The shift to AI search is real.
Search behavior is changing, results pages are evolving, and new platforms are influencing how users discover hotels.
But alongside that shift, there’s a growing narrative that SEO is being replaced.
We don’t agree.
Because while AI is changing how results are delivered, it hasn’t changed what those results are built on.
So What’s Changed?
AI-driven search is changing how people discover and book travel.
Users are asking more specific, conversational questions, and increasingly getting direct, summarized answers instead of clicking through multiple websites.
And adoption is growing quickly:
- 31% of UK travelers are already using AI to help book trips
- In 2025, 30% of US travelers used AI ‘extensively’ to plan their trip
- Nearly 40% of travelers used generative AI for trip planning in 2025
- 89% of consumers say they want to use AI in future travel planning
So yes, the shift is real.
But here’s where the narrative starts to drift.
Because AI isn’t creating information, it’s aggregating it.
From websites, from third-party content, from structured data, and brand signals.
Which means visibility still depends on being present, clear, and consistent across those channels.
How We’re Approaching This at three&six
We’re not treating AI search as a separate strategy.
And we’re not positioning it as a replacement for SEO.
Instead, we see it as an extension of it.
We offer AI optimization as an additional service for clients who want to invest in it, but we’re intentional about when and how it’s applied.
We won’t layer AI-focused work onto a website that doesn’t already have strong SEO foundations in place.
Because without:
- Clear, structured websites
- Content aligned to real search intent
- Consistent brand signals across the web
There’s nothing meaningful for AI to surface.
From our perspective, adding AI optimization too early doesn’t strengthen performance, it dilutes it.
So rather than treating SEO and AI as separate strategies, we focus on making sure one properly supports the other.
What We Mean by AI Optimization
Part of the confusion around AI search comes from how loosely it’s being defined.
At its core, AI optimization (AIO) is about improving how your brand is understood, surfaced, and described across AI-driven platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity.
In practice, that means focusing on a few key areas:
Understanding Real AI Search Behaviour
AI search is driven by prompts, not just keywords.
We look at how users are actually asking questions, “where to stay,” “best hotels for,” “affordable options near” and align content to match that intent.
Improving Visibility Across AI Platforms
It’s not just about ranking in Google anymore.
We track how your brand appears in AI-generated responses, where you’re being recommended, and where gaps exist.
Strengthening Brand Signals Beyond Your Website
AI relies heavily on external validation.That includes third-party mentions, listings, PR, and overall brand presence across the web.
Structuring Data So AI Can Understand It
Clear structure matters.Schema, content hierarchy, and entity signals all help AI systems interpret and accurately represent your property.
How This Differs from SEO
AI optimization isn’t a replacement for SEO, it’s an additional layer.
SEO is still responsible for building the foundation:
- A technically sound website
- Content aligned to real search intent
- Clear structure and internal linking
AI optimization builds on top of that.
It focuses on how your brand is surfaced, interpreted, and recommended across AI-driven platforms, something that relies heavily on the strength of your existing SEO.
Without that foundation, AI optimization has very little to work with.
The Bottom Line
AI search is evolving quickly, and it will continue to shape how people discover hotels.
But it isn’t replacing SEO.
The foundations haven’t changed, they’ve become more important.
For hoteliers, the focus shouldn’t be on choosing between SEO and AI, but on making sure your strategy is strong enough to support both.
What This Means for Your Hotel
AI search is evolving fast. That’s not up for debate.
But chasing every new trend without a solid foundation? That’s how strategies fall apart.
At three&six, we focus on getting the fundamentals right first – strong SEO, clear structure, and content aligned to real search behaviour – then building on top of that with AI optimization where it actually adds value.
No shortcuts. No shiny-object strategy.
Just marketing that holds up, whether it’s Google, ChatGPT, or whatever comes next.
Want to make sure your search strategy is built for what’s now – and what’s next? Contact our team today.