Walk into any hospitality event today and you will hear the same words everywhere. MCP. GEO. Agentic AI. LLMs. They are dropped into conversations as if everyone already knows what they mean. Most people nod along. In reality, many hoteliers are still trying to understand what these terms actually refer to and why they suddenly matter. AI has moved fast, and the language around it has moved even faster.
At the same time, the way travelers discover hotels is changing. Trip planning increasingly starts with a question asked to AI, not a list of search results. Guests compare options, refine preferences, and make decisions inside a conversation. If AI is summarizing hotels in seconds, your property needs to be something it can clearly understand and accurately describe. This shift affects more than technology teams. It touches marketing, revenue strategy, distribution, and the guest experience. AI is becoming a new discovery channel, much like mobile or metasearch once were.
The challenge is that AI vocabulary keeps expanding, and very little of it is explained in plain terms. That is why we created a full glossary of AI Terms for Hoteliers. It breaks down the most common AI terms without technical jargon, so you can follow the conversation and understand what actually matters for your hotel. Below is a short introduction to a few key terms, with the full glossary available whenever you need it.
Generative AI
AI that creates new content. Text, images, responses, all based on what it learned from examples. ChatGPT is generative AI. Or the image generators.
The difference: Google shows you 10 links. ChatGPT writes you a custom answer. Instead of “here are hotel websites,” it says “based on your budget and preferences, here are three hotels I recommend.”
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)
Making sure AI can find your hotel, understand it, and describe it accurately.
SEO for Google. GEO for ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.
Without good GEO: AI might not recommend your hotel website at all. AI describes you incorrectly (“they don’t have parking” when you do). AI sends guests to OTAs instead of your direct booking. AI shows outdated rates from 2023.
With good GEO: Current property descriptions everywhere. Accurate amenities and photos. Consistent information across all platforms. Structured data AI can read easily.
Agentic AI
AI that takes action, not just answers questions. Agentic AI is the newest technology around AI these days – it’s very early stage and keeps evolving, almost on a daily basis
Regular AI: Guest asks “What hotels have pools in Austin?” AI responds: “Here are five hotels with pools”
Agentic AI: Guest says “Book me a hotel with a pool in Austin next weekend” AI searches availability, compares options, checks live prices, makes the reservation, sends confirmation. All in one conversation.
A concierge who recommends restaurants versus a concierge who recommends AND books the table AND arranges your car. Agentic AI completes the entire task.
MCP (Model Context Protocol)
MCP is an open standard designed to standardize how AI systems (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) connect to external tools, systems, and data sources. Think of a USB-C connector for AI.
For hotels this standard lets AI check your live rates and availability right now, not guess based on the information found online.
Breaking down the acronym:
- Model = The AI behind ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini
- Context = Information the AI needs
- Protocol = Standard rules for exchanging that information
LLM (Large Language Model)
The AI technology powering ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. Massive AI systems trained on huge amounts of text to understand and generate human language. It’s a sub-category of GenAI.
Why it matters: LLMs power the conversations travelers are having about trip planning. ChatGPT is using GPT-4 (an LLM). Claude uses a different LLM (Sonnet). Same concept, different companies and their own models.
Major LLMs travelers use: GPT-4 (ChatGPT). Claude (Anthropic). Gemini (Google).
Did these terms clear a few things up? We’re just getting started. The full AI Glossary for Hoteliers goes further, bringing together the concepts you are most likely to hear across the industry. It helps you understand what people actually mean, and why it matters for your hotel, when terms like “agentic AI” or “MCP connectivity” come up in conversations or presentations.
Download the full guide and keep it on hand as a practical reference whenever AI conversations pick up speed.
