Is AI going to make hotel websites obsolete?
17 experts shared their view
There are two major developments in AI that are directly affecting hospitality and particularly hotel websites:
- AI Search bots pull only 25% of AI answers from hotel website content (VertoDigital), All of the generic hotel information, descriptions of services and amenities the AI Agent platforms have already scraped from publicly available information about the hotel on the Internet or from proprietary databases.
- Agentic AI does not need websites for information or to make a booking. To access hotel ARI (Availability, Rates and Inventory), Personal AI Agents will communicate directly via APIs with the hotel cloud PMS, CRS, Channel Manager, the future hotel's own AI Agent, or via MCR middleware or APIs with the OTAs. Agentic AI in hospitality is a type of AI that makes autonomous travel decisions and performs specific tasks and goals, from travel planning, research of locations, amenities and rates, to actual booking of the hotel and all other travel components and auxiliaries to make their master's trip a success.
In the near future, the Personal AI Agents will have the option to research, plan and book travel by making a "handshake" with the newly emerged hotel own AI Agent, or with the OTA's own AI Agent. If hoteliers do not provide the option, the only choice will be the OTA Agent.
Some experts believe that, in the not so distant future, Agentic AI and AI Agent platforms will make hotel websites and mobile apps completely obsolete since AI does not need hotel websites for information or ARI.
The question is, Is AI going to make hotel websites obsolete and if yes, when?
About 18 months ago, some people on LinkedIn touted that Conversational Interfaces would kill off websites. Current status? Tumbleweed. Visuals sell things, text supports. Websites enable owners to portray their brand and products/services as they see fit. No brand owner will allow a bot to scrape inventory at random and manipulate it in ways that may not best suit the brand. Not all hotel rooms are equal. Go to a GDS if you just want data.
Transformer-based LLMs are essentially next-best-word algorithms, despite their immense scale. They produce correlations based on probability. "Agentic AI" is just an LLM trying to orchestrate the work of other LLMs. Blind leading the blind. They don't know up/down, left/right, now/later, etc, other than what they mimic from their training data. They have no real-world models to guide them. They also aren't good with numbers - a bit of a problem with rate comparisons and conditions!
Gartner predicts that over 40% of Agentic AI projects will be cancelled by 2027. Cloudflare, a popular CDN, now blocks AI bots scraping websites. Brand owners will share data as they see fit via well-controlled APIs to trusted partners. Websites will continue to prosper. Agentic who?
The rapid advancement of AI, especially agentic technologies, is fundamentally changing hotel distribution and guest engagement. Recent data shows that only about 25% of AI-generated hotel information now comes from hotel websites; the rest is sourced from OTAs, public databases, and proprietary data. With the rise of agentic AI, personal digital agents will increasingly bypass traditional websites, connecting directly to hotels' systems via APIs to access availability, rates, and inventory, or to make bookings. This shift is already underway among major vendors and OTAs.
However, declaring websites obsolete is premature. Adoption of AI-ready infrastructure remains uneven, and hotel websites still play a vital role in branding, storytelling, and handling complex transactions or regulatory needs. The challenge for hoteliers isn't whether websites will fade away, but how to evolve them—with structured, machine-readable content and open integrations—to remain competitive in an AI-first landscape.
In short: as commerce shifts toward machine-to-machine transactions, the relevance of classic hotel websites will diminish, but adaptable, AI-ready digital assets will remain crucial. Now's the time for hotels to future-proof both their websites and core technology to stay ahead in this new ecosystem.
Related article by Custódio Barreiros
I don't believe AI will make hotel websites obsolete.
If we learn anything from the past, every obstacle creates opportunity. Technology's direction isn't a single script; there are multiple paths and approaches. Where a problem needs to be solved, a tool will emerge to solve it. Someone will.
Before long, AI search will fully shift to a standard approach, and traditional methods will fade without resistance because 'this is what we want'. Like other aggregation platforms, this will be monetized, and mechanisms to 'game' the system will develop.
However, the crucial factor is the hospitality product itself. Some products lend themselves to full automation where efficiency is paramount. Others, built on high-touch service and emotional connection, demand the irreplaceable human element. For these, the hotel website will evolve into a dynamic brand storytelling platform, essential for conveying holistic value beyond mere attributes, thereby preventing obsolescence.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
I think there's a chance that hotel webites get a whole new utility. Most of the standard hotel data exists in databases and on OTAs. But for all the hotels that have specific data, much more granular data that OTAs don't really have a way to show well, hotel websites would be the source of that. Plus additional photos etc., etc.
As to Agentic - it is a hack, I don't think it is really the future. Things like TravelPerk seem to work in the background with the kind of hacks of simulating a human making bookings. It could work for business travel but, considering that travel is one of the biggest line items on the household budget, I'm not sure we're going to let an agentic AI book a trip for the family across Europe. However, it could be a massive support to a personal travel agent who now can take care of double or triple the amount of people.
Will AI Replace Hotel Websites? Not Yet — But It's Time to Get Ready
AI is changing how travelers plan and book. Agentic AI and personal travel assistants now access hotel data directly via APIs—from PMS, CRS, or OTAs—without relying much on websites. This raises a valid question: are hotel websites becoming irrelevant?
Not yet. While AI is great for simple, repeat bookings—like business travel—emotional, complex vacation planning still benefits from visual content, storytelling, and brand experience. Hotel websites remain a key touchpoint for inspiration and trust. Still, hotel tech leaders must prepare. The real risk isn't that websites disappear, but that guests interact only with OTA-owned AI if hotels don't integrate their own data and systems.
The right response isn't panic—it's planning. Build a clean, connected IT stack with a Central Data Management (CDM) platform. This enables your hotel to "talk" to AI platforms and stay visible in the booking journey. Monitor developments. Learn from others. And act when the time is right.
AI won't kill the hotel website overnight—but the way we reach guests is changing fast. Stay part of the conversation—or risk falling behind.
We are already witnessing the emergence of the Personal AI Agents. ChatGPT Operator, Google Gemini AI Agent, Microsoft Copilot AI Agent, Claude AI Agent, etc. are already a fact and their travel research, planning and booking capabilities are growing by the minute.
The booking path via the Personal AI Agent will be very simple: the traveler tasks via voice or typed prompts their AI Agent to find a hotel within certain parameters (location, dates, price range) and, based on all of their "master's" preferences, the AI Agent finds and books the hotel and all necessary auxiliary services.
Hotels will provide ARI (Availability, Rates, Inventory) to the Agentic AI platforms like ChatGPT Operator via the use of AI connectivity middleware like the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and Agent-to-Agent (A2A) or via APIs to the property's CRS, Channel Manager or cloud PMS.
DirectBooker, an AI connectivity startup backed by former Tripadvisor CEO Steve Kaufer and ex-Google Travel head Richard Holden, wants to enable hotel ARI directly into AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, circumventing the OTAs and making hotel websites obsolete.
The question is, will hoteliers invest adequately in AI technology to prepare for the rise of the Personal AI Agents?
Related article by Max Starkov
AI may reduce dependence on traditional hotel websites, but it won't make them obsolete—at least not anytime soon. Instead, websites will evolve from static brochures into dynamic commerce layers built for both humans and AI agents.
Yes, agentic AI can bypass the front-end to pull ARI via APIs, but those APIs need to exist somewhere. Hotels that leverage intelligent, API-first, and AI-native booking infrastructure—not just templates for human eyeballs—will win. In fact, hotel websites become more important as the canonical, brand-owned source of truth and transaction, especially as loyalty, pricing, and personalization strategies grow more nuanced.
Think of the hotel website like Stripe in a world of Apple Pay and ChatGPT. Consumers might not touch the interface, but it's the infrastructure beneath the experience. And if hotels don't invest in it, OTAs will gladly do it for them (again).
So, yes, the old website is dead. But the new website: fast, intelligent, API-first, and with embedded commerce, is just getting started.
Not So Fast.
Websites aren't going away — they're simply evolving to be more optimized for AI search rather than traditional SEO or the human eye. And here's why:
1. AI still relies heavily (and likely will continue to) on websites to gather information. Companies like OpenAI have developed agents that mimic human behavior, visiting existing websites to complete tasks (such as booking hotel rooms) just like a human travel agent would. This approach bypasses the need for extensive API development.
2. Given the massive fragmentation of our industry (with millions of traditional and non-traditional accommodations) it"s highly unlikely we'll ever see standard ARI APIs adopted universally. That makes it reasonable to assume that websites, albeit in a more AI-friendly format, will remain relevant.
3. Even if we eventually reach a point where machines rely mostly on structured databases for search and booking, there will still be plenty of humans in the mix — using their eyes to search, browse, and book.
In my writings over the past decade, I have frequently returned to the notion that artificial intelligence is not merely an additional layer in the technological stack, but rather a reconfiguration of the Internet's ontological architecture. It redefines not only how we book, but also how we come to know, how we choose, and ultimately how we experience. AI is not simply the new interface, it is the new epistemology.
And yet, in the face of this tectonic shift, the assertion that hotel websites are on the verge of obsolescence feels, at best, premature and, at worst, epistemologically superficial.
Let me unpack that.
Some years ago, I...
Related article by Simone Puorto
Hotel websites must evolve to meet the demands of an AI-driven landscape. AI agents are the new interface, seamlessly integrated into channels including websites, travel apps, smart speakers, and concierge systems. AI assistants are revolutionizing guest interactions by providing personalized assistance, including tailored recommendations.
GenAI plugins, OTA assistants, and hotel-branded concierge bots will reshape the booking process. While websites still power transactions, they function more as APIs behind the scenes. Websites will transform into data hubs focused on attracting these intermediaries, playing a very different role than today.
The era of brochure-like hotel websites is ending. Modern websites are becoming dynamic, interactive platforms, offering a personalized conversational experience that enables travelers to make better decisions. Real-time bundling of offers, smart upselling, and AI-curated content driven by user behavior are becoming standard.
Looking forward, successful hotel websites will be intelligent distribution and data hubs connected to AI agents via structured data and APIs. They will return users personalized experiences through predictive UX that is integrated with loyalty programs, upsell opportunities, and local content. Websites will be optimized for both SEO and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) to create even more value for both hotels and their guests.
We are going through a major platform shift. Basically, we are moving from an internet made for humans to one made for AI agents. This changes everything.
Hotel websites were designed for people to look, click, and book. But AI agents don't use websites. They search, compare, and book directly through APIs. However, APIs are rigid, and agents are now able to generate their own code and interact directly with CRUD databases. This means that our current Hotel Tech Stack is, in many ways, becoming a legacy system.
I don't know about you, but in my case, I'm already using websites and apps less and less. In my daily work, I rely more on Copilots and AI tools like ChatGPT — both professionally and personally.
Hotel websites won't disappear overnight. But if hotels don't adapt to this new AI-driven world, they will gradually lose visibility — and business.
Hotel websites won't necessarily disappear, but their role as a sales and information hub will drastically change over the next three to five years because of agentic AI.
Hotel guests are turning more and more towards AI Booking & Distribution Assistants to get recommendations on their journey planning, and the direct reservation bookings at hotels via these agents is gaining very high traction already today.
These agents are bypassing traditional websites, relying instead on structured, machine-readable data and direct API connections to research, compare, and book rooms in real time. For hotels to remain visible to agents, they must move away from closed systems and embrace open, API-first infrastructures that make their data instantly accessible to AI agents.
It's also about the quality of the data. They must be clean, complete and up to date, covering availability, rates, room types, detailed amenities, guest experience, FAQ about your location – essentially anything a prospective guest might ask their AI agent. This is very important for AI to accurately represent a property and facilitate bookings, especially direct ones. Hotels that don't update their data risk losing control over their distribution to OTAs whose AI agents will fill the gap.
We need to resist the urge to see the world in terms of "all or nothing". Each time a new channel appears, like the AI chats, some people will prefer it to the previous channels.
But many people will still prefer the previous way, which was working fine for them. Almost 20 years after the first smartphone appeared, by far the most relevant revolution in recent consumer tech, mobile bookings are still way smaller than desktop bookings. History tells us that new things don't kill old things; they sit next to them. Hotel websites will not die, just as tour operators haven't died in the age of OTAs. AI will transform hotel websites rather than eliminate them entirely. Rather than obsolescence, expect a symbiotic relationship where AI enhances discovery and hotel websites focus on conversion, detailed information, visual elements, and, crucially, brand storytelling.
The future hotel site will act more like an expert concierge: proactive, intuitive, and frictionless. Static pages will give way to fluid, adaptive experiences with personalization at their heart.
I believe that the days of websites being the sole source of information or booking are changing. Agentic AI will dominate bookings, but websites will remain as the key driver of online traffic to hotel brands, managing hotels" digital identity as the ultimate brand touchpoint. And the rest of the guest journey? That will be handled by agentic AI.
AI enhances hotel websites, making them less about transactions and more about rich and immersive brand narratives. Agentic AI is already here, responding to visitor enquiries in real time, tailoring content to individual needs, enhancing the online user experience and capturing the essential data the hotel can later leverage. This hyper-personalised and savvy experience will be key in converting web visitors into interested guests. This level of loyalty building will encourage direct repeat bookings, making hotel websites essential not only for transactions but also for fostering continuous engagement and a sense of brand community.
To put it shortly, agentic AI is not replacing hotel websites. They are creating what appears to be a symbiotic relationship with websites to deliver a smarter digital brand experience.
For most hotels, particularly the 70% in the U.S. that are part of large branded chains, the answer is increasingly yes. These sites are often templated, thin on unique content, and exist in a world where brand standards, price, and location already drive bookings. As AI agents and OTAs streamline the search and booking process, they will dominate the customer journey by efficiently serving the traveler's intent, saving time, comparing options, and surfacing the best value.
However, for luxury, boutique, and lifestyle properties, the opposite is true. These hotels trade on identity, emotion, and atmosphere, elements that require immersive storytelling and rich visual content to convey. AI-generated summaries and OTA listings can't fully capture ambiance or ethos. High-consideration travelers want to validate that a property aligns with their personal values and expectations, and content-rich, well-crafted websites are key to that process.
If most hotel websites become obsolete, the remaining 30% gain a strategic edge. These sites have the opportunity to influence AI systems by providing detailed, compelling content optimized for niche queries. In a world increasingly shaped by generative AI, distinctive storytelling and rich brand expression won't be optional, they'll be a competitive advantage.
While AI’s rise tempts us to declare the hotel website obsolete, this view misinterprets its future role. The website is evolving from a simple booking tool into the definitive custodian of a hotel’s brand and voice, a nuanced role that current AI interfaces cannot replicate. Its value is shifting from transaction to identity.The primary threat is not AI itself, but the data arms race against OTAs. With their robust APIs and documentation, OTAs are positioned as the default data source for emerging AI agents. If a hotel’s own information is not equally accessible, AI will inevitably favour the third-party channel, eroding direct relationships.To compete, hoteliers must pursue a dual strategy simultaneously. First, they must transform hotel content from website prose into structured, machine-readable content, the single source of truth for everything from amenities to sustainability policies. Second, they need to invest in a modern technical infrastructure, including APIs and up-to-date channel managers, required to syndicate this data directly.A hotel's relevance in the AI era will be defined not by its web pages, but by its ability to become the most reliable and updated data source for its own property.
Not obsolete—but definitely less central. There will be two parallel internets: one for humans and one for agents.
As AI shopping agents like OpenAI Agent and Perplexity gain traction, travelers are delegating trip planning to them. These agents don't browse like people—they retrieve, compare, and decide based on what they can access programmatically. That means hotel websites, which are designed for human eyes and clicks, become secondary unless they're built to serve agents too.
Instead of replacing websites, AI is shifting their role. The smarter move is to build a seller-side agent—a conversational layer that interacts with buyer agents, pulling in loyalty data, past stays, and real-time inventory to create personalized offers. Think of it as an API that thinks and converses with the buyer"s agent.
Eventually, some seller agents may even live on the traveler's device, enabling proactive, one-to-one marketing far beyond what a website or email can do.
Bottom line: websites won't vanish, but they're no longer the only front door. In an agentic commerce world, if you're not agent-visible and agent-savvy, you're not really competing. Build for agents.
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