- Access Hospitality and industry data show travelers relying on AI to search for hotels
- Hotels need to broaden their visibility strategy beyond conventional SEO
- Access SHR Hotel Digital Marketing services help increase visibility on AI platforms
HOUSTON, TX, 23 April, 2026 – Hotels risk losing visibility and potential bookings as traveler search behavior shifts beyond traditional search engines to AI platforms, according to Access Hospitality, the hospitality technology division of The Access Group.
Travelers are no longer relying on traditional search engines alone to discover and compare places to stay. Deloitte’s 2026 Travel Industry Outlook cited nearly a quarter of travelers using Gen AI tools for trip planning in late 2025 – thrice as many as in 2022.
With AI platforms taking on a bigger role in shaping preferences, hotel brands need to be visible earlier in the traveler’s decision-making journey, especially on platforms like ChatGPT, which recorded 73% share of AI searches and 891 million monthly users in March 2026.
SimilarWeb’s new “Gen AI Brand Visibility Index” shows AI use is strongest at the earlier stages of a booking journey. The research found that 35% of consumers say AI tools are most useful for “discovering and getting initial ideas”, compared with 13.6% for search engines. AI also leads during the brand evaluation stage, with 32.9% of consumers saying it’s most useful “for evaluation value and instilling confidence” versus 15% for traditional search.
Affirming this trend, Access Hospitality’s global research “AI in the Hospitality Sector” across 1,000 hospitality businesses and 8,000 consumers found a market that’s primed for more AI-led discovery: 57% of consumers said technology has improved their experience across hospitality, and 34% of businesses said their main expectation from AI is better decision-making through improved data insights.
Although travelers return to search engines at the later stages of a booking journey – either to compare prices or transact – by this point, many already have a shortlist in mind. If a hotel brand is absent from AI platforms, it risks being overlooked at this critical point.
Hotels that rely only on traditional Search Engine Optimization (SEO) also risk losing market leadership, as AI doesn’t reward search rankings, but selects results based on how accurately and easily a hotel’s content, data, and digital presence can be understood and surfaced.
Nicola Longfield, Chief Commercial Officer, Global Accommodation & Payments at Access Hospitality, said: “Hotels that focus only on traditional search risk becoming invisible during key discovery moments. To stay competitive, hospitality brands need to ensure they are visible wherever travelers are searching for inspiration and recommendations. Search has the power to shape and create demand. To truly lead in hospitality, hotels need to create content that influences the way people frame their queries, whilst also responding to how travelers now search.”
How hotels can adapt to travelers’ increasing use of AI in trip planning
As travelers’ search behavior becomes more fragmented, hotels need to broaden their visibility strategy beyond SEO. Access Hospitality supports this through Access SHR’s Hotel Digital Marketing Services, combining technology, strategic insight and hands-on expertise to help hotels strengthen their online presence and drive direct demand.
To improve visibility in AI searches, Access SHR recommends that hotels:
- Maintain 100% complete and accurate business listings across major platforms such as Google Business and Bing, with clear location data points, which AI platforms rely on for local searches
- Clearly highlight unique amenities and experiences on their websites
- Ensure consistency across OTA listings and directories
- Maintain listings on official tourism websites
- Implement structured data or schema to improve how information on the website is understood by AI tools, and ensure it’s consistent with any business profiles
- Encourage detailed guest reviews that reference specific features and experiences
To help hotels stay visible in AI searches, Access Hospitality will host a free AI Masterclass: How Hotels Stay Visible in the Age of Intelligent Search on May 14th, 2026, hosted by Access SHR experts. Attendees can register here.
About Access Hospitality
Access Hospitality (part of The Access Group) provides dedicated products and management tools to help operators achieve sustainable growth through increased footfall, revenue, margins, reputation and loyalty. Our intelligent software ecosystem delivers real results for more than 100,000 venues worldwide.
Access Hospitality #behindeverygreatexperience
For more information, visit www.theaccessgroup.com/hospitality or follow @AccessHospitality.
