Hotel marketers must rethink visibility as gen z shifts from google to social and ai-driven search
Oct 24, 2025
The next generation of travelers is no longer starting their trip planning on Google. Gen Z is turning to TikTok and AI tools like ChatGPT for destination ideas, hotel recommendations, and trip inspiration. For hotel marketers, this means visibility is now shaped by short-form video trends and AI-generated summaries — not just SEO.
Key takeaways
- TikTok as the new trip planner: Travelers use TikTok to find hotels, local experiences, and honest reviews — often skipping brand websites entirely.
- LLMs as travel advisors: AI tools like ChatGPT are helping users choose where to stay by summarizing hotel options and reviews, bypassing traditional search results.
- AI summaries reduce direct clicks: With 60% of searches ending without a website visit, hotel sites risk losing organic traffic unless optimized for AI-generated answers.
- Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): Just as hotels once optimized for Google, they now need strategies to appear favorably in AI summaries and recommendations.
- Rethinking success metrics: Hotel marketers should track mentions in AI tools and engagement on TikTok alongside traditional web analytics.
- Preparing for AI commerce: As e-commerce features arrive in AI platforms, hotels may soon be able to advertise or enable direct booking within LLM-powered search results.
Source: MediaPost
