The way people search for travel recommendations is changing. Travellers are increasingly asking ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity for personalised suggestions instead of scrolling through Google results. If your luxury hotel or boutique property isn’t visible to these AI platforms, you’re missing a growing — and high-intent — audience.
What Is AI Search Optimisation — and Why Is It Different from SEO?
AI search optimisation makes your brand visible when people ask AI platforms for suggestions. Unlike traditional SEO, which focuses on ranking in search results, it ensures your property appears in conversational AI responses.
When someone asks ChatGPT “What are the best boutique hotels in Barcelona?” or Claude “Recommend a luxury spa resort in Bali?” — they get direct recommendations. Your goal is to be one of them.
The key difference: traditional SEO alone won’t get you recommended by AI. These platforms look for different signals — structured data, factual accuracy, authority mentions from credible sources, and content that directly answers questions. If your website relies on marketing copy without clear facts, you’re invisible to AI.
Our Invisible or Influential: Luxury Travel in the Era of AI Search study shows how AI-driven recommendations are reshaping visibility for luxury brands — and why authority signals now outweigh traditional ranking factors in AI responses.
7 Steps to Get Your Property Visible in AI Search
You don’t need to rebuild your entire website. Here’s how to make your property AI-visible while keeping your brand voice intact.
Step 1: Fix Your Technical Foundation
AI platforms can’t recommend what they can’t crawl. Use Google Search Console to find and fix broken links, redirect chains, and crawl blocks. Add schema markup — Organisation, LocalBusiness, Hotel — so AI platforms can extract key facts: location, amenities, pricing, awards, contact information. Fast-loading, mobile-friendly, HTTPS-secured sites signal quality. Think of technical SEO as plumbing — invisible but essential.
Step 2: Clarify Your Brand Positioning
AI platforms struggle with vague positioning. “A luxury experience unlike any other” gives AI nothing to work with. Be specific about your category — are you a design-forward boutique hotel, a family-friendly luxury resort, or an adults-only wellness retreat? State what makes you different: Michelin-starred dining, private beach access, award-winning spa. Name who you serve: honeymooners, business travellers, wellness seekers. Your About page, homepage and meta descriptions should all reinforce these points using consistent language.
Step 3: Restructure Your Content for AI
Beautiful, poetic copy doesn’t work for AI — but you don’t have to abandon your brand voice. Add factual detail alongside the storytelling. Replace “Unparalleled Experiences Await” with “Rooftop Infinity Pool with Panoramic City Views.” Say “42-square-metre suites with king beds and private balconies” rather than “spacious suites.” Create FAQ sections answering common questions — “Do you have a spa?”, “What’s included in breakfast?”, “How far from the airport?” — AI platforms surface direct question-answer formats. Give your key features their own pages: don’t bury your Michelin-starred restaurant in a homepage paragraph.
Step 4: Optimise Your Images and Media
AI platforms primarily read text, but visual details still matter as multimodal AI expands. Write descriptive alt text — not “hotel room” but “Junior suite with king bed, marble bathroom, and private balcony overlooking the Mediterranean.” Use descriptive file names. If you have property tour videos or chef interviews, include accurate transcripts — AI can extract information from text but not from video alone.
Step 5: Build Authority Through Third-Party Mentions
AI platforms don’t just look at your website. They pull information from across the web, and weight sources by perceived authority. The more your brand appears in reputable sources, the more likely AI will recommend you. Pitch travel journalists and luxury lifestyle publications — being featured in Condé Nast Traveller or Travel + Leisure significantly boosts AI visibility. Apply for industry awards: Michelin, AAA Five Diamond, World’s 50 Best. Get into roundup lists — “Best Hotels in [City]” articles are frequently referenced by AI systems. Create a web of credible sources all mentioning your brand. AI platforms use this distributed reputation as a core signal.
Step 6: Manage Your Reviews Actively
AI platforms increasingly look at review sentiment when making recommendations. A property with 100+ detailed five-star reviews will be recommended over one with sparse or mixed feedback. Complete your Google Business Profile — fill every field, add photos, respond to all reviews. Ask satisfied guests to mention specific features they loved: the rooftop pool, the breakfast, the spa. Detailed reviews give AI more context to work with. Respond thoughtfully to negative reviews — AI platforms can see your responses and factor in professionalism.
Step 7: Test Your AI Visibility — and Track It
You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Ask ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI for recommendations in your category and location. Do you appear? Where? Test broad queries (“best luxury hotels in Lisbon”), specific queries (“boutique hotels near Bairro Alto with rooftop pools”), and comparison queries. Check which competitors consistently appear and what they’re doing differently. Document everything in a spreadsheet — are recommendations improving? Is sentiment positive? Run these audits at least monthly.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Abandoning your brand voice — You don’t need your website to read like Wikipedia. Balance factual information with your unique storytelling.
- Keyword stuffing — Repeating phrases robotically hurts more than it helps. Write naturally while including key details and facts.
- Ignoring mobile — Many AI searches happen on mobile devices. Your site must work flawlessly on smartphones.
- Neglecting local listings — Google Business Profile, TripAdvisor, and booking platforms feed data to AI systems. Keep all listings accurate and complete.
- Expecting instant results — Most properties see meaningful improvements within 2–3 months of consistent work. This is not a one-time project.
How to Measure Whether It’s Working
Track these five things: how often you appear in AI recommendations across different platforms; where you appear in AI-generated lists (first is significantly better than fifth); which external sources AI platforms are citing when they recommend you; whether you’re being recommended for a variety of relevant queries or just very specific ones; and direct traffic growth — as AI mentions increase, you should see more direct visits from users who discovered you through AI platforms.
What’s Next for AI Search
AI search is still evolving — platforms are adding image search, voice queries, real-time information, and better personalisation. Brands that start now will have a significant advantage over those who wait. What won’t change: clear positioning, factual content, authority building, and positive reputation. The brands that treat AI search as an ongoing practice rather than a one-time project will dominate their categories.
Frequently Asked Questions
How quickly will I see results?
Most properties see meaningful improvements within 2–3 months of consistent work. Technical fixes and content restructuring can show early signals within weeks. Authority building — media coverage, reviews, third-party mentions — takes longer but has the most lasting impact.
Do I need to change my whole website?
No. Start with the pages AI is most likely to assess: homepage, About, key experience pages. Add factual detail, FAQ sections, and schema markup. Your brand voice stays — you’re adding structure alongside it, not replacing it.
Will this work for smaller boutique properties?
Yes — and often more effectively. AI platforms don’t favour brands by size or budget. A well-positioned boutique property with strong third-party citations and clear entity definition can outperform a larger chain with poorly organised content.
What’s the difference between AI visibility and traditional SEO?
SEO optimises for search engine rankings. AI visibility optimises for how AI systems understand, trust, and recommend your brand. The signals that matter are different — backlink profiles matter differently, keyword density is largely irrelevant, and paid search has no influence on what AI recommends. A good SEO foundation helps, but it’s not sufficient on its own.
Written by
Sara Lemos
Co-founder of Make Lemonade. Sara leads AI visibility strategy and digital intelligence, helping luxury hospitality and travel brands appear in AI-generated recommendations.
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