The websites of chain hotels may be at risk. ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and other tools can summarize hotel options instantly. They bypass brand.com websites in favor of quick, direct answers, and eliminate the need for guests to click on a dozen links.
On the surface, AI visibility seems to be a boon for chain hotels. According to Statista, 72% of U.S. hotel rooms are branded. Brand.com templates have a great deal of structured content which allows AI to easily scrape rates, amenities and loyalty perks. This should theoretically increase their visibility on AI-driven search engine results.
The search engine has evolved. Search terms like “boutique hotels NYC” are now more conversational, such as: “Tell me which hotels in NYC have rooftop bars and arts programming.”
Search engines won’t favor shallow content on sites like brand.com. AI will produce the most original content. However, this requires that hotels offer unique experiences in order to be able to write about them. The 28% U.S. hotels which are boutique or independent have a great opportunity.
Story-driven hotel websites—think brands like The Standard, essentially a blog with a ‘Book Now’ button—are most useful to AI platforms, and the travelers using them. The Standard is much more than just a hotel. They invest in constantly producing new, fresh content. content to promote the experiences they offerThere are DJs on the line-up, Tarot Card Readings and a pop-up Italian restaurant with one-pound meatballs and tomato basil martinis.
Independent brands and boutique properties are better suited in an AI-first world because they offer the experiences—and content about those experiences—that help potential guests discover them and get inspired to book a stay. Demand-generating content examples include:
- The hotel chef has curated an itinerary with the best cafes, bars, and restaurants that guests should visit during a 48 hour trip.
- The artist who created the mural at the hotel and his or her favorite cultural activities in the City
- A deep-dive into the seasonality of the destination and the varied reasons to plan a trip during the spring, summer, fall, and winter (e.g., après-ski menu in the winter, rooftop spritz cocktails in the summer)
Content of this type gives AI the necessary information to make recommendations for properties based on context. It’s more important than ever that you produce content that your guests would expect from a mainstream publisher, as queries are becoming more conversational. (Curacity interviewed the editors of Afar, Travel + LeisureA Hotel Life and Fathom will gather their attendees expert content recommendations for hotels and travel brands.)
AI isn’t a universal death knell for hotel websites, but it does change their utility. The AI summaries of chain-branded websites (or sites with shallow content) could cause a decline in organic traffic. Properties that have unique content can enjoy greater visibility.
It’s never been easier to win more business with a site that is content-driven. In a landscape in which more than 7 out of 10 hotel sites don’t satisfy traveler needs.
Curacity
Curacity helps travel brands to measure the revenue they generate from upper-funnel advertising. Curacity delivers premium content to opt in subscribers of trusted media brands. This allows hotels, cruises, and resorts to reach travelers who are high-intent during the inspiration phase before making purchase decisions. The attribution technology of Curacity closes the marketing-to-booking loop by identifying media-exposed customers who book a hotel stay. Curacity helps travel marketers make better decisions by linking content directly to revenue. Curacity, headquartered in New York, has offices in Stamford Conn. and Toronto as well as Buenos Aires. It was named among Inc. 5000’s top 20 travel companies. Visit www.curacity.com Click here for more details.
