AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google’s AI overviews are completely changing the way people find information online, and this is especially affecting hotels when travellers are planning their trips and choosing where to stay.
This shift means that several new approaches are becoming increasingly important for hotels wanting to increase visibility on these platforms.
Unlike traditional search results (like Google or Bing), which provide a list of web links, AI-driven platforms focus on giving “the answer” directly to users.
For hotels, this means optimising your online presence so these platforms recommend or cite your property when potential guests ask questions like: “What are the best dog-friendly hotels in the Peak District?”
This is where Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) comes in.
What Is GEO?
GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) is the process of optimising your hotel’s digital footprint so that generative AI platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews are more likely to show your property in their responses.
What about AEO?
AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) overlaps closely with GEO. While AEO applies to any answer-focused platform (including voice assistants like Alexa), GEO focuses specifically on generative AI tools. Many best practices are shared, so we’ll combine them in this guide.
GEO & SEO – What Do Hotels Need To Know?
GEO and SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) both aim to improve a hotel’s online visibility and increase its discoverability. However, their approaches do differ, and they should be treated separately.
- Traditional hotel SEO focuses on more comprehensive, keyword-rich content that’s written to target specific searches like “luxury hotel in Sheffield”.
- GEO focuses more on concise, quotable snippets of information that AI tools can easily reference. For example, if someone asks ChatGPT, “What are the best dog-friendly hotels in the Peak District?”, GEO aims to ensure your hotel appears as the answer or a source.
Key Differences Between GEO & SEO
As mentioned, SEO rewards detailed content, keyword targeting and a good backlink profile, whereas GEO prioritise concise, clearly structured information.
AI relies heavily on how easily content can be extracted and understood by these large language models (LLMs).
AI platforms don’t rely as heavily on links and page authority the same way that search engines do. Instead, they’re more focused on consistent brand positioning and semantic authority, pulling information from multiple sources (your hotel’s website, OTAs, review sites, TripAdvisor, Social Media, etc.)
What Should You Focus On?
If you’re aiming to rank in Google’s AI overview or other LLM platforms, you should focus on some of the following GEO ranking factors:
- Clear and concise content: Short, quotable details about rooms, offers and facilities.
- Semantic clarity and authority: Consistent descriptions aligning with intent, for example, “best boutique hotel for romantic breaks in Manchester”.
- Brand visibility: Ensure your brand is visible across reputable travel platforms, publications and OTAs. Hotels with mentions on travel blogs, forums and other platforms tend to have greater visibility than those relying only on their website
- Structured data: Ensure the content is correctly marked up using structured data.
- Answer questions easily: Answer common queries to do with amenities, check-in policies or pet-friendliness.
How to Integrate GEO Into Your Hotel’s SEO Strategy
It’s important to note that GEO and SEO aren’t competing, and they complement each other. Here’s how to get them working together:
On-Page Optimisations
- Include short, structured FAQs answering common guest questions
- Clearly summarise USPs
- Optimise and write for conversational searches: AI favours content that directly answers a user’s intent, addressing users’ questions and queries.
- Focus on structured, machine-readable data: This means ensuring that your content is structured so AI can easily read and extract important information like amenities, location, pricing and USPs.
Off-Page Optimisations
- Prioritise consistent brand mentions: Focus on mentions across blogs, travel media, OTAs and other relevant authoritative travel-specific publications. Make sure your hotel’s name, contact details and amenities are consistent and up to date everywhere AI might find you.
- Encourage genuine, detailed guest reviews: Properties with high ratings and a significant number of reviews tend to have greater visibility.
- Utilise social media and other platforms: Use social media and YouTube to showcase your hotel, its USPs and local area.
Technical Optimisations
- Use schema to define key details: Using structured data and integrating booking will help AIs understand and recommend your hotel and drive bookings.
- Ensure that AI crawlers can easily access information
- Improve page speed, mobile usability and HTML structure
The Future of SEO & GEO
Hotels need to remain competitive in both traditional search engines but also position themselves to be visible in AI platforms, Google’s AI overview and LLMs.
Don’t panic, though. Rather than completely overhauling your organic strategy, we’d always recommend testing, measuring and optimising content to be user-first and helpful, aligning with search behaviours and intent as a priority.
Not Sure Where To Start?
If this feels overwhelming, you’re not alone. GEO is new — but starting with small steps like updating FAQs, adding schema, and aligning your brand across travel platforms can make a real impact.
Need help optimising your hotel for GEO and SEO?
Get in touch with our team, and we’ll walk you through practical steps to boost your visibility and direct bookings.
FAQs
What is Generative Engine Optimisation for hotels?
It’s the process of optimising your hotel’s online presence so AI tools like ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews cite your property in their answers.
How does GEO differ from traditional hotel SEO?
SEO focuses on ranking in search engines with keyword-rich content; GEO ensures concise, structured information is easily pulled into AI-generated responses.
Why is GEO important for hotels in 2025?
Travellers are increasingly using AI tools to plan trips. GEO helps hotels stay visible and win direct bookings in this evolving search landscape.
