Consultants are flooding the market with a new pitch: « Pay us to optimize your hotel for AI, or you will become invisible. »
Before you buy expensive courses or panic-hire a guru, let’s separate the Basic Web Hygiene from the Marketing Hype.
1. The Interface vs. The Math (The TSP Reality): AI is an incredible semantic engine, but it is not a magician. Consultants imply AI will mathematically engineer the perfect itinerary for a user. It won’t. The Traveling Salesman Problem (calculating the perfect trip based on Flight x Hotel x Traffic x Budget) involves trillions of permutations.
The Reality: AI replaces the filter (« Has Pool ») with context (« A quiet pool for swimming »). But once the vibe is matched, the underlying availability and pricing logic is the same hard math as before.
2. The « OTA Data » Trap The Pitch: « If I don’t optimize, Expedia defines my brand. » The Truth: This is valid, but the solution isn’t magic. It’s Content Ownership.
OTAs homogenize your hotel. They turn your « hand-crafted artisan breakfast » into « Breakfast included. » If you want the AI to know your true « vibe, » you need rich, specific descriptions on your own site. If your website is generic, the AI will be generic.
3. The « Technical » Secret (That Isn’t a Secret): Some consultants love to throw around words like RAG, JSON-LD, and Knowledge Graph. They make it sound like rocket science.
The Translation: This is just modern SEO.
– « Knowledge Graph » = Is your business address and name correct on Google Maps?
– « JSON-LD » = Does your website code clearly list amenities (like « EV Charging ») so a robot can read it?
The Disconnect: Charging a premium for « AI Readiness » when they are often just applying the technical SEO standards your web agency likely should have implemented years ago.
4. Operations is still the Ultimate Signal: You can have the best Schema markup in the world, but if your operational reality sucks, the AI will eventually filter you out. A 9.0 review score is a stronger signal of trust than any hidden metadata tag.
5. The « Direct Booking » Mirage: Some consultants claim AI is a « secret weapon » to bypass OTAs.
The Reality: Follow the money. Google and OpenAI are data-hungry, but they are also revenue-hungry. OTAs pay massive licensing fees and billions in advertising. Why would an AI platform prioritize your direct link (earning them €0) over an OTA result backed by billions in ad spend? The game is weighted toward those who pay to play.
The Verdict? Don’t pay to « just teach the AI » about your hotel.
Fix your Website Data: Ensure your amenities are clearly listed in your site’s code (Schema).
Own your Story: Don’t let OTAs write your description. Be specific on your direct site.
Focus on the Guest: Operational excellence creates the sentiment that powers the recommendation.
« AI Optimization » is just a scary new name for « Doing your job well. »
#Hospitality #AI #RevenueManagement #HotelMarketing #DirectBooking