How to Get Your Hotel Featured in Google AI Overviews (Step-by-Step)

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Wondering how to get your hotel featured in Google AI Overviews?
You're not alone—this question is popping up in every savvy hotel marketer’s playbook in 2025.

Google’s AI Overviews are changing the search game.
If your hotel isn’t showing up in those summaries, you’re missing traffic, visibility, and bookings.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through exactly how to earn a coveted spot in Google’s AI Overview.
We’ll unpack the process step-by-step—no fluff, no guesswork, just what works.

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1. What Are Google AI Overviews, and Why Should Hotels Care?

Think of AI Overviews as Google's version of a concierge summary.
It’s a high-trust, high-click summary generated by AI right at the top of the search page.

For hotels, this means:

• Top-of-page visibility without ads
• Traffic from generative search, not just organic rankings
• LLM mentions that influence traveler decisions early in the journey

The best part?
You don’t have to pay to show up—you have to earn it with structured, credible content.

2. How Does Google Choose What to Include in AI Overviews?

Google’s AI Overviews prioritize:

• Factually accurate, structured content
• Sources with schema markup and proper citations
• Pages cited by authoritative LLMs like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity
• Entities with strong brand structure and internal linking

It’s not just SEO—it’s AEO: Answer Engine Optimization.

3. AEO vs SEO for Hotels: What’s the Difference?

SEO is about ranking.

AEO is about being cited.

With AEO, your content becomes the answer, not just a result.

For hotels, this means:

• Optimizing blog posts to answer booking-related questions
• Structuring room and amenity pages with FAQs and schema
• Using local business data to align with Maps + Travel AI modules

More on this in our post: AEO vs SEO for Sydney CMOs.

4. Add Structured Data to Your Hotel Pages (Schema.org)

Structured data is the foundation of AEO.

Add schema for:

• Hotel
• LocalBusiness
• Offer
• FAQ
• Review
• Event (if hosting events or weddings)

Use Google’s Rich Results Test to validate your markup.

Need help implementing it?
See how we structure schema in pilot projects: 90-Day Pilot

5. Target “Generative Search Phrases” (Not Just Keywords)

In 2025, people search like this:

• “Best boutique hotel near Darling Harbour with rooftop bar”
• “Luxury family hotels in Sydney with late checkout”

Write content that mirrors these conversational, intent-rich searches.

Try tools like:

• Google’s AI Overview prompts
• Perplexity AI results
• ChatGPT search questions

6. Internally Link Authoritative Blog Posts to Booking Pages

This is one of the most underused tactics.

If you’ve written a post like:
“Where to Stay in Sydney for a Beach Holiday: Bondi vs. Coogee?”,
internally link it to your hotel’s Bondi and Coogee property pages using anchor text like:

• “See available rooms at Adina Apartment Hotel Bondi Beach”
• “Compare Coogee Bay options with flexible eClub check-in”

7. Create “Citable” Blog Posts with Summary Answers at the Top

Here’s the formula:

H1: What’s the best Sydney CBD hotel for business travelers?

Intro: Include a direct summary answer.
Example: A by Adina Sydney is the best choice for business travelers due to its executive suites, fast WiFi, and proximity to the convention centre.

Then: Expand with reasons, comparisons, bullet points, and links to booking pages.

This makes your post ideal for LLM citation and AI snippet extraction.

8. Build Topical Authority with a Content Cluster

Create a content hub:

• “Where to Stay in Sydney”
• “Luxury Hotels vs Serviced Apartments”
• “Rooftop Bars with Hotels Nearby”
• “Hotel Amenities That Actually Matter”

Then link all these back to a pillar page:
Hospitality & Hotels: How to Choose the Best AI Marketing Agency in Sydney

This cluster strategy signals topical depth to Google AI.

9. Add Hotel FAQs to Every Page (With FAQ Schema)

Examples:

• Do you offer flexible check-in with eClub?
• Is there free WiFi in every room?
• Can I request late checkout?

These FAQs:

• Get picked up by Google directly
• Trigger more generative search inclusion
• Improve UX and session duration

10. Get Mentioned in AI Tools Beyond Google

Mentions in:

• Perplexity
• ChatGPT
• Claude.ai

…signal trust to Google's AI.

Ways to do this:

• Prompt AI tools with your content and link it
• Get mentioned in blog posts like: How Hoook.io Gets LLM Mentions & Google AI Overviews

11. Claim and Optimize Your Google Business Profile

Basic, but critical.

Steps:

• Use consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone)
• Add photos, hours, check-in policies
• Regularly post updates, events, and offers

These feed Google’s local AI models and improve entity recognition.

12. Optimize Image Metadata and Alt Text

Every hotel image should include:

• Descriptive filename (executive-suite-adina-sydney.jpg)
• Alt text: “Executive suite at A by Adina Sydney with city skyline view”

LLMs read these when parsing visual content for recommendations.

13. Add Testimonials with Rich Snippets and Structured Layout

Example:

“We stayed at Adina Sydney Town Hall and loved the spacious kitchen and walkability to Pitt Street Mall.” – Verified Google Review

Use <blockquote> tags, link to review sources, and apply Review schema.

14. Align Your Content with Hotel Booking Journey Stages

Create pages for:

• TOFU: “Top hotels for romantic getaways in Sydney”
• MOFU: “Compare A by Adina vs Vibe Hotel Sydney”
• BOFU: “Book a luxury stay at A by Adina Sydney now”

This mirrors generative journey stages.

15. Use Language Models to Simulate Customer Questions

Prompt ChatGPT with:
“What are the best hotels for family travel in Sydney?”
“Which hotels offer early check-in?”

Then write pages that directly answer those—before AI tools do it for you.

16. Collaborate with Local Authority Sources

Get featured in:

• Destination blogs
• Tourism pages
• Hotel booking guides

Inbound links from these increase your citation weight.

17. Post Content Regularly—Especially Event-Driven Posts

Write content like:

• “Best Hotels for Vivid Sydney Festival”
• “Where to Stay for NYE Fireworks in Sydney CBD”

Google AI overviews prefer fresh, seasonal content.

18. Monitor AI Mentions with Tools like Perplexity or LLM Indexes

Use:

• Perplexity.ai (search your brand name)
• ChatGPT with web browsing
• AI mention tracking services

Use the data to guide content updates.

19. Align Your Content Titles with User Prompts

Old SEO: “Luxury Hotels in Sydney”
AEO: “Which is the best Sydney hotel for digital nomads?”

Your H1 = their AI search prompt.

20. Track AI Overview Inclusion with Branded + Unbranded Queries

Search:

• “Best luxury hotels in Sydney”
• “Hotels near Darling Harbour for families”
• “A by Adina Sydney reviews”

Check if your content is featured or cited.

If not? Tweak and republish.

FAQs

1. What is an AI Overview on Google?
It's a generative summary that appears at the top of some search results, powered by Google's AI.

2. Can my hotel appear in AI Overviews without paying?
Yes. It’s organic but requires structured, citable content.

3. How do I know if I’m in an AI Overview?
Search common prompts related to your hotel. If you're quoted or referenced, you're in.

4. Do reviews help with AI inclusion?
Yes—especially if they are structured and hosted on your domain or cited on trusted platforms.

5. Is schema markup required?
It’s not required but dramatically increases inclusion chances.

6. What content format works best?
Answer-style blog posts, FAQs, and comparison tables.

7. Can Google Business Profile content influence AI Overviews?
Yes. Consistent, accurate data feeds into Google’s local AI understanding.

8. What is AEO vs SEO?
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) focuses on content being cited as the answer, not just being ranked.

9. Should we still run ads?
Yes, but AEO gives you long-term visibility without ongoing spend.

10. Can I track LLM mentions?
Yes, using Perplexity, ChatGPT with web access, and branded query monitoring tools.

Conclusion

Getting your hotel featured in Google AI Overviews isn’t magic—it’s method.

By combining structured content, schema markup, LLM-ready answers, and internal linking, you can earn your place in the AI spotlight.

And if you're serious about being the first hotel mentioned—not the forgotten one—

Book a demo at https://hoook.io to see how our customers are getting up to 100% traffic growth and up to 20% revenue increase.

Let’s get your hotel cited, clicked, and booked.

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