How AI is Reshaping Guest Engagement and Hotel SEO | By Debbie Miller

The hospitality search experience has undergone a quiet revolution. Where travelers once Googled their way to vacation options, many now turn to AI assistants like ChatGPT, Copilot, and other “agentic” tools to dream, plan, and book. With tools like Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE), users receive detailed answers, trip summaries, and personalized insights based on conversational prompts.

For hotel owners and operators, this means it’s time to reevaluate how and where you meet your guests online.

What is Agentic Search?

Agentic search, a term growing in popularity, refers to AI-driven tools that go beyond delivering links. They literally act on behalf of the user. Instead of presenting a list of search results, they synthesize answers and take action, like booking a room, building itineraries, or comparing hotels in real time.

For example:

• A traveler might ask ChatGPT, “What’s the best dog-friendly boutique hotel in Bend, Oregon under $250 a night?” and get a curated answer without visiting your website at all.
• Microsoft Copilot might generate a list of properties based on user preferences and booking history.
• Expedia’s integration with ChatGPT already allows users to get travel recommendations and click through to book directly.

On the search engine side, generative AI is transforming hotel marketing and forcing properties to reposition themselves online. For example, a search google like, “Plan a 3-day trip to Santa Fe with boutique hotel options and outdoor activities” no longer returns just a list of links. Instead, it might yield a structured itinerary, recommended hotels, hike suggestions, and local restaurant options, all generated dynamically.

Why Does This Matter for Hotels?

Clearly, these tools are rapidly changing the guest journey and reshaping hotel digital marketing. Instead of funneling through traditional search engines or OTAs, more travelers rely on conversational AI for trip planning, especially as Gen Z and Millennials adopt conversational AI. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? It’s up to interpretation. There are numerous pros and cons when it comes to generative search and direct bookings.

What does that mean for hotel marketers?

• If your content isn’t optimized for AI, you risk becoming invisible.
• If your booking process isn’t seamless, you’ll lose out to more frictionless competitors.
• If you’re not using chatbots, you’re missing out on lead capture and guest service efficiencies.

How Hotels Can Embrace the AI Shift

1. Optimize for AI-Driven Search

Modern AI assistants pull from sources like Google, Bing, Yelp, Tripadvisor, and even your website’s schema. Make sure your property is accurately listed and reviewed on key platforms, and you use structured data (schema markup) on your website. You should also ensure your web content answers common guest questions (pet policies, proximity to attractions, unique amenities).

2. Deploy AI-Powered Chatbots

Modern hotel chatbots can do much more than answer FAQs. They can also perform tasks like qualifying leads and directing them to book or handle real-time guest requests (room upgrades, late checkout, etc). Many chatbots can integrate with your PMS or CRM systems to provide personalized responses to enhance guest experiences, too.

3. Create “AI-Friendly” Content

AI tools tend to favor clear, conversational, and factual content. Local expertise, helpful recommendations, and unique selling points (e.g., eco-certified, art-forward, hyper-local partnerships) are also good to have. This is your chance to tell your story, and let AI tell it for you.

4. Enable Seamless Booking Paths

AI chatbots and agentic search tools prioritize fast answers and action. A clunky booking engine or lack of mobile responsiveness can cost you the conversion. Audit your booking funnel regularly and test it across platforms.

Bonus: Use AI on the Backend, Too

Don’t just respond to AI trends, use them! Train your own AI tools to spot guest trends, create segmented email campaigns, and improve forecasting. The same technologies shaping the search experience can also drive revenue and streamline operations. By analyzing patterns of customer information, hoteliers can also leverage AI to gain broad insights into their customers’ likes and dislikes. This helps better assess the performance of business initiatives.

Wrapping Up

AI chatbots and agentic search are redefining how guests discover and interact with your hotel. By leaning into this shift now, hotel operators can meet guests where they are, improve conversions, and build stronger relationships long before check-in.