If you are remotely related to hotels, resorts you should look at publishing content on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and/or YouTube if you want to increase the hotels/resorts’ brand visibility in a post AI world. There are multitudes of reasons why any one of these should be your chosen platform. I will try to list down a few for your perusal.
When you search in Google, 8 out of 10 times, the answers are being generated by Google AI mode. Upon asking a follow up question to Google, it automatically takes to the Google AI Mode.
As you can see in the screenshots above, the sources from where AI mode is able to generate answers is a mix of 3rd party media publications website, google properties and hotel websites (both blog, content heavy article pieces and homepage of hotels are being cited).
On the other hand if I use the same prompt in an incognito mode, lets look at the difference in distribution of citation links.
Similar observations I have done, when I do searches with similar intent across multiple travel destinations. See below screenshot examples
Lets breakdown the citation sources that are coming up, along with the various brand mentions that are being shown. Until and unless we study this how would we know if there’s any identifiable pattern here.
Search 1 (Signed In Window) – I plan to go to Goa, especially South Goa in the monsoons, which are the places I should stay for accommodations, knowing that I would be there from one Sunday to the next Saturday
Results
- Influencer Citation
- Travel Experience Seller
- Google Properties (Google Business Page) – both showing 2 different properties
- Facebook Groups
- Instagram
- 1 – Beach Properties’ Reel https://www.instagram.com/p/DYhaQZ1CNej/
- Hotel Website (Blog/Landing Page/Guide Page/Itinerary)
- https://www.kenilworthhotels.com/resort-and-spa-goa/blogs/south-goa-monsoon-trip.html
- https://www.stonewoodresorts.com/blogs/places-to-visit-in-goa-during-monsoon.html
- https://goavillagioresort.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-choosing-the-best-resorts-in-south-goa/
- https://www.caravelabeachresortgoa.com/blog/monsoon-in-goa.html
- Random website – https://www.flexgigzz.com/forum-2/topic/best-places-to-stay-in-goa-in-monsoon/
- YouTube
- Hotel Website (Homepage)
- OTA’s (Online Travel Agencies)
- Reviews
Afterwards I followed up with this prompt, a follow up question – “Any other suggestions?”
Results
- Influencer Citation
- Travel Experience Seller
- Google Properties (Google Business Page) – 24 property’s GMB pages being cited
- Hotel Website (Blog/Landing Page/Guide Page/Itinerary)
- Hotel Website (Homepage)
- OTA’s
Till now what have we found common?
- There will be 3rd party media publication houses/influencers whose content is being cited.
- YouTube/Instagram/Facebook is being utilized as sources of truthful information which is why it is getting cited
- Any link that is being showed as a citation from a property, is shown for their detail pages. It is either a blog, landing page, trip itinerary etc.
Lets look at the other queries that I was testing this out on
Question 2 – I plan to go to Pondicherry, in the monsoons, which are the places I should stay for accommodations, knowing that I would be there from one Sunday to the next Saturday
Results
- Influencer Citation
- Travel Experiences Seller
- Google Properties (Google Business Page) – 0
- Instagram (Reel created in collaboration with 2 creators)
- Hotel Website (Blog/Landing Page/Guide Page/Itinerary) – 0
- OTA’s (Online Travel Agencies)
- https://www.agoda.com/en-in/city/pondicherry-in.html
- https://www.makemytrip.com/hotels/pondicherry-hotels.html
- https://www.agoda.com/region/puducherry-state-in.html
- https://www.booking.com/placestostay/city/in/pondicherry.html
- https://www.agoda.com/en-au/maison-perumal-cgh-earth/hotel/pondicherry-in.html
- Reviews
Afterwards I followed up with this prompt, a follow up question – “Any other suggestions?”
Results
- Google Properties (Google Business Page) – 9
- Hotel Website (Blog/Landing Page/Guide Page/Itinerary) – 0
- Hotel Website Homepage
- Reviews
Lets change the destination even further and see what the output comes out to be?
Question 3 – i want to visit Mumbai during the monsoon season. which are the places I should look for accommodation. I will be there from Saturday to next week Sunday afternoon
Results
- Travel Experience Seller
- https://www.vrlbus.in/blog/top-scenic-places-to-visit-near-mumbai-in-monsoon
- https://www.zoomcar.com/blogs/in/mumbai-in-monsoon-best-places-to-visit-during-monsoon-near-mumbai-for-weekend-drives/
- https://www.sotc.in/blog/travel-guide/10-tourist-places-near-mumbai-within-250-km/
- https://www.holidify.com/collections/places-to-visit-near-mumbai-in-monsoon
- Hotel Website (Blog/Landing Page/Guide Page/Itinerary)
- Hotel Website (Homepage)
- OTA’s (Online Travel Agencies)
When I follow it up with another question like – “Are there any more options?”
See the results that follows
- Google Properties (Google Business Page) – 5
- OTA’s
- YouTube
As you can start noticing a pattern, in the first interaction when a user is asking for suggestions the LLM indeed is referencing websites as citation sources. In fact, it is referencing anything that really satisfies the users query. That is why it is also referencing Instagram and Facebook groups, since content on those platform is easily able to satisfy the users question.
LLMs by nature, will be spitting out words, yet it needs to reference some historical and sometimes real world or forward looking data. It is at this point, hoteliers have an opportunity to get themselves ‘shown’. The LLM will give you visibility either through a citation source or a brand mention.
If you can create good authentic content taking the role of a travel journalist LLMs will show you. If writing on the website is too much of a headache for you. Write on Instagram. On LinkedIn. On Facebook. Make videos on Instagram or YouTube shorts. It does not matter the platform on which you are creating. The algorithm wants us to be creators. For its own good.
Nirvana is to be out of this and not think of anything else. Just be at peace. Can we have the luxury to do that when we have to run businesses?
Till such time, create authentic content. You will get visibility. Trust the algorithm.