to Booking.com?

That last point matters.

If AI sends traffic to an OTA, you’re still paying commission — even though the guest didn’t discover you through the OTA.

Why Checking Once Doesn’t Work

Here’s a mistake people make:

They ask AI one question and assume that’s the truth.

It isn’t.

AI answers change depending on:

• Who’s traveling

• Why they’re traveling

• What they care about

A family search and a romantic getaway search will produce totally different hotel lists.

So visibility has to be measured across many real-world scenarios, not one prompt.

The 4 Types of Questions Travelers Ask

1. “I know what I want”

Examples:

• “4-star hotel Paris couples”

• “budget hotel Barcelona family”

• “business hotel Rome”

This tells you if your hotel appears where it should.

2. “I need one specific thing”

Examples:

• “hotel with pool Nice”

• “quiet hotel central Paris”

• “pet-friendly hotel Amsterdam”

• “hotel with good breakfast London”

If guests talk about a feature all the time and AI never mentions it, something’s wrong.

3. “What do the reviews say?”

Examples:

• “best reviewed hotels Lisbon”

• “hotels with best breakfast Paris”

• “highest rated family hotels Barcelona”

AI reads reviews.
If reviews highlight your strengths, AI should reflect that.

4. “Help me decide”

Examples:

• “where should I stay in Paris first time?”

• “romantic weekend hotel Barcelona”

• “best area to stay in Rome with kids”

• “hidden gem hotels Lisbon”

These are the most human searches — and where AI influence is strongest.

The Only Metrics That Matter

1. Mention rate

How often your hotel appears.

Out of 100 relevant searches:

• 20–40% → decent

• 40–60% → strong

• 60%+ → very strong

2. Average position

Where you appear when you’re mentioned.

• #1–2 → excellent

• #3–5 → competitive

• #6+ → easy to miss

3. Direct vs OTA links

Who gets the booking.

• Your website → full margin

• OTA → commission paid

Most hotels don’t track this at all.

How to Improve AI Visibility (No Tricks)

1. Use one hotel name everywhere

Inconsistency confuses AI.

2. Pay attention to what guests repeat

AI cares about patterns in reviews, not marketing slogans.

If people keep mentioning breakfast, location, or staff — reinforce that online.

3. Don’t try to win every search

Pick a few areas where your hotel actually stands out and focus there.

4. Check monthly, not daily

AI changes often. Trends matter more than daily swings.

AI vs Google (Quick Comparison)

AI cares less about what you say and more about what others say about you.

Common Questions

Which AI matters most right now (2026)?

• ChatGPT

• Gemini

• Perplexity

• Claude

Can I “SEO” my way into AI?
Not really. But you can clean up and strengthen the signals AI learns from.

What’s realistic for a mid-market hotel?

• Mention rate: 25–35%

• Average position: 3–5

• Direct links: 50%+

Compare yourself to real competitors — not luxury outliers.

Want to See Where You Stand?

We built a system that:

• Runs ~100 real AI searches for your market

• Tracks where your hotel appears

• Shows who gets the booking link

[See your AI visibility score →]

Final Thought

AI isn’t replacing Google tomorrow.

But it is changing how travelers decide.

Hotels that understand this early will have an edge!