AI-powered search is reshaping how travellers discover destinations, compare hotels and make booking decisions. For resort marketers, staying visible means understanding how search behaviour is evolving while strengthening the fundamentals of digital marketing.

A traveller searching for a resort in Phuket might once have entered a few keywords into Google. Today, they might ask an AI assistant to recommend a family-friendly beachfront resort with a children’s pool, several dining options and convenient airport access.

The search is becoming more conversational, the results more personalised, and travellers may receive detailed recommendations without ever visiting a hotel’s website.

This changing landscape was explored at HSMAI Asia Pacific’s 2026 Resort Marketing Conference in Phuket, where the discussion examined how artificial intelligence is influencing hotel discovery and what commercial teams can do to remain competitive.

For hotel marketers, the central question is increasingly important: How can hotels ensure they are visible, relevant and accurately represented wherever travellers search?

The fundamentals of hotel marketing still matter

While AI is transforming the way information is delivered, the principles of effective hotel marketing remain largely unchanged.

Google continues to play a major role in travel search, even as AI-powered platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity become part of the traveller’s research journey.

AI-generated answers are also appearing within traditional search environments, creating new ways for travellers to discover and evaluate accommodation.

What is changing is how information is gathered, interpreted and presented.

Several familiar factors continue to influence hotel visibility:

• Relevance: How closely does a property match the traveller’s specific requirements?
• Authority: Is the hotel’s information credible, consistent and supported by trustworthy sources?
• Reputation: What do guest reviews and third-party recommendations communicate about the property?
• Traveller needs: Does the hotel offer the location, facilities, experiences and value the guest is seeking?

Comparing traditional Google results with AI-generated recommendations for family beach resorts in Phuket reveals considerable overlap in the properties and features highlighted.

Swimming pools, children’s activities, beachfront locations, family-friendly facilities and guest reviews remain important considerations.

The difference lies largely in how those recommendations are organised and communicated.

Traditional search typically presents listings and links, while AI can consolidate information into a conversational response tailored to the traveller’s requirements.

For hoteliers, this reinforces the importance of accurate content, credible information and clearly communicating what makes a property relevant to its target audiences.

AI is creating new opportunities for destination discovery

One of the most interesting implications of AI-powered search is its potential to influence not only which hotels travellers choose, but also which destinations they consider.

Research from the Mastercard Economics Institute in 2026 examined travel spending patterns among consumers using paid AI subscriptions. The findings indicated that these travellers allocated a greater proportion of their spending to accommodation compared with non-subscribers. The research also explored how AI recommendations may encourage travellers to consider lesser-known destinations that match their interests, preferences and budgets.

Sometimes described as destination dupes, these alternatives offer experiences comparable to established tourism hotspots, potentially with fewer crowds or different price points.

A traveller considering Paris, for example, might discover Toulouse as an alternative destination.

In Spain, the research identified significant spending by US visitors using paid AI subscriptions in Conil de la Frontera, a lesser-known coastal destination. These developments suggest an opportunity for hotels operating in secondary destinations and emerging tourism markets.

In Thailand, a traveller interested in Phuket’s beaches but seeking a quieter atmosphere might also be introduced to nearby Khao Lak. As AI becomes more influential in travel planning, destinations and individual properties may benefit from communicating their distinctive attributes more effectively.

For resorts, this means going beyond generic descriptions of accommodation and facilities to highlight experiences that appeal to specific traveller interests.

Social media is becoming part of the booking journey

AI is only one part of a broader transformation in hotel discovery.

• Social media platforms are increasingly connecting travel inspiration with commercial transactions, reducing the distance between discovering a destination and making a booking.
• Platforms such as TikTok, RedNote and Douyin are developing travel commerce capabilities that bring recommendations, content and booking opportunities closer together.
• TikTok GO, for example, has introduced travel discovery and booking functionality in the United States through partnerships with travel companies, including Booking.com and Expedia.
• In China, RedNote and Douyin are also integrating travel-related commerce into their platforms.

For hotel marketers, this creates a more complex customer journey.

A traveller might discover a resort through a social media video, research its suitability using an AI assistant, compare reviews across several platforms and ultimately book through an online travel agency or the hotel’s own website.

The booking may happen on one platform, but the decision could have been influenced by several others.

Understanding this interconnected journey is becoming essential for commercial teams seeking to improve visibility and conversion.

From SEO to Search Everywhere Optimisation

Traditional search engine optimisation (SEO) remains important, but hotel visibility now extends beyond conventional search engines.

The concept of Search Everywhere Optimisation reflects the growing need for hotels to maintain a consistent, relevant and trustworthy presence across multiple discovery platforms.

Rather than concentrating exclusively on rankings in Google, hotel marketers must consider how their properties appear in AI-generated recommendations, social platforms and other digital environments.

Four fundamental elements remain particularly important.

Key element	What it means for hotels
1. Relevant and useful content	Provide accurate, engaging information about accommodation, facilities, dining and unique experiences. Help travellers quickly understand what makes your property distinctive.
2. Understanding traveller intent	Tailor content to different guest needs. Families may look for children’s activities, while couples may prioritise wellness, dining or privacy. Relevant content improves discoverability.
3. Credibility and authority	Build trust through guest reviews, media coverage, reputable third-party mentions and consistent information. A strong digital reputation supports visibility in traditional and AI-powered search.
4. Clear and structured information	Keep website content organised, property details accurate and technical SEO up to date. This helps search engines and AI platforms understand and recommend your hotel.

Together, these foundations help hotels establish a digital presence that can adapt as search technologies continue to evolve.

What can hotel marketing teams do now?

Although major technology developments often happen at the corporate or platform level, individual hotels have considerable influence over their own digital discoverability.

Property teams understand their guests, local markets, experiences and competitive advantages.

That knowledge can be translated into practical marketing improvements.

1. Understand where your hotel appears:

• Start by reviewing how your property is represented across Google and major AI search platforms.
• Test relevant search queries and examine which hotels are recommended, what information appears and whether your property is included.
• Look for inaccuracies, missing details and opportunities to improve visibility.

2. Identify where competitors are gaining visibility

• Understanding which properties appear more frequently is only the starting point.
• Consider why they may be performing better.
• Do competing hotels have more relevant content, stronger reviews, greater media exposure or clearer descriptions of particular experiences?
• Combining traditional SEO analysis with AI search monitoring can help identify gaps worth addressing.

3. Turn insights into practical improvements

• Once opportunities are identified, hotel marketing teams can work with their digital agencies and corporate teams to improve content, keyword targeting, destination information and technical SEO.
• Hotels can also contribute unique local knowledge that competitors cannot easily replicate.
• Distinctive dining experiences, nearby attractions, new facilities, renovations and local partnerships all provide opportunities to strengthen a property’s digital presence.

Experimenting with conversational search

The evolution of AI-powered hotel search is also encouraging hospitality brands to reconsider how travellers interact with their own websites and booking platforms.

• Conversational search experiences, including Marriott’s Ask Bonvoy, demonstrate how hotel discovery can move beyond traditional destination and date-based searches.
• Travellers do not always begin their research knowing exactly where they want to stay.
• Some are comparing specific hotels, while others are exploring possible destinations, experiences or types of holidays.
• Conversational search creates opportunities to support both behaviours, helping travellers move from inspiration to a more informed accommodation decision.
• Although AI-powered travel planning and booking capabilities are still developing, experimentation can help hospitality businesses better understand emerging customer expectations.

For commercial teams, the challenge is to evaluate new technologies without losing sight of the fundamentals that influence traveller choice.

Building visibility for the next generation of travellers

AI will continue to influence how travellers research destinations, compare accommodation and make booking decisions, however, maintaining visibility does not necessarily require hotels to adopt every emerging platform or technology.

The immediate opportunity lies in strengthening the foundations that make a property discoverable: clear positioning, relevant content, accurate information, strong reputation and credible third-party visibility.

Hotel marketers should understand where their property appears today, identify opportunities to improve its digital presence and ensure that its distinctive experiences are communicated consistently across channels. As the journey from inspiration to booking becomes increasingly fragmented, the ability to remain visible and relevant across multiple platforms will become an important part of hotel commercial strategy.

For resort marketers, success will depend not simply on being found, but on giving the right travellers compelling reasons to choose their property, wherever their search begins.

@Aaron/DEE – can you please check Mark Shrives PPT and copy the references to the Mastercard research from there. 

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Field	Recommendation
SEO title	How AI Is Changing Hotel Search and Discoverability
URL slug	ai-hotel-search-discoverability
Meta description	Discover how AI is changing hotel search, travel discovery and booking behaviour, with practical strategies to improve resort visibility.
Category	Digital Marketing
Tags	AI Search, Hotel Marketing, SEO, GEO, Resort Marketing, Hotel Discoverability