The OTA–ChatGPT Integration: How Hotel Marketers Should Respond
OpenAI can now host apps inside its platform, and Booking.com and Expedia are among its first travel partners. Their new apps feed users find hotels, prices, and maps directly inside ChatGPT with a simple change of prompt. Typing a query like “Expedia find me a hotel in New York under $400 next month” returns live results instantly.
This is part of a broader strategy by OpenAI to bring transactions and new revenue streams into chat. For travel brands, it’s an opportunity to meet travelers earlier in the planning process. For hotels, the OTAs just moved another step closer to owning the customer journey.
How the integration works
Travelers begin a request in their ChatGPT session with a brand name. “Booking.com find me hotels in Miami with a pool,” for example. ChatGPT connects to the brand’s app and fetches a response that includes live inventory, rates, and other details.
No app downloads are required, and the experience is available to logged-in ChatGPT users on Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans. Expedia has already paired this launch with other AI integrations, such as its partnership with Perplexity and Comet, to keep users planning and booking through its ecosystem.
Implications for hotels and travelers
For travelers, trip planning can be faster and smoother, from the kernel of an idea to reviewing options, without managing multiple searches and windows. Inside ChatGPT, the Expedia and Booking.com apps options without forcing a switch to another site or app. That cuts steps from idea to shortlist.
However, this speed and ease removes control and visibility. Their conversational interface shows only a slice of the market at a time, and ranking or promotion logic isn’t always obvious. The apps may pass over an ideal destination for a traveler’s preferences in favor of the “easy match” that closes the sale. Travelers may also miss direct-booking perks like flexible policies or on-property credits if they complete trips through third parties.
For hotels
OTAs now sit inside an AI surface where many trips will start. That lets them capture intent earlier, shape choices, and route demand before guests ever see a hotel’s website.
If your content is thin, generic, or out of date on both your site and your OTA listings, AI summaries have less to work with, and your hotel becomes easier to overlook. Properties that invest in clear, structured answers to real questions (policies, fees, use cases, neighborhoods, room types) and maintain accurate third-party content will surface more often and convert better, whether guests book directly or via an intermediary.
What changes next
Remember ads that say “Tell your Alexa or smart speaker to…”? Expect OTAs to keep nudging behavior toward AI planning. partnerships with AI browsers and incentives (like One Key Silver status just for downloading an app) signal how distribution will evolve around conversational agents. Hotels should plan for a world where discovery happens in chat, and where your visibility depends on the quality and clarity of your content across every surface that AI can read.
How hotel marketers should respond
- Make your content AI-ready
Develop a GEO strategy that answers the questions travelers actually ask. Create FAQ hubs and use-case pages that explain your property in plain language. Include details like parking options, pet policies, family amenities, and nearby attractions. Add structured data markup (Hotel, FAQ, Offers) so AI systems can read and summarize it accurately.
- Control your footprint across OTAs
Audit your listings regularly. Confirm photos, amenities, and policies match your website. Keep rate parity where it makes sense, but reserve your best perks for direct bookings. When travelers compare, make sure your own site clearly communicates added value.
- Align pages with high-value guest intent
Build landing pages for specific audiences: corporate travelers, wedding parties, weekend getaways. Include relevant offers, imagery, and clear calls to action. These pages help search engines and AI agents understand when your property is the right match.
- Maintain strong site performance and UX
A fast, mobile-optimized website remains essential. Simplify navigation, make booking steps obvious, and ensure total price transparency. Every second saved improves conversion and signals quality to AI systems that favor reliable sources.
- Protect and refine paid media
Invest in branded search and retargeting. Use ad creative that connects to the same intent-based content you build on your site. As AI tools guide travelers earlier in the journey, well-targeted ads will help bring them back to you directly.
Final word
OTAs knew that AI was a threat, so they embedded themselves in this ecosystem. Hotel marketers will still need to protect direct revenue as they always have, using tried-and-true methods adapted to the AI age. Create content that answers traveler questions, control how your property appears across the web, and make your direct booking experience effortless.
Guests will always choose clarity and convenience. To make sure that convenience leads straight to you, reach our experts to design GEO and web strategies for your brand.