AI, personalisation, sustainability and talent are the focus of the event organised by the Tech Tourism Cluster and are positioned as the keys that will mark the future of tourism.
GuestPro, as an ambassador company of the event, which was celebrating its second edition, participated in the table Hyper search engines: from SEO positioning to AI recommendations. Together with Cristian Fernández (Director of Hotel Gran Garbí), Sònia Molina (Director of HotelsDot by Septeo) and Jose María Ramon (CEO of Neobookings), they provided a realistic view of how AI is impacting hotel distribution.
From googling to asking ChatGPT
The round table focused on the emergence of artificial intelligence and how it is transforming the way people search for information, plan trips and choose accommodation.
Xavier Pallicer, CEO of GuestPro and in charge of moderating the panel, explained how in just one year the use of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT has grown exponentially, surpassing 1.2 billionmonthly users, compared to Google's 4.3 billion. This means that more and more people have replaced "search" with "ask" AI.
Even so, the real impact on hotel traffic and bookings is still very limited: although ChatGPT already accounts for around 25% of Google users, it only generates around 1% of traffic and 1.5% of bookings, compared to the 80-90% that still comes from Google to the hotel website and direct booking.
According to Cristian Fernández, the hotel sector is still in an incipient phase, but it must be attentive: "We have to respect the new trends. We have not yet seen a clear differential point, but it is important to understand where the market is moving."
From SEO to GEO: how to appear in the generative engines
This paradigm shift opens the door to a new concept: Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), or how to optimise our presence so that AIs - such as ChatGPT or Gemini -recommend our accommodation.
Sònia Molina stressed that hotels must go beyond traditional SEO: "It is no longer enough to pay for your brand or to run branding campaigns. Searches are longer and more natural, and many are done directly on the AI. To be found, we have to help the AI understand us: have clear FAQs, well-defined tags, good photos and coherent titles. Reviews are also key, and we must avoid inconsistencies between platforms".
For his part, Jose María Ramon focused on the great unknown of the moment: "The big question is how to appear. There is still no equivalent to Google My Business within ChatGPT. But SEO is still important, because the AI feeds on this information. What is new is that in the US, booking and payment systems are already being integrated into these environments: OpenAI is working with Expedia and Booking, integrating Stripe to finalise bookings. This can radically change distribution.
Direct bookings and new channels
During the debate, Xavier Pallicer recalled that Google was once not allowed to move forward on direct booking issues for reasons of unfair competition, and wondered if the same could happen with ChatGPT.
Jose María Ramon agreed: "It is possible. But the important thing is to be prepared. AI is being used for many things that were not foreseen, and that forces us to adapt the marketing and technology of hotels."
Hype or revolution?
With so much talk around artificial intelligence, an inevitable question arose: are we facing a real revolution or just a new hype?
Cristian Fernández offered a pragmatic view: "The tourism sector is in good shape. When things are going well, it's hard to jump into new adventures. It's very exciting to talk about AI, but we have yet to see applications that bring clear value. We're keeping our eyes open, but we're still working as usual."
Sònia Molina added a note of balance: "AI should make our work easier, but it is not the holy grail. We have to do previous work - on structure, data, strategy - so that it gives results in the immediate future."
And Jose María Ramon closed with a reflection on the road ahead: "There will come two phases: first the technical part, with software developments; and then, when the real applications arrive, hoteliers will have a lot of work ahead of them."
Conclusion: ready for the future, with feet on the ground
The roundtable left a clear conclusion: artificial intelligence is not a threat, but a new stage that requires observation, learning and preparation. Hotels that start today to organise their information, take care of their data and optimise their digital presence will be better positioned when AI-based hyper search engines become the traveller's new starting point.
Other Tech4Travel Summit presentations
The two days of the Tech4Travel Summit brought together leading figures from the technology and tourism sectors who shared their vision of how AI, personalisation, sustainability and talent are transforming the industry.
It is impossible to explain and summarise everything we saw during the days of presentations, round tables, workshops and lots of networking; but we will summarise what struck us most about the 2nd edition of the Tech4Travel Summit.
Josep Maria Martorell: "AI is not magic, it's statistics".
Josep Maria Martorell opened the conference and explained that AI, despite its halo of sophistication, is essentially a statistical technology: "AI correlates, but it does not understand. It is powerful, but not magical.
According to Martorell, its explosive growth in the last 15 years is due to the combination of algorithms + computational power + data. However, he also talked about its limits:
- AI is probabilistic: it fails to reason outside patterns.
- It is a tool that accompanies, not replaces.
- Companies must rethink their internal processes to really take advantage of it.
In this sense, one of the most tangible impacts will be on the corporate back office: from predicting trends and demand, to the mass selection of personnel or the detection of talent leaks.
Martorell also warned of the displacement of traditional SEO. As Google loses hegemony in search, positioning in AI engines becomes a strategic challenge: "Each disruptive technology shakes the previous one. AI applications can transform - or destroy - business models."
The key, he said, will be to redesign processes and leverage one's own data sources as a competitive advantage. More than a technological revolution, it is a cultural challenge.
Booking.com: personalisation and conversational AI
We were also interested in the presentation by Susana Tarazaga, Partner Service at Booking.com, which focused on how the company is using AI to create personalised travel experiences.
The platform has been integrating AI into its internal processes for more than 10 years, but in 2023 it took a decisive step forward with the launch of its conversational travel planner: "From a general question, the system refines the answer to offer the accommodation options that best match what the traveller is looking for".
Tarazaga told us some key aspects of their strategy:
- 60% of travellers already use AI for inspiration and planning.
- The planner combines intelligent filters with conversational interaction.
- AI is also applied to internal scheduling and traveller service processes.
- Everything is developed under an ethical and privacy-focused AI approach.
Booking's travel planner is not yet available in our country, but they point out that this technology will mean a paradigm shift comparable to the arrival of the Internet.
Tech Trends: from ultra-personalisation to #TravelTok
Another of the summit sessions that inspired us was the one dedicated to emerging technological trends in the tourism sector. We came away with a few ideas that particularly interested us:
- Ultra-personalisation: travellers expect tailored experiences and for hotels to "know" them on arrival.
- Integration with generative AI: from embedded chatbots to virtual travel assistants.
- Spatial computing and immersive experiences for events and destinations.
- TikTok's role as a travel inspiration engine (#TravelTok):
- It's no longer just entertainment, it's an experience seeker.
- Content grew 52% in the travel category between 2024 and 2025.
- Inspiration turns directly into action (booking).
"The WOW effect starts on your website".
Toni Mascaró intervened in one of the last talks with a presentation on how AI impacts tourists, the industry and establishments. The marketing expert argued that the official website of each accommodation should be the main source of information to train the AI with its brand identity.
He explained how his "WOW formula" combines factors such as:
- Destination, product, service, content, marketing and revenue.
- Technology + human talent.
- A memorable customer experience.
Mascaró emphasised the need to transform organisations from within in order not to be left behind: "Either you transform your company or the technological wave passes over you".
Conclusion: technology with purpose
The different presentations at the Tech4Travel Summit agreed on one essential point: AI is not a substitute for people, but it will profoundly transform the way people travel, book and manage the tourism experience.
The challenge for the sector is not only technological:
- Redesign internal processes.
- Leverage proprietary data.
- Betting on ultra-personalised experiences.
- Align innovation with sustainability.
The wave is already underway. The difference will be made by the hotels and destinations that know how to surf it with a strategic vision.
