The world of hotel marketing has shifted beneath our feet, and far too many operators are still playing by an outdated rulebook.
While marketeers obsess over basic Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), they are missing the broader picture: in the age of artificial intelligence, a completely new guest journey has taken hold. Everything from paid media allocation to website architecture is being reshaped.
A seismic shift has occurred and the funnel has evolved: LLMs are now doing the research on people’s behalf, presenting a shortlist based on their exact needs. The pace of change is staggering. Between 30 and 40% of travellers already use AI tools to plan their itineraries, a figure that surges to roughly 55% among Gen Z and Millennials, and 68% for frequent travellers. As these figures continue to grow, getting onto that shortlist must be a priority for every commercial leader.
Winning in this landscape begins with what we call the Route to Recommendation, an in-depth product-market fit exercise that uses Data, Physical Experience and Brand to reframe your digital strategy and answers a set of key questions:
What do your guests care about?
What specifically are they looking for?
Most importantly, which factors influence where they choose to book?
To capture these high-intent guests, broad keyword bidding no longer works. You must prove your hotel is the precise answer to those specific desires.
Leverage your data
Screen Pilot has built a proprietary tool to analyse tens of thousands of AI search queries. Combining the analysis of the data that informs LLM recommendations, including guest reviews, social signals, competitor context and AI query patterns, it’s now possible to build a picture of what your hotel should be known and recommended for.
Live the guest experience
Hoteliers should walk the physical path of the guest with a recommendation mindset. Conducting walk-throughs of your property will help identify where you excel, what your guests are interested in, and what they might be including in their prompts. Whether it’s a fantastic F&B offering, family-friendly facilities, or the most luxurious spa, these are the nuances and specific details that make you the perfect fit – and more likely to be recommended, rather than simply considered.
Craft a compelling story
As we attract people deciding where to spend their hard-earned time and money, emotion matters in travel. Humans and LLMs alike respond to a compelling story, clearly told. Because booking a stay is an intensely personal investment, your brand narrative must go far beyond listing amenities. It requires weaving authentic, emotionally-resonant stories around what travellers truly care about, while bridging any proof gaps that might create hesitation. When a property communicates its identity with distinct warmth and clarity, it creates the emotional pull that sways a guest’s final decision while giving AI search algorithms a rich, trusted narrative to index.
Mastering the Recommendation Funnel
Where these three circles overlap is your Recommendation Thesis – the singular, authentic positioning that defines your hotel’s sweet spot. But this isn’t just a theoretical framework. It’s the essence around which you should reframe your digital strategy and the key to driving significant incremental growth in bookings.
Moving guests smoothly through the new funnel can be a marketing minefield, but there are tactics designed to help – and focussing on three key areas: technical improvements, social proof and conversion, will bring your Recommendation Thesis to life.
Firstly, technical tactics like traditional GEO feed the AI-driven Consideration and Recommendation stages. By translating your Recommendation Thesis into structured Schema code, recommendation-specific on-page copy, tailored metadata and aligned third-party listings, you ensure machine algorithms can easily parse, verify and select your hotel for that coveted shortlist.
Second, social proof tactics power the human Validation stage. Social media is no longer just a passive engagement tool – it is your ultimate validation engine. When a guest investigates an AI recommendation, your Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and CRM review streams must instantly confirm the exact attributes that earned you the recommendation in the first place.
Finally, conversion tactics capture the resulting demand through conversion-focused advertising, precise paid search and Google Maps ads, Meta remarketing, and a frictionless booking journey.
As these tactics demonstrate, integration is key. Every channel must work together in support of the Recommendation Thesis.
This budget season, leadership teams need to ensure funding is being directed towards winning in LLM search and capturing the demand it creates. Screen Pilot are working with clients to balance traditional paid media activity with AI visibility. Their Digital Brand Experience (DBX) approach brings social, paid media and the conversion journey together under the Recommendation Thesis – ensuring clients are not only considered by LLMs, but recommended, and ultimately booked. For forward-thinking operators, this shift is not a threat – it is the single greatest opportunity to capture market share in 2027 and beyond.