Recommended by AI. Booked through whom?

When a guest searches for a hotel with an AI assistant, two issues come together: what they understand about the product and the channel through which they eventually book.

A hotel can be mentioned yet remain interchangeable with others on price, location and rating. It can also be the preferred choice while the booking is completed through an intermediary.

I start with the reasons to choose the property and work on how they are expressed commercially: distinctive features, evidence of the experience, services genuinely available and booking conditions.

This work carries through to the website, distribution listings, imagery and social content. Each has a role, supported by reliable information and a promise that operations can deliver. Guest reviews help test that promise against what guests actually recognise.

I then examine the journey through to booking: whether the offer is found, the room category is understood, the conditions are clear, which channel is used and what distribution costs it involves.

With the teams, I establish an action plan: what needs to change, who is responsible and in what order, so that an advantage becomes visible, a booking obstacle is removed or distribution is reconsidered.

Visibility in AI answers becomes part of a broader effort to build preference and sales, connected to the revenue the hotel retains.