ChatGPT for hotels is shaped by search listings, trusted brand citations, and structured schema visibility working together inside the chat experience.
• Listings: Search visibility and Local SEO (e.g., « Top hotels in Orlando »).
• Direct: Brand authority and data consistency (e.g., « Show me rates »).
• Referral: Brand mentions and editorial links (e.g., « Is IHG better? »).
In the broader « Anatomy of ChatGPT, » the Direct layer functions as the bridge between discovery (Listings) and comparison (Referral).
Ultimately, for a hotel to « win » in this ecosystem, it cannot rely on listings alone; it must establish « Direct brand authority » alongside listings visibility and referral discoverability.
This is literally Google Local data, folks. ChatGPT is just a wrapper for now.