A guest asks an AI assistant for a quiet spa hotel for a long weekend, somewhere they can bring their dog, within two hours of London. They do not get ten links. They get a short answer naming two or three hotels, and the questions that follow are asked in the same conversation.
This is no longer a niche habit. NYU’s School of Professional Studies and BCG report that 37% of travellers already use AI large language models built into online travel sites to plan and book trips (Hospitality Net). Google has also added hotel booking inside AI Mode for US users, with ten launch partners, so the conversation can now end in a reservation (Hotel Dive).
For a luxury hotel, the practical question is simple: when the assistant needs an answer about you, is there a clear one on your own website?
AI answers questions, not keywords
A search engine matches words on a page. An assistant answers a question, and builds that answer from whatever it can find and trust. If your website does not state the answer plainly, the assistant uses another source: a booking site, a review, an old press article.
That is why the wording on your key pages matters more than it used to. The assistant is not looking for your best sales copy. It is looking for a clear fact it can repeat.
The questions guests actually ask
Start with six groups. Most hotels can answer all of them in an afternoon.
Rooms and suites: which room type suits a family of four, which has a bath with a view, which are accessible.
Spa, dining and facilities: opening times, who can use the spa, whether the restaurant takes non-residents, whether there is a pool.
Getting there: nearest station, transfer time from the airport, parking.
Policies: dogs, children, cancellation, check-in and check-out times.
Occasions: weddings, anniversaries, private dining, celebrations.
Booking: how to book direct, what is included, what the guest sees next.
How to write the answer
Put the answer in the first sentence, in plain text, under a heading that matches the question. Example wording (illustrative only):
Do you accept dogs? Yes. Up to two dogs are welcome in our Garden Suites, with a bed, bowls and a map of local walks. Dogs are not permitted in the restaurant or spa.
Three rules keep it readable by people and by AI. Use real text, not a PDF or an image of text. Keep one page per topic rather than burying facts in a long brochure page. And use the same wording everywhere: if your website says “Garden Suite” while Booking.com says “Deluxe Garden Room”, the assistant has to guess.
What is happening now
| What travellers do | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Plan and book trips using AI language models built into online travel sites | 37% of travellers | NYU SPS and BCG, via Hospitality Net |
| Book a hotel inside Google AI Mode (US, English) | Ten launch partners: five hotel groups and five booking sites | Hotel Dive |
| Choose a room, review the cancellation policy and pay without leaving Google | The hotel or booking platform is merchant of record | Search Engine Journal |
Check this week
Ask ChatGPT and Google AI Mode the six groups of questions about your own hotel, and write down where each answer comes from.
For every answer that comes from somewhere other than your website, add a short, plain answer to the matching page.
Then compare your room names, facilities and policies on your website, Google Business Profile and booking sites, and fix any that differ.
See where you stand
We run a free AI Visibility Snapshot for luxury hotels and branded residences. It shows what AI says about you, which sites it quotes, and where the guest goes next. Request yours at reposition.co.uk.