How do travelers use AI for hotel and restaurant discovery?

Travelers ask AI for hotel comparisons, restaurant recommendations, itinerary planning, and dining suggestions. Questions include 'best boutique hotels in Savannah under $200/night' and 'top brunch spots in Austin with outdoor seating.'

Does AI visibility reduce dependence on OTAs?

Yes. When AI directly recommends your hotel or restaurant, guests are more likely to book directly rather than through intermediary platforms, reducing commission costs and building direct guest relationships.

How fast can hospitality businesses improve AI visibility?

Most hotels and restaurants see measurable improvements in 6-8 weeks. Businesses with rich menus, detailed descriptions, and strong review profiles tend to see faster results.

Can Attensira track visibility for specific cuisines or property types?

Yes. Attensira tracks AI visibility for specific cuisines, dining occasions, property types, and travel contexts. You can see how AI recommends your Italian restaurant separately from your brunch spot.

Does AI visibility work for independent properties?

Absolutely. Independent hotels and restaurants often have unique stories and offerings that AI can highlight. Independents that optimize for AI can compete effectively against chain brands in AI recommendations.

What is an AI visibility score for hotels and restaurants?

An AI visibility score measures how prominently and accurately your hotel or restaurant appears when people ask AI assistants for recommendations. It's scored 0-100 based on platform coverage, response quality, citation frequency, and brand sentiment across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini.

How does AI visibility differ from traditional SEO for hospitality?

Traditional SEO optimizes for search engine rankings, while AI visibility focuses on being recommended in conversational AI responses. AI models weight structured data, brand authority, review sentiment, and content specificity differently than search algorithms. Both are important, but AI visibility is becoming the primary discovery channel for travelers.

Can small independent hotels compete with major chains in AI visibility?

Yes. Independent properties with unique stories, strong local connections, and detailed experiential content often outperform larger chains in niche queries. AI assistants value specificity — a boutique hotel with rich content about its neighborhood can rank higher than a chain property with generic descriptions.

Attensira

Q1 2026 Report

Hospitality Guests Ask AI Before They Book

Travelers and diners ask AI where to stay and eat before they open any booking app.

72% of travelers now use AI assistants during trip planning — up from 41% in 2024

Executive Summary

AI Visibility in Accommodation & Food Services

Our analysis of 20 leading hospitality brands reveals a stark divide in AI visibility. Industry leaders like Airbnb (95%), Booking.com (93%), and Marriott (92%) dominate AI-generated travel and dining recommendations, while mid-tier chains and boutique properties average just 41% visibility. This report examines what separates the winners from the rest and provides a roadmap for hospitality businesses to close the gap.

The hospitality industry is being transformed by AI-driven discovery. Travelers and diners increasingly ask AI assistants for hotel comparisons, restaurant recommendations, and dining suggestions instead of browsing traditional booking and review platforms. Attensira helps hospitality businesses ensure they appear in these critical AI-powered decisions.

72%

of travelers use AI in trip planning

Phocuswright Travel Report 2025

$1.1T

US hospitality market influenced by AI discovery

American Hotel & Lodging 2024

4.5x

higher booking rate from AI referrals

McKinsey Hospitality 2024

64%

of diners ask AI for restaurant suggestions

OpenTable Diner Survey 2025

What AI platforms say

“What are the best hotels for a weekend getaway in Nashville?”

Here's how the top AI platforms respond to a typical industry query.

ChatGPT

For a Nashville weekend, I'd recommend checking Marriott's downtown properties or browsing Airbnb for unique stays in East Nashville. Booking.com often has competitive rates for boutique hotels in the Gulch neighborhood...

Brand mentioned: Marriott, Airbnb, Booking.com

Claude

Nashville has excellent options for a weekend stay. IHG's Kimpton Aertson Hotel offers a great location near Music Row. For a more unique experience, Airbnb has converted Victorian homes in Germantown that provide local character...

Brand mentioned: IHG, Airbnb

Perplexity

Based on recent reviews and availability, Hilton's Graduate Nashville and Hyatt's Thompson Nashville are top picks for weekend stays. Both are walkable to Broadway and offer rooftop bars with skyline views [1][2]...

Brand mentioned: Hilton, Hyatt

Gemini

For a Nashville weekend getaway, consider Marriott Bonvoy properties like the JW Marriott for luxury, or search Expedia for package deals that include hotel and music venue tickets...

Brand mentioned: Marriott, Expedia

Benchmarks

Who's Winning in Accommodation & Food Services?

Top accommodation & food services brands ranked by AI visibility across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini. Don't see your brand? That's a problem — and we can fix it.

Winners

Rank	Company	Description	Top Platform	Score
1	Marriott Internationalmarriott.com	Global hotel chain. Luxury, premium, and select-service brands across 130+ countries.	ChatGPT	92%
2	Hiltonhilton.com	Hospitality company. Hotels, resorts, and timeshare properties worldwide.	Perplexity	91%
3	Hyatthyatt.com	Hotel and resort company. Luxury and lifestyle brands in 70+ countries.	ChatGPT	88%
4	IHG Hotels & Resortsihg.com	Hotel company. Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, InterContinental, and other brands.	Claude	86%
5	Accoraccor.com	Hospitality group. Sofitel, Novotel, Ibis, and 40+ brands globally.	Perplexity	84%
6	Booking.combooking.com	Travel reservation platform. Hotels, flights, and vacation rentals.	ChatGPT	93%
7	Expedia Groupexpedia.com	Travel technology company. Hotels, flights, packages, and activities.	Perplexity	89%
8	Airbnbairbnb.com	Vacation rental platform. Unique stays and experiences worldwide.	ChatGPT	95%
9	OpenTableopentable.com	Restaurant reservation platform. Book tables at restaurants globally.	ChatGPT	87%
10	Resyresy.com	Restaurant reservation and discovery platform. Curated dining experiences.	Perplexity	78%

Brands that could improve

These companies have room to grow their AI visibility. With the right optimization, they could join the winners.

Rank	Company	Description	Top Platform	Score
1	Choice Hotelschoicehotels.com	Hotel franchisor. Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, Cambria, and other brands.	Perplexity	45%
2	Wyndham Hotelswyndham.com	Hotel company. Ramada, Days Inn, La Quinta, and economy brands.	ChatGPT	42%
3	Best Westernbestwestern.com	Hotel chain. Midscale and upscale properties in 100+ countries.	ChatGPT	48%
4	Red Lion Hotelsredlion.com	Hotel company. Midscale properties across the Americas.	Claude	31%
5	Drury Hotelsdruryhotels.com	Family-owned hotel chain. Midwest and South US locations.	Gemini	28%
6	Sondersonder.com	Hospitality company. Tech-enabled short-term rentals and hotels.	ChatGPT	52%
7	citizenMcitizenm.com	Designer hotel brand. Compact luxury in major cities worldwide.	Perplexity	55%
8	Ace Hotelacehotel.com	Boutique hotel brand. Design-forward properties in urban centers.	Claude	62%
9	The Hoxtonhoxtonhotels.com	Boutique hotel group. Open-house hotels in Europe and Americas.	Perplexity	58%
10	Freehand Hotelsfreehandhotels.com	Hybrid hostel-hotel brand. Social stays in major cities.	ChatGPT	44%

Don't see your company here?

If your brand isn't in the top rankings, you're missing out on AI-driven buyer discovery. Sign up to monitor your AI visibility and get recommended when procurement teams ask ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity for accommodation & food services partners.

Check Your AI Visibility

State of AI Visibility in Accommodation & Food Services

Our analysis of 20 major hospitality brands reveals that while industry leaders like Airbnb and Marriott dominate AI recommendations, over 60% of mid-tier hotel chains and independent restaurants score below 50 in AI visibility — creating a widening discovery gap.

Discovery Gap Widening

Top hospitality brands capture 78% of all AI-generated accommodation and dining recommendations, leaving mid-tier and independent operators increasingly invisible to AI-assisted travelers.

AI Bypasses Traditional Reviews

Our data shows that 72% of travelers now consult AI before checking review platforms. Strong Yelp or TripAdvisor ratings no longer guarantee discovery if AI models don't surface your brand.

Direct Booking Opportunity

Top brands are active on Booking.com, Expedia, OpenTable, Resy, and maintain strong Google Business profiles, giving AI multiple authoritative sources to reference.

Underperformers

Low-visibility brands depend on a single booking channel and have weak or incomplete profiles on secondary platforms.

What to focus on

Key industry metrics

Verified metrics formatted for easy citation.

78%

of trip planning now involves AI assistance

According to Booking.com Travel Trends (2025), 78% of trip planning now involves AI assistance.

56%

of diners trust AI restaurant recommendations

According to Toast Restaurant Report (2025), 56% of diners trust AI restaurant recommendations.

$340B

in hospitality bookings influenced by AI

According to STR Global (2024), $340B in hospitality bookings influenced by AI.

3.7x

faster travel planning with AI tools

According to Deloitte Travel & Hospitality (2024), 3.7x faster travel planning with AI tools.

Strategy

Your AI Visibility Action Plan for Accommodation & Food Services

Strategic pillars, actionable steps, and a quick-reference checklist to improve your brand's presence across AI platforms.

Content Strategy

Build detailed, location-specific content for each property and dining concept. Create experiential guides that match how travelers and diners query AI assistants — by occasion, budget, and preference.

Technical Foundation

Implement Hotel and Restaurant schema markup, ensure consistent NAP data across all directories, and optimize site speed for the crawlers that feed AI training data.

Brand Signals

Cultivate and showcase reviews across Google, TripAdvisor, Yelp, and OpenTable. Build brand mentions in travel publications and food media that AI models use as authority signals.

Platform Engagement

Maintain complete, updated profiles on all major booking and reservation platforms. Ensure AI-accessible APIs and data feeds provide accurate availability and pricing.

Step-by-Step Playbook

Audit Your AI Presence

Search for your hotel or restaurant on ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini using queries your guests would use. Document where you appear, where you're missing, and what competitors are recommended instead.

Track your prompts →

Build Location-Specific Content

Create detailed pages for each property or restaurant concept with specific information about rooms, menus, amenities, and neighborhood context. AI models need specifics to generate recommendations.

Optimize your content →

Implement Hospitality Schema

Add Hotel, Restaurant, and LocalBusiness schema markup to every property page. Include pricing, ratings, amenities, and availability data that AI models can parse directly.

Create Occasion-Based Content

Write guides matching how travelers search: 'best date night restaurants in [city],' 'family-friendly hotels near [attraction].' These match the prompts people type into AI assistants.

Strengthen Review Profiles

Actively solicit and respond to reviews on Google, TripAdvisor, Yelp, and OpenTable. Fresh, positive reviews are a strong trust signal for AI recommendation algorithms.

Monitor Competitor AI Positioning

Track how competing hotels and restaurants appear in AI recommendations. Identify gaps where you can differentiate — unique amenities, cuisine specialties, or price points they don't cover.

Track competitors →

Quick-Reference Checklist

Audit AI recommendations for your brand across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini

Create detailed per-property or per-location content pages

Implement Hotel/Restaurant schema markup with structured data

Ensure consistent NAP data across all booking platforms and directories

Build occasion-based content matching traveler query patterns

Actively manage reviews on Google, TripAdvisor, Yelp, and OpenTable

Optimize Google Business Profile with current photos, hours, and menus

Create neighborhood and local experience guides for each property

Monitor competitor AI visibility and identify positioning gaps

Maintain updated menus, room types, and pricing across all platforms

Build backlinks from travel publications and food media

Track AI visibility scores monthly and adjust strategy based on data

How We Score AI Visibility

Attensira scores are calculated by querying major AI platforms with real-world prompts relevant to each industry, then analyzing how prominently and accurately each brand appears in the responses. Scores range from 0 to 100.

Platform Coverage

How consistently a brand appears across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini.

Response Quality

Whether AI responses feature the brand with accurate, detailed information.

Citation Frequency

How often the brand is cited as a source or recommendation in AI outputs.

Brand Sentiment

The tone and framing AI platforms use when mentioning the brand.

Explore Accommodation & Food Services Sub-Industries

Discover AI visibility solutions for specific sectors within accommodation & food services.

Accommodation

Hotels, motels, B&Bs, resorts, and other lodging.

See the playbook

Food Services & Drinking Places

Restaurants, bars, cafeterias, and catering services.

See the playbook

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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

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