SOCIETIES Geneva on September 28: How Will Hotels Prepare for the AI-Powered Search Era?

The discussion of artificial intelligence in hospitality is shifting from chatbot usage to a more critical area: Where will guests discover the hotel for the first time?

SOCIETIES Geneva, organized by Influence Society and INÜI Collection, will discuss this question with managers from the Swiss hospitality sector on September 28, 2026, at Château de Bonmont in the Geneva region.

The event, themed "AI and the Art of Hospitality: How the Industry of Smiles Is Transforming," focuses on artificial intelligence, data, new sales methods, digital marketing, and the transformation of guest experiences. The program will take place from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, and while participation is free, registration is mandatory. Registrations are planned to close on September 24.

The event itself is small-scale. However, the topic it discusses is significant for the future of hotel distribution.

AI Visibility Joins Classic SEO

The digital journey of hotel customers has followed a familiar structure for many years.

Google search.

OTA results.

Metasearch.

Hotel website.

Booking engine.

AI-powered search is beginning to change this sequence.

PhocusWire's July 2026 assessment indicates that hotel discovery is shifting from classic link lists to systems like ChatGPT and Gemini that provide direct answers to user queries. In such an environment, another problem arises before attracting traffic to the hotel's own website: Does the AI system recommend that hotel?

This issue is no longer theoretical.

According to Google's current Travel help page, suitable users who speak English in the US can search for hotels and complete the booking process directly through AI Mode. The booking still occurs with the relevant vendor; however, the distance between discovery and transaction is significantly shortened.

For hotels, this change creates a new layer in digital distribution strategy.

Why Did SOCIETIES Bring Up AI Search?

According to the organizer Influence Society, three main topics will be discussed in the Geneva program:

The visibility of hotel brands in AI-powered new search environments,

more effective use of marketing data,

redesigning the digital experience of guests from discovery to booking.

General managers, sales and marketing managers, and hotel owners are expected to attend the event. The format is different from the classic conference model; it is stated that there will be a focus on experience sharing among professionals with limited participants and case discussions.

This information is based on the organizer's statement. The commercial outcomes of the event or the benefits it will create for participants have not yet been independently measured.

However, the choice of topic overlaps with the current distribution agenda of the industry.

What Does It Take for a Hotel to Be Discoverable by AI?

A new wave of concepts could easily emerge here.

"AI SEO."

"GEO."

"LLM optimization."

However, many of the fundamental needs from a hotel management perspective are actually not new.

Accurate and consistent property information.

Up-to-date room and service descriptions.

Clear location information.

Structured data.

Strong and unique content.

Current pricing and availability links.

Reliable reviews.

A well-functioning booking infrastructure.

AI systems create a new distribution layer, but the quality of the hotel data they are fed remains one of the key determinants.

A sponsored research published by Skift in June 2026, prepared with Aven Hospitality, also indicates that a large portion of hotel chains use AI, but the use of true AI agents capable of performing advanced booking, loyalty, and pricing tasks is much more limited. The report emphasizes the importance of structured data and connected commercial infrastructure.

Since this research is sponsored, using the rates as a standalone representation of the general industry reality would not be accurate. However, the infrastructure problem it highlights overlaps with evaluations from other sectors.

AI Discovery Does Not End OTA Competition

The widespread adoption of AI search does not mean that hotels' dependence on OTAs will automatically end.

On the contrary, OTAs can enter the AI-powered booking journey with strong inventory, pricing, and transaction infrastructure.

SiteMinder's 2026 travel behavior research shows that OTAs are still a significant starting point for hotel discovery. In the same research, the share of those using AI as a starting point for research is still lower, but it is increasing compared to the previous year.

Therefore, hotels' strategy should not be "SEO is over, AI has begun."

In reality, channels are multiplying.

Classic search continues.

OTAs continue.

Social media continues.

Metasearch continues.

AI-based discovery and booking are added to these.

The result is not a simplification of hotel distribution management; it becomes more complex.

The Wall Between Marketing and Revenue Management is Weakening

It is meaningful that SOCIETIES Geneva brings together sales, marketing, data, and technology topics in the same program.

A hotel may be recommended by AI, but if the direct booking price is not competitive, visibility may not generate revenue.

The hotel produces strong content, but if availability data is not accurately conveyed, bookings may be lost.

While marketing creates demand, if the revenue team's pricing strategy does not support it, direct sales may not occur.

Thus, AI visibility is not merely a technical SEO issue that can be left solely to the marketing department.

Revenue management.

Distribution.

E-commerce.

CRM.

IT.

Operations.

All of their ways of producing or using data affect the new customer journey.

What Are the Advantages of Small-Format Industry Meetings?

Another feature of the SOCIETIES organization is its conscious limitation of the number of participants.

The organizer states that it has previously held similar meetings in destinations such as Paris, Miami, New York, Cancún, Mauritius, and Annecy. It is noted that the Geneva event is designed more in a peer-to-peer discussion model rather than long presentations.

The potential advantage of this format in the hospitality sector is that issues generalized in large conferences can be discussed at the operational level.

For example, the AI visibility problem of an independent Swiss hotel is not the same as that of an international chain.

One may have limited content and technical resources.

The other may have issues with centrally managing data in different markets.

The small group model may be suitable for discussing such distinctions; whether the event truly achieves this result can only be evaluated after the program.

The More Important Question for Hotels Right Now: Are We Using AI?

Hotel managements risk asking the wrong question on the AI agenda.

"Did we get a chatbot?"

"Are we using generative AI?"

These are questions about technology inventory.

More valuable questions from a commercial perspective are different:

When a guest asks the AI system for a "romantic hotel with spa and golf options near Geneva," will our property be visible?

Is the information conveyed by AI accurate?

Are room types and features up to date?

Can the guest proceed directly to booking?

Can we separate AI-generated demand in the analytics system?

Can we measure the impact of this visibility on bookings?

A new channel only becomes part of the commercial strategy when these questions are answered.

What Does It Mean for Hotels in Turkey?

Google's hotel booking within AI Mode is currently limited to the US and English usage. Therefore, this feature has not yet directly changed hotel distribution in Turkey today.

However, the growth of AI usage in travel research is a topic that should be monitored for hotels in Turkey as well.

Especially for independent hotels, more basic checks can be made before an expensive "AI transformation" program in the initial stage:

Consistency of Google Business and OTA information.

Currency of property information on the website.

Clear definitions of room types.

Originality of destination content.

Mobile performance of the booking engine.

Technical accuracy of structured data implementation.

Regular management of guest reviews.

At the core of AI visibility, there is often digital housekeeping that needs to be done anyway.

Stafflink's View

In our opinion, the most valuable question on the agenda of SOCIETIES Geneva is not "how will hotels use artificial intelligence?"

When artificial intelligence enters between hotels and customers as a new intermediary, how will the distribution economy change?

If an AI system suggests five properties instead of showing hundreds of hotel connections, visibility may become a scarcer resource.

In this case, it is not enough for the hotel to optimize only its website.

Its data must be accurate, its product must be clearly defined, its pricing must be accessible, and its booking infrastructure must be able to communicate with new distribution channels.

For hotels in Turkey, the more important first step than hastily purchasing new technology may be:

To check whether the existing digital data is accurate and consistent enough for AI systems to understand safely.

The reason for being invisible in the AI era may not always be a lack of artificial intelligence.

Sometimes the problem may be scattered hotel data.