Hotel Bookings Are Moving Into AI. Here’s What Independent Hotels Need to Know

This is becoming a habit! Another week and the AI updates keep coming.

I know it’s hard to keep up and these seemingly weekly developments can start to feel like noise, but for independent hotels, this is one you need to pay attention to.

Google has started allowing travellers in the US to search for, compare and book hotels within its AI experience. A guest can simply describe the sort of trip they want, look through the suggestions and complete the booking, all without following the usual customer journey through different websites.

The first booking partners include all the usual names- Booking.com, Expedia and several of the big hotel brands.

But while several of the hotel brands are on the list, the important news is that independent hotels are not - at least, not yet.

With that in mind, what should independent hotels start doing?

First of all, don’t panic but do start planning

Firstly, there is no need to panic - but this does require independent hoteliers to start thinking about where things could be heading and plan in advance.

And while we have spent a lot of time talking about whether hotels will appear in AI searches and whether ChatGPT will recommend you, there is now another layer to think about - if AI does recommend your hotel, who actually gets the booking?

Because just because you appear in the recommendations, if another property can be booked there and then (while booking yours means leaving the AI platform, finding your website and starting again), I think we all know which a guest is most likely to choose.

And even if they do choose your hotel, the easiest route may take them through an OTA rather than through you directly meaning  more commission and less control over the guest relationship..

So, what can you actually do?

So while independent hotels cannot control which businesses Google chooses to integrate with first, there is quite a lot you can control.

Have a look at what AI is saying about you

Start by doing a few searches yourself - and not just the name of your hotel, but the sort of searches that new guests will be looking for in the lead-up to finding your hotel. So, in your area, queries such as ‘Which hotels have car parking?’, ‘Which hotels are pet friendly?’ or ‘Suggest somewhere for a romantic weekend.’

Does your hotel appear? And, if it does, does the description sound like you?

AI can only work with the information it finds. If your hotel is described differently across your website, Google profile and OTA listings, you are making its job, and the guest’s decision, much harder.

Follow the booking journey

This is really important.

If your property comes up in a search, see what happens next. Where is the guest encouraged to book? Is an OTA offering a cheaper rate or an easier journey?

We often look at visibility, rates and website conversion as separate things. From the guest’s point of view, they are all part of one journey.

Make your hotel easy for AI to understand

This is not just about ensuring information is consistent. Be specific about what you offer. If you welcome dogs, have free parking, offer accessible rooms or sit within walking distance of a major attraction, say so clearly. AI cannot recommend a benefit it cannot confidently find.

Book your own hotel

When did you last try to make a booking through your own website on your phone?

Book it as a guest would. Do the room descriptions make sense? Are the photographs helpful? Are the cancellation terms clear and easy to find? Does the price suddenly change when extras are added? How many clicks does it take before the booking is complete?

This is nothing new, but guests have very little patience for a clunky booking experience. If booking through an OTA, or eventually through AI, is quicker and simpler, that is where they will go.

Give guests a reason to book direct

Do not make guests hunt around your website to work out why booking direct is better. Make it clear why it makes sense for them - and remember, this is not always about offering a lower price. It could mean including breakfast or parking, offering a better cancellation policy, or simply giving guests more flexibility. Whatever the benefit is, make it obvious (but please avoid too many pop-ups.  You may think you are giving a guest important information but you are actually just adding to their frustration)

Keep a close eye on your rates

AI is going to make it even easier for guests to compare options. But please do not take that as a green light drop your rate every time someone else does.

Look at what is happening in your market, understand your booking pace and think about the value of the full offer - not just the number attached to the room. (A browse through previous blogs and you’ll see I’ve written a lot about why we shouldn’t blindly follow our competitors’ rates… it’s something I feel very strongly about)

The answer is still good revenue management: using the information available to make the right decision for your hotel. Technology should support that judgement, not replace it.

This is really about updating and refining your distribution strategy

It may be tempting to file this under “another AI development I’ll look at later” and move on. But it is really about how guests find, compare and book hotels - and who owns that booking at the end of it.

And while the big brands and OTAs may have been included first, it does not mean independent hotels are powerless - there is so much you can do.

You can make sure your information is accurate. You can be much clearer about what makes your hotel worth choosing. You can improve the direct booking journey. And you can make sure your rates reflect demand, your strategy and the value you offer.

None of that requires you to predict exactly what Google will do next.

It simply means getting your hotel ready for wherever the guest chooses to start their search-and making it as easy as possible for them to finish that search with a booking.