Recent data show that hotel web searches are down by around 20% per user, as AI summaries replace multiple web queries.
Already a Subscriber? Log in
Get Instant Access to This Article
Subscribe to Hartford Business Journal and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
- Critical Hartford and Connecticut business news updated daily.
- Immediate access to all subscriber-only content on our website.
- Bi-weekly print or digital editions of our award-winning publication.
- Special bonus issues like the Hartford Book of Lists.
- Exclusive ticket prize draws for our in-person events.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
Tourism businesses in Connecticut are adjusting their online presence to take account of the prevalence of AI-powered searches by potential customers.
Recent data show that hotel web searches are down by around 20% per user, as AI summaries replace multiple web queries.
“What AI is looking for is answers, versus what Google used to be looking for was links,” said Kim Noto, the chief marketing officer at Mohegan Sun, speaking at the recent Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut tourism conference.
Noto said the resort casino has adapted its web presence to the change by creating more content that answers traveler questions in an FAQ format.
“So when the AI does the scrape, it gets the answers that it's looking for,” she said.
Jennifer Sherman, the vice president of marketing at Mystic Aquarium, said that also means online content is not so driven by incorporating keywords as it was in the recent past.
“I think what (large language models) are looking for now are more simplistic terms and simple sentences,” she said. “Instead of trying to bulk up your content just to appease the Google gods, focus more on relevant content as opposed to more content.”
Sherman said that AI searches also rely heavily on social proof from news articles, reviews or sites like Reddit.
“I think the more you get other people talking about your business, the more you're going to show up in those AI searches,” she said.
Ellie Greenberg is CEO of Wonderlosity, which runs four stores in Olde Mistick Village. She is embracing a concept she calls “immersive retail.”
She said she sees websites going the way of the Yellow Pages, replaced by a more robust social media presence, driven by influencers.
“Gen Z are the ones that are looking to more than just shopping or more than just going to places,” she said. “They are the ones that for us have a lot of value because of the way that they are marketing and the way that they are promoting different businesses, taking pictures, posting them on Instagram and doing videos on TikTok.”
Conference attendees were also advised on how they can put AI to work to spot visitor trends and insights, by utilizing and manipulating booking data.
