AI-driven search is starting to reshape how travelers plan their trips. Instead of going straight to a traditional search engine like Google, more people are turning to tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude to explore where to stay, what to do, and how to plan their travel.

But we wanted to know – is AI actually driving hotel bookings?

To better understand AI’s impact on today’s travelers, we analyzed website performance data from Regency Hotel Management, a hospitality group that manages and operates hotels and resorts across the country. Their portfolio includes a range of properties that serve different types of travelers and travel experiences.

As a long-time partner, we support Regency’s digital ecosystem across their marketing strategy and website management, giving us visibility into how travelers are discovering and booking their stays.

What We're Seeing from AI-Driven Users

We looked at 12 months of data across 21 hotel websites to understand how AI-driven visitors behave once they arrive and whether they convert.

AI-driven sessions are growing quickly

In early 2025, we started to see more website visits coming from AI platforms like ChatGPT to Regency’s hotel websites, with that traffic growing quickly throughout the year. AI-driven sessions more than doubled over the past year, increasing by 115%.

Where is AI traffic coming from

Most AI-driven traffic is coming from ChatGPT, with smaller contributions from Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity.

Where AI traffic starts on the website

Most users still start on the homepage. But we’re also seeing strong traffic to pages that help people plan their stay, along with lodging and room detail pages. That tells us many users are arriving with a clearer idea of what they’re looking for.

AI-driven users are more engaged

AI-driven sessions show stronger engagement than the average site visitor. 74% of AI-driven visits include meaningful activity, like viewing multiple pages or interacting with content, compared to 60% across all traffic. These users aren’t just browsing. They’re arriving with context and exploring with intent.

AI-driven traffic is converting

Over the past 12 months, AI-driven traffic accounted for more than 3% of total revenue, and that share has been steadily increasing.

These users are also booking at slightly higher values, signaling stronger purchase intent. And with more than 90% of AI-driven visitors being new to the site, AI is introducing properties to entirely new audiences — making that 3% even more meaningful.

AI Impact Looks Different by Property

Regency manages a mix of hotels and destination resorts, and performance naturally varies across that portfolio. AI-driven traffic doesn’t behave the same at every location, with differences tied to the type of property and how travelers are planning their stay.

  • Lower AI traffic is converting at higher intent levels: Hotels with lower volumes of AI-driven traffic actually saw the strongest conversion rates from those users, sometimes double or even triple their overall average.

    That combination of low volume and high performance tells us something important: these visitors weren’t just browsing. They were searching with intent—and when they landed, they found exactly what they needed.
  • Higher-value bookings, especially for resorts: Several resort properties saw average booking value increase by 30% or more, with one exceeding an 80% lift. These users are looking for an experience not just a hotel room.

Supporting Regency's visibility in AI search

We have partnered with Regency for over a decade, working alongside them to build and evolve their digital ecosystem across websites, content, and performance strategy.

That digital foundation matters for AI discovery. Strong, well-structured websites combined with helpful, relevant content give AI platforms something to understand, reference, and recommend. As AI continues to shape the travel industry, we will continue to ensure Regency sites are staying visible across the web.

To help Regency stay visible as AI discovery evolves, we are continuing to support:

  • Applying AI SEO best practices across each hotel’s website

  • Implementing new structured website data (like schema markups & LLMs.txt files)

  • Expanding content that supports AI-discovery (guest reviews, detailed FAQs, and new planning resources)

Examples of Regency websites and creative highlighting hotel bedrooms and outdoor activities.

Why this matters right now

AI search is still evolving, but its impact is already showing up in performance. Travelers are using AI tools to research where to stay, arriving with clearer intent, and converting at rates comparable to traditional channels.

This is something you can start measuring on your own platforms today. AI is already influencing how people discover, evaluate, and choose where to book. And as that behavior grows, visibility in these environments will continue to shape outcomes.

The next step isn’t guessing what AI might become. It’s understanding what it’s doing now — and making sure your brand shows up where those decisions are starting to happen.

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