Access Hospitality has warned that hotels risk losing visibility and bookings as travelers increasingly turn to artificial intelligence platforms instead of traditional search engines.
The shift marks a significant change in how travel decisions are made, particularly in the early stages of trip planning, where AI tools are now playing a dominant role.
AI Rapidly Changing Travel Search Behaviour
According to Deloitte, nearly a quarter of travelers used generative AI tools for trip planning in late 2025, a threefold increase compared to 2022.
Data from SimilarWeb shows that 35% of consumers now consider AI tools the most useful option for discovering travel ideas, compared with just 13.6% for traditional search engines.
During the evaluation stage, AI continues to lead, with 32.9% of users favouring it over search engines, which account for only 15%.
Hotels Risk Being Left Out Of Early Consideration
While traditional search engines are still used for price comparison and booking, many travelers are already narrowing down their choices through AI platforms before reaching that stage.
This creates a risk for hotels that are not optimised for AI-driven discovery, as they may never appear in the initial shortlist presented to users.
Access Hospitality’s research, based on 1,000 businesses and 8,000 consumers, found that 57% of travelers believe technology has improved their hospitality experience, while 34% of businesses expect AI to enhance decision-making through better data insights.
Traditional SEO No Longer Enough
AI platforms rank and present results differently from search engines, prioritising structured data, clarity and relevance over traditional SEO tactics.
As a result, hotels relying solely on search engine optimisation strategies may see declining visibility as AI becomes a primary discovery tool.
Industry experts warn that failing to adapt could mean missing key “discovery moments” where travel decisions are first shaped.
New Strategy Needed For Digital Visibility
To remain competitive, hotels are being urged to expand their digital strategies beyond traditional search.
Recommended actions include maintaining accurate listings across platforms, clearly presenting amenities and experiences, ensuring consistency across booking channels, and using structured data to improve how content is interpreted by AI systems.
Encouraging detailed guest reviews that highlight specific experiences is also seen as critical to improving visibility in AI-driven environments.
Shift Signals New Era In Travel Marketing
The growing influence of AI in travel planning reflects a broader transformation in consumer behaviour, where inspiration, research and decision-making are increasingly guided by intelligent tools.
For the hospitality sector, the challenge will be adapting quickly to ensure visibility across these new platforms, as the way travelers search—and choose—continues to evolve.
