‘Hotels need to become more visible in the AI era’

More direct bookings through Generative Engine Optimisation

With the rise of ChatGPT, Google Gemini and other AI search engines, travellers' online behaviour is changing at lightning speed. They no longer type keywords, but ask questions. And as a hotel, you want you to be the answer.

“Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is actually the evolution of SEO,” says Thomas Dieben, founder of Becurious. “Where we used to optimise for keywords, now it's all about context and conversation. People ask ChatGPT not for ‘hotel Amsterdam’, but: ‘Which boutique hotel near the Vondelpark has
family rooms and good reviews?’ That's a fundamentally different way of searching.”

What SEO was for Google, GEO is becoming for the new generation of AI search engines. Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is the logical successor to SEO: optimisation focused on AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE). These systems no longer display search results, but instead conduct conversations with users and refer to relevant resources within that conversation.

“It is crucial that that source is the hotel's own website, not an OTA,” Dieben stresses. “Otherwise, the click goes through Booking.com again and you lose the direct booking.” 

AI is changing the playing field

In fact, according to Dieben, large booking platforms are somewhat behind. “Booking and Expedia obviously have huge databases, but they are unwieldy. On the contrary, we see opportunities for independent hotels. They can respond faster to this new search reality by structuring their own websites well.”

Dieben notices that ChatGPT is now becoming a visible traffic source. “We see in our statistics that more visitors are coming to hotel websites via ChatGPT month after month. Google is still dominant, but the shift is unmistakable. That is why it is smart to make sure AI models understand and quote your site now.”

From demand to booking

With Generative Engine Optimisation, Becurious helps hotels rewrite their content around guest questions; in a natural tone, with clear answers and structured data recognised by AI systems. “FAQs are golden in this,” says Dieben. “Start with basic questions like ‘Is there parking available?’ or ‘How far is the city centre?’, but also consider target-group-specific content: ‘Romantic weekend getaway near the Veluwe’ or ‘Hotel with fast wifi for business travellers’. Anything that connects to real questions from guests increases your chances of being mentioned by AI as a relevant answer.”

In addition, Becurious advises hotels to make their prices visible in the AI results. “Connecting to meta-platforms such as Google Hotel Ads, Bing Lodging Campaigns or Tripadvisor will soon allow you to show your
show current rates directly and get referrals to your own booking engine. This builds trust and increases the chances of the guest booking with you via direct.”

No ‘set and forget’

GEO is not a one-off operation, Dieben stresses. “You have to keep monitoring this. Check regularly whether your hotel is mentioned in AI results, keep content up to date and capitalise on local events. During a big event in your city, as a hotel you obviously want to be mentioned as an ideal place to stay. That requires maintenance, just like good SEO used to.”

That is why Becurious provides tools and reports that allow hotels to track their AI visibility. “We do baseline measurements based on the hotel's unique characteristics, provide monthly reports and advise what can be improved. Because in the end, it's all about that one goal: more direct bookings through the hotel's own website.”

The mission remains the same

Although technology is changing, Becurious's mission remains unchanged. “We want to help hotels strengthen the direct relationship with their guests,” says Dieben. “That has always been the core. The website is the heart of that relationship: visible, reliable and bookable. AI changes the route towards it, but the goal remains the same. Those who bet on GEO now are laying the foundation for sustainable visibility in the AI era.”  

5 tips: this is how to ‘AI-proof’ your hotel’

• Think in questions, not keywords. Write content that answers what your guests really want to know.
• Use structured data. Configure FAQs and room information with Schema.org so AI understands them.
• Keep your content up to date. Adapt texts to seasons, events and local trends.
• Make your rates visible. Link your booking system to platforms for direct bookings.
• Test yourself regularly. Ask ChatGPT or Google AI about your hotel and see if you appear in the answers.