Is AI Replacing Hotel Search Marketing?
TLDR: Google’s AI search results are advancing quickly. They’ve moved beyond quick summaries, giving helpful answers to searchers with dramatically greater accuracy. Is it time to abandon paid search as part of a hotel marketing strategy? Not yet, says a new user survey of 1,500 search users. A significant majority of searchers still prefer traditional search results to AI summaries. These technologies will change, and so will user behavior. For now, we recommend continued investment in paid search campaigns that earn revenue, as well as AI optimization for your hotel. We’ll talk more about what this means below.
Hotel Marketing and AI: How Users Search Today
The new survey, conducted by Higher Visibility, concluded that Americans still prefer classic search to AI for many types of queries. Search Engine Land compiled a helpful summary, breaking down demographics and query preferences. The biggest takeaway for hotel marketers: Review sites like TripAdvisor contends with browsing Google Business Profiles and Google Maps for most searchers. Marketing should still focus on these channels. It’s also worth considering the core clientele of your hotel today. GenX and Baby Boomers strongly prefer traditional search, while younger generations focus on AI for certain activities.
Where Does AI Matter for Hotel Marketing Campaigns?
Users who prefer AI use it for professional queries and comparison shopping. They’re using it to learn something new, quickly review features, and get things done for work. Some aspects of your hotel may inform queries like these. “Which hotels in Boston have an indoor pool and a decent restaurant?” or “Top rated hotels with a conference center” — these are the types of search queries that lean on AI to aggregate complex details and attempt to offer a useful answer.
Hotels with strong SEO foundations are positioned to win here: they have structured website pages that Google’s AI model can easily read. Their amenities and offerings are clearly organized and broken out. AI can answer the question because the answers are easy to find. Remember, AI learning models are just another type of crawler. If your information is stuffed in pages deep on your site, other hotels will fare better in these potentially lucrative searches.
AI Search, Zero-Click Results & the Rise of AEO for Hotels
AI-powered search experiences (like Google AI Overviews, Bing Copilot, and ChatGPT-style assistants) are changing how travelers find hotels. Instead of clicking through multiple websites, users increasingly get answers directly in the search results — creating more zero-click searches and fewer traditional organic visits.
For hotels, this means visibility is shifting from ranking links to becoming the source AI systems reference. This is where Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) comes in: structuring your content so AI can easily understand, extract, and surface your information.
To optimize for AEO, hotels should:
- Implement structured data (schema markup) so AI understands their property, location, and offerings.
- Use FAQ-style, answer-first content that clearly addresses common traveler questions.
- Structure pages with clean headings and concise, factual responses.
High-impact schema types for hotel marketers include:
- Hotel, LocalBusiness/LodgingBusiness, FAQPage, Event, Offer, Review/AggregateRating, and AmenityFeature (for details like parking, spa, pet-friendly, WiFi).
In an AI-first search landscape, SEO isn’t disappearing — it’s evolving. Hotels that invest in AEO will be the ones shown, cited, and recommended by AI, even when users never click a traditional search result.
What Should Hotel Marketers Do Today?
First things first: Pay attention and don’t panic. Talk to your agency about ways your marketing strategy could adapt in the months to come as platforms evolve and user behavior changes. Together, you can identify pages on your website that would benefit from SEO optimization, comb through search campaigns to identify high-converting search terms, and review your competitive positioning. What do your guests love about you? Why do they choose you?
Make your strengths shine on your website, and ensure that these details are easy for AI to learn. This level of continued focus helps your hotel perform effectively wherever people look for information — in AI results, the traditional search page, and in business listings. Answer clearly wherever they search, and your guests will gain the confidence they need to book faster.
Not sure how people are searching for your hotel today? Dealing with a website in dire need of a restructure? We’re here to help. Reach out and start a conversation any time.
Additional AI Hospitality Resources
- 7 AI Trends in the Hotel Industry Transforming Hospitality
- How Generative AI Is Transforming the Travel Industry
- 8 Best Hotel AI Software for the Hospitality Industry
- Independent Hotels Can Teach the Industry How to Use AI
- How Generative AI Is Transforming the Travel Industry
- How Google is Incorporating Ads into AI Search Results
AI and Search Marketing FAQs
1. What is zero-click search and how does it impact hotels?
Zero-click search occurs when users get their answer directly on the search results page without clicking through to a website. For hotels, this reduces organic traffic for informational queries (like amenities, location, or pricing questions), but increases the importance of being the source that AI systems reference in their answers.
2. How do AI assistants influence travel planning and hotel bookings?
AI assistants increasingly act as travel planners — recommending destinations, comparing hotels, summarizing reviews, and suggesting itineraries. Instead of browsing multiple websites, users rely on AI-generated shortlists, which means hotels must optimize for AI visibility, not just traditional rankings.
3. Can AI book hotel rooms directly without search engines?
Not yet at scale, but it’s coming. AI systems are already integrating with booking platforms, OTAs, and travel APIs. In the near future, users will be able to ask an AI to “book the best hotel near Times Square for next weekend” and complete the transaction without using Google or visiting multiple websites.
4. Will SEO still matter for hotels in an AI-first search landscape?
Yes — but SEO is evolving. Traditional SEO drives rankings and traffic. AEO drives visibility, citations, and brand inclusion inside AI answers. Hotels that ignore SEO foundations (technical health, structured data, content quality) will disappear from AI-generated results entirely.
5. How can hotels maintain visibility in AI-generated search answers?
Hotels should focus on:
- Implementing structured data (Hotel, FAQ, Event, Amenity schemas)
- Publishing high-quality FAQ and travel planning content
- Optimizing Google Business Profile and local entities
- Creating clear, factual, answer-first content
- Building strong brand authority and reviews
In an AI-driven search world, the goal isn’t just ranking — it’s becoming the trusted source AI systems rely on.