Would AI recommend your business? 5 simple checks to make now

The way guests search for places to stay, eat and visit is changing. Instead of opening Google and typing “hotels in Devon”, someone might now ask AI: “Where should I stay in Devon for a romantic weekend, close to the coast, with a good restaurant and dog-friendly rooms?”

They are not simply looking for a list of links. They are asking for recommendations.

That creates a new challenge for hospitality businesses. If someone asks an AI tool for exactly the type of experience you offer, does it know enough about your business to include you?

There is no magic button that will make AI platforms recommend your hotel, holiday cottage, restaurant or spa. But there are practical things you can do to help AI search tools find, understand and accurately describe your business.

Here are five simple checks to make now.

Start with the simplest test. You know your guests better than anyone. So, open ChatGPT, Gemini or another AI search tool and try asking some of the questions they might ask.

For example:

• “Recommend a dog-friendly boutique hotel near Bath.”
• “Where can I stay in Cornwall with young children and an indoor pool?”
• “Find me a country hotel with a spa for a romantic weekend.”
• “Where is good for Sunday lunch near Exeter?”

Be specific about location, occasion and guest needs. Then see which businesses appear and, importantly, why they have been recommended.

Try a few variations rather than relying on one search. AI answers can change depending on the wording of the question and the information available.

If your business does not appear, do not panic. Instead, look at the businesses that do. What information about them is clear online that may be harder to find about you?

Think of this as a useful temperature guage rather than a league table.

AI cannot recommend something it cannot understand. Take a look at your website through fresh eyes. Does it clearly explain what you offer, where you are and who you are particularly good for?

A beautiful sentence about “escaping the everyday” might inspire a guest, but it does not tell a search tool whether you have family rooms, accept dogs, offer EV charging or sit five minutes from a particular attraction.

The answer is not to strip the personality out of your website. It is to combine inspiring content with useful facts.

Be specific about things guests commonly search for: your location, facilities, accessibility, parking, food, spa treatments, check-in times, family facilities, dog-friendly policies and nearby attractions. Adding FAQs is an easy way to incorporate this information.

Your individuality matters too. If you grow your own produce, have exceptional sea views, specialise in walking breaks or are within strolling distance of a major attraction, say so clearly.

Your website is important, but it is not the only place information about your business exists.

Google Business Profile, online travel agents, tourism websites, directories, review platforms and local partners can all contribute to the picture guests find online. Google itself explains that its business information can come from official websites, business owners, third parties and users.

So check the basics.

Is your business name written consistently? Are your opening times correct? Is your address accurate? Are facilities that have changed still being advertised somewhere? Do old descriptions contradict your current website?

If different websites tell different stories, it becomes harder for both guests and search technology to know which information to trust.

It is easy for a business to say it is perfect for romantic breaks or brilliant for families. It is much more convincing when other people say it too.

Reviews are an important part of your online reputation, so keep encouraging genuine guest feedback and responding to it.

Pay attention to what guests actually mention. Comments about friendly staff, brilliant breakfasts, peaceful rooms, accessibility or a fantastic location all build a richer picture of the experience you provide.

Relevant local links and mentions can help too. Tourism organisations, local attractions, suppliers, event websites and other hospitality businesses can all strengthen your wider online presence.

The aim is not to manufacture mentions for AI. It is to build the same thing good hospitality businesses have always built: a strong, trusted reputation.

This final check is a little more technical, but an important one to ask whoever looks after your website.

OpenAI says public websites can appear in ChatGPT search and advises website owners who want their content included to make sure they are not blocking its search crawler, called OAI-SearchBot.

Good traditional SEO still matters too. Search engines and AI-powered search experiences rely on many of the same foundations: websites that can be crawled, accurate information, clear page structures and useful original content.

So this is not about abandoning everything you have learned about Google and starting again. It is about building on it.

Guests still want the same things they always have: confidence that they have found the right place, clear information and a reason to choose you.

AI simply changes part of the journey they may take to get there.

Start by asking how easy your business is to find, understand and recommend. Make your important information clearer. Keep it accurate. Build genuine proof around what makes you special.

The technology may be new, but the principle is reassuringly familiar: make it easy for the right guests to discover why your business is right for them.