How hotels can adapt to the evolving AI search landscape

As travelers increasingly use artificial intelligence for trip planning, hotels must consider impacts on visibility and distribution strategy, writes Operto CEO Tim Major. Travelers describe trips in terms of mood, purpose, and experience, and AI turns that into a shortlist almost instantly. In the traditional search model, signals like rankings, impressions, and click-through rates were visible; in the age of AI, that visibility disappears. Hotels are being judged in a system they can't observe. Vague positioning gets filtered out; a hotel clearly designed for a specific guest type becomes easier to match. AI introduces a new kind of intermediary that shapes demand. If a hotel is mischarac…