Travelers don’t browse 20 hotel listings anymore. They ask AI: ‘Best hotels in [destination] for [trip type]’ ‘Where to stay near [attraction]’ ‘Romantic getaways within 3 hours of [city]’ AI responds with 3-5 recommendations. We optimize for the queries that drive bookings.
Travel & Hospitality
Engineering AI Search for Direct Bookings and Guest Discovery
When Travelers Ask AI 'Where Should I Stay?', Is Your Property the Answer?
Travel planning has fundamentally changed. Perplexity now offers direct hotel booking. 42% of travelers have booked based on AI recommendations. When someone asks 'best boutique hotels in Nashville' or 'where to stay near Yellowstone,' AI is becoming the new travel agent. Here's the problem: not a single hotel brand ranks in the top 10 most-cited sources for AI travel recommendations. OTAs and aggregators dominate.
We help hotels, resorts, and hospitality brands become the properties AI recommends. We don't just optimize your website—we engineer the authority signals, content structure, and competitive positioning that gets your property cited when travelers ask AI for recommendations.
AI Travel Discovery Optimization
When travelers ask AI where to stay, we ensure your property appears in recommendations. We optimize for the destination and experience queries that drive booking decisions.
Direct Booking Positioning
AI often routes travelers to OTAs. We build the signals that encourage AI to recommend booking directly with you—protecting your margins and guest relationships.
Experience & Amenity Content
Travelers ask AI about specific experiences: 'hotels with rooftop pools in Miami,' 'pet-friendly resorts in Colorado.' We structure your amenities and experiences for AI discovery.
Destination Authority Building
We build your presence in travel publications, destination guides, and the sources AI consults when recommending properties in your location.
Review & Reputation Signals
AI heavily weights reviews and guest feedback. We help you build and showcase the authentic reputation signals that influence AI recommendations.
- Discovery
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AI Travel Discovery Optimization
When travelers ask AI where to stay, we ensure your property appears in recommendations. We optimize for the destination and experience queries that drive booking decisions.
- Direct Booking
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Direct Booking Positioning
AI often routes travelers to OTAs. We build the signals that encourage AI to recommend booking directly with you—protecting your margins and guest relationships.
- Experience
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Experience & Amenity Content
Travelers ask AI about specific experiences: 'hotels with rooftop pools in Miami,' 'pet-friendly resorts in Colorado.' We structure your amenities and experiences for AI discovery.
- Local Authority
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Destination Authority Building
We build your presence in travel publications, destination guides, and the sources AI consults when recommending properties in your location.
- Reviews
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Review & Reputation Signals
AI heavily weights reviews and guest feedback. We help you build and showcase the authentic reputation signals that influence AI recommendations.
Why Choose Search Edge?
When travelers ask AI for accommodation recommendations, will your property be cited? We've analyzed how AI platforms evaluate and recommend hotels—and we know what it takes to appear in those answers.
When travelers ask AI for hotel recommendations: OTAs like Booking.com and Expedia appear in 70%+ of responses. Travel aggregators dominate destination queries. Individual hotels rarely appear unless specifically named. We help you compete by building presence in the sources AI trusts.
Website traffic doesn’t fill rooms. We measure: Direct bookings from AI-referred visitors. AI-referred revenue vs. OTA bookings. Citation rate for destination and experience queries. Share of voice vs. competing properties in AI responses.
Hotels operate in a complex distribution landscape with rate parity considerations and OTA relationships. We focus on building direct booking preference without disrupting your channel strategy.
Getting cited by AI requires presence in trusted travel sources. We build visibility in: Travel publications and destination guides. Regional tourism websites and local content. Experience-focused blogs and review platforms. The sources that influence what AI recommends.
Work Process
Our process is designed for the hospitality industry’s seasonal rhythms. We start by auditing your current AI visibility across destination and experience searches, then develop a strategy to position your property as the one AI recommends
Book Your Free GEO Strategy Call
In just 30 minutes, we’ll review your brand’s AI search visibility and outline quick wins. No fluff, no obligation, just practical next steps.
Frequently Asked Questions
42% of travelers have booked based on AI recommendations. When someone asks AI where to stay, properties that are cited get considered. We help you become the property AI recommends
Yes. By building direct authority signals, we help AI recommend booking directly with you rather than routing travelers to OTAs—protecting your margins and guest relationships.
SEO optimizes for Google's hotel search results. GEO optimizes for AI-powered responses from ChatGPT, Perplexity (which now offers direct booking), and similar platforms.
We track direct bookings from AI traffic, AI-referred revenue, citation rates for destination queries, and share of voice vs. competing properties—metrics that impact your bottom line.
Hospitality GEO typically shows measurable progress within 60-90 days, with significant improvements in AI citation rates over 4-6 months. We time strategies around your booking seasons.
We work with boutique hotels, resorts, vacation rentals, and hotel groups. Our strategies adapt to your property type, target guests, and competitive landscape.