ChatGPT Paid Advertising has launched in the US
Understanding the impact of these ads, and how you can utilise them, when they become available in the UK, is a must for hotel owners.
We know potential guests already use AI tools to plan their travel, using searches like:
- "Where should I stay in Miami for a romantic weekend"
- "Best family-friendly hotels in Orlando with a pool"
- "4-star hotels in New York near Times Square under $300/night"
Until now, ChatGPT has answered these queries based on general web data, OTAs, and brand content. However, now that it has launched paid ads, hotels can pay to:
- Insert themselves into high-intent conversations
- Influence shortlists and decisions at the exact moment guests are planning
- Compete directly with OTAs and bigger brands in a more level environment
And competing with the OTAs is one of the biggest drivers for hotel owners to invest in these paid ads.
The Mindset Shift Required
Paid ads, just like AI overviews, involve a mindset shift for hotel owners - guests won't always start their travel plans by googling a query and reviewing OTA listings, they’ll start with a conversation, and future success will depend on:
- How clearly and consistently you communicate who you are a good fit for
- How easily AI tools can interpret and recommend you
- How fast you can adapt your marketing, offers, and tech when ChatGPT ads reach your audience
OK, we understand the argument, but are these any different from the sponsored ads we know and how do you set these up?
Step 1: Get your data and positioning correct
ChatGPT’s ads and answers work best for hotels that are easy to understand and easy to match to user intent.
Clarify your positioning so that AI can:
- Identify your ideal audience - business travellers, remote workers, couples, families
- List your top 3–5 selling points
- Highlight your location selling points (near convention centre, airport, beach, nightlife, stadium)
- Showcase your amenities (spa, rooftop bar, coworking, kids club, free breakfast)
Ensure your structured data across all platforms is:
- Accurate (address, category, star rating, amenities, check-in/out, pet policy, parking, etc.)
- Consistent (across GMB/OTAs/Website)
AI tools lean heavily on structured data and trusted listings so all points are vital.
Step 2: In the US, build your ChatGPT ad strategy
While the exact ad interface and options continue to evolve, prepare as if you’re setting up a search and conversational hybrid campaign.
1. Define your AI demand moments
List the kinds of queries where you must appear in recommendations, e.g.:
- City & stay type
- Best boutique hotels in Chicago for couples
- Hotels in Austin with live music nearby
- Dallas hotels with free airport shuttle and late check-out
- Family-friendly hotels in Orlando with kids' pool and breakfast included
- Where to stay in Nashville for a bachelorette weekend?
- Hotels in New York good for solo business travellers with coworking spaces
Group these into themes for targeting and creatives, e.g.:
- Business & remote work
- Families & kids
- Couples & romantic
- Group events & weddings
- Wellness & spa
- Airport/stopover
2. Craft responses that work in conversations
This is where things differ from traditional ads, because for AI, you are writing a concise, helpful, recommendation-style response that the AI can surface and you need to create short ad modules for your audience(s):
For business travellers:
"Located 5 minutes from the convention centre, [Hotel Name] offers high-speed Wi-Fi, ergonomic workspaces, 24/7 business services and early check-in on request - ideal for short business trips in [City]."
For families:
"[Hotel Name] is a family-friendly hotel in [City] with spacious connecting rooms, kids’ menus, a heated pool, and easy access to [local attraction]. Perfect for family breaks and theme park trips."
For couples:
"[Hotel Name] is a boutique hotel in the heart of [neighbourhood], with stylish rooms, a rooftop bar, and late check-out - ideal for romantic weekends in [City]."
Be clear about who your hotel is ideal for, its location, the benefits of staying, and keep everything concise
Step 3: Align landing pages and offers
Once users see the AI recommendation, they'll click through, so focus on your landing page as you would in regular Google Ads, to close the deal. If you can, build pages for each audience, mirror their language, integrate everything with your booking engine.
Step 4: Use first-party data to refine and retarget
First party data and your ability to personalise communications for this audience gives you a huge advantage over the OTAs. To build this audience:
- Ensure tracking & analytics are in place for traffic from AI/ChatGPT campaigns
- Segment users by intent and their stay dates
Then build structured email flows for these guests to reduce your cost per acquisition. This will also enable remarketing in future where ChatGPT allows.
Step 5: Brand safety & compliance
Because this is a new environment, hotels should also monitor how their property is being described in ChatGPT using the search queries you picked out for your paid ads and making sure any inaccuracies are corrected.
Help is at hand
If you’d like help to drive more bookings to your website to compete online in future, reach out for a no obligation consultation. We work with independent and bespoke hotels guiding them through the current online marketplace as it moves towards a more AI controlled environment.