What is new

On 11 October 2026 the publication Skift published an article on the visibility of hotels in the answers of AI systems. It cites a study by Stiplo, a company that tracks how hotels appear in such answers. The study itself is not quite new: it was already written about on 5 August 2026 (Travel Massive), and Skift brought it back into the conversation a month and a half later. The data was reported by the provider, not by an independent party, and the publications do not state the period in which it was collected.

What was measured

According to Skift, Stiplo analysed 27,360 AI answers to travellers’ questions. The study covered 659 properties in Barcelona. One city is a limited sample: the result shows a direction, not a law for all markets, including Bulgaria.

What was found

  • Independent hotels are unknown to AI systems about eight times as often as chains.
  • When AI already knows an independent hotel, it recommends it about as often as a chain hotel. According to the study, the problem is not a preference for chains but whether the hotel is found at all.
  • The strongest related factor is the number of Google reviews, according to Stiplo’s founder, Carlo Del Mistro.

Skift also states that about three quarters of hotels in Europe are independent, citing a 2023 study by Booking.com and Statista based on CoStar data. This is not our calculation.

What it means for a small Bulgarian property

The study shows a link; it does not prove a cause. It cannot be claimed that more reviews will lead to a recommendation from AI, and no one can guarantee such a recommendation. But the conclusion is practical and does not depend on technology trends.

  • Reviews are the most visible signal. Ask satisfied guests for a short review on Google, without choosing which guests should write.
  • The property’s details should be the same everywhere: name, address, phone, opening hours, room types, breakfast, parking, pets. If Google, Booking and your own website give different data, both people and systems will get confused.
  • Your own website should say clearly who you are, where you are and what you offer. If you have a website, review it once a quarter.
  • Check how your guests ask. The questions that come by phone and in messages are a good list of what has to be written down clearly.

When ISKA helps

If the same questions keep coming up, ISKA Assistant can answer them from the information about your property that you have approved. When there is no data, it directs the guest to the property’s phone. It is not connected to visibility in AI and does not improve it; it helps with enquiries once the guest has reached you. Prices are on the pricing page.

A note on reading this

One article about one study in one city is not enough for a strategy. Keep an eye on whether Stiplo or others publish the full report and the period of the data.