Will ChatGPT Recommend Your Hotel?

A 12-Month PR Plan to Make Sure It Does

If AI assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity don’t mention your hotel in their top picks, you’re effectively invisible to the next generation of travellers. And no amount of website SEO or Instagram-worthy content will change that.

Why? Because ChatGPT doesn’t search like Google. It doesn’t rank websites based on backlinks or keywords. Instead, it generates answers based on what it has “read” from trusted sources. This means that your hotel’s visibility in AI-generated responses depends on how often, and where, it has been mentioned in authoritative publications.

Welcome to the new world of Share of Model Optimization (SOMO). You can read more about it in my previous article in this series.

So, how do you take control of your SOMO and ensure AI consistently recommends your property? You need a structured, step-by-step PR plan designed for the AI era.

Here’s your 12-month roadmap to AI-driven PR success:

Phase 1: First 30 Days – Audit & Assessment

Before you can improve your AI visibility, you need to understand where you stand.

Test AI responses – Run at least 25 different queries on ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and other LLMsm like the examples below. Does your hotel appear? If not, who does?

“Best luxury hotels in Dubai?” (I did a little experiment here. See the results at the end)

“Which hotel has the best dining experience in London?”

“Where should I stay for a honeymoon in the Maldives?”

Benchmark competitors – Which hotels consistently show up? Where have they been featured in the media?
Identify Key Publications – Find out which travel, business, or lifestyle sites are influencing ChatGPT’s answers. Where do your competitors get press? Luxury travel magazines, lifestyle sites, business publications?

When I asked ChatGPT to identify the ‘Best Hotel in Dubai,’ I was surprised by the range of sources it cited. These included accommodation booking sites like Agoda, This Hotel, Luxury Destination Magazine, Wikipedia, and mainstream publications like The Telegraph.

Audit Your PR Assets – Look at your past media mentions. Are they relevant to the topics travellers ask AI about? Are your current stories, media coverage, and messaging AI-friendly? Are you quotable and visible?
Success Metric – Get a clear understanding of your hotel’s AI visibility and the publications shaping ChatGPT’s responses in your destination.

Phase 2: Days 31-90 – Build a PR Plan for the AI Era

Now that you know where you stand, it’s time to craft a strategy that targets AI-relevant publications and makes your brand more quotable.

Pick your top 5 publications – Identify the top five websites that are influencing AI responses for your category.
Craft “AI-friendly” quotes – AI favours clear, strong narratives. Make sure your hotel’s key attributes are easy to reference i.e. “We’re Dubai’s only all-suite beach resort with a private chef experience.”
Position Your ExCom as Experts: Identify key hotel executives who can contribute expert commentary in the media and be positioned as thought leaders.
Plan strategic media outreach – Align PR pitches with publication editorial calendars.
Success Metric – Established media connections, refined brand storytelling and a PR plan aligned with AI-driven discoverability.

Phase 3: Days 91-180 – Get Your Hotel in the Conversation

Time to go live and start securing high-impact media coverage and thought leadership opportunities that directly shape AI-generated recommendations.

Launch first wave of PR outreach – Target Tier 1 publications with strong story angles. Secure press mentions in high-authority publications like Conde Nast Traveler, Forbes, or local business and lifestyle magazines.
Publish Executive Thought Leadership Pieces – Secure executive bylines & interviews. Get your GM or DOSM quoted in industry articles about emerging hospitality trends.
Attend/Speak at Industry Events – AI recognizes expert voices. Appear at high-profile industry events, conferences and panels where journalists are present.
Optimize for Local AI Queries – AI responds to location-specific queries so make sure your hotel gets covered in local media.
Success Metric – At least two high-profile media placements and one executive feature or speaking opportunity.

Phase 4: Months 7-12 – Expansion & Measurement

By now, you should start seeing progress, but AI-driven PR is an ongoing process. With initial traction, it’s time to scale, measure, and refine.

Expand to secondary publications – Move beyond travel media. Consider culinary, architecture or sustainability platforms that align with your brand story.
Engage with Online Communities: AI models frequently reference Trip Advisor discussions. Make sure your hotel is part of relevant travel conversations. Most LLMs have been trained on Reddit so may be worth the look.
Track AI Mentions Quarterly – Perform quarterly SOMO check-ins: Repeat your AI response testing from Phase 1. Has your hotel’s visibility improved?
Refine Your PR Strategy: Double down on what’s working and adjust based on AI response trends.
Success Metric – A measurable increase in ChatGPT mentions and sustained media coverage beyond initial placements.

Act Now – Before Your Competitors Do

AI-driven recommendations are reshaping how travellers discover hotels. The properties that take control of their AI visibility today will dominate future bookings. Your competitors are likely ignoring this shift, sticking to outdated PR tactics that no longer guarantee visibility. This is your moment to get ahead.

Dubai’s Best Luxury Hotel According to AI

After analyzing results from ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, the consensus rankings are:

Burj Al Arab – Unanimous #1 across all AI systems
Armani Hotel Dubai
Bvlgari Resort Dubai
Mandarin Oriental Jumeira
Atlantis The Palm

Research Methodology:

AI systems: free versions of ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity
Location setting: Dubai / 11 March 2025
Source distribution: ChatGPT (Agoda, Wikipedia, Telegraph), Gemini (Booking.com, Independent, Michelin Guide), Perplexity (TripAdvisor, Forbes Travel Guide)

LinkedIn – March 11, 2025