Two major developments in AI are directly impacting hospitality—and hotel websites in particular:

1. AI Search Bots Bypass Hotel Websites
   According to VertoDigital, only 25% of AI-generated responses are sourced from hotel websites. The rest comes from publicly available content, OTAs, and proprietary databases. AI agents no longer rely on hotel websites for generic descriptions, services, or amenities—they’ve already scraped and stored this data elsewhere.
2. Agentic AI Doesn’t Need Websites
   Agentic AI platforms—designed to make autonomous travel decisions—don’t require websites to book rooms or retrieve hotel data. Instead, they communicate directly via APIs with hotel PMSs, CRS, channel managers, or middleware like MCR. In the near future, personal AI agents will simply “handshake” with a hotel’s own AI agent or OTA systems to complete travel planning, bookings, and auxiliary services.

Some experts suggest hotel websites may soon become obsolete, as AI platforms bypass traditional digital touchpoints altogether. But is this really the end of the hotel website?

What the Experts Say:

We asked 17 hospitality leaders for their take on whether AI will make hotel websites obsolete. Here’s what a few of them had to say:

Fergus Boyd

Hospitality Consultant

“About 18 months ago, some people on LinkedIn claimed that conversational interfaces would kill websites. Current status? Tumbleweed.

Visuals sell; text supports. Websites allow hotel brands to control their message and presentation. No brand will let a bot scrape inventory and repackage it in a way that undermines their positioning. Not all rooms are created equal. If you just want data, go to a GDS.”

Custódio Barreiros

Founder & CEO, EIP MGT

“Agentic AI is transforming hotel distribution and guest engagement. Today, only 25% of AI-generated hotel info is pulled from hotel websites. The rest comes from OTAs, public databases, and proprietary systems.

With AI agents directly interfacing with hotel tech stacks to retrieve availability, rates, and inventory, we’re seeing a move toward machine-to-machine commerce. Major vendors and OTAs are already adopting this model.

Still, hotel websites aren't obsolete—yet. They remain critical for brand storytelling, regulatory content, and complex transactions. The real question isn’t whether websites will disappear, but how they must evolve.

To stay relevant, hotel websites must become AI-ready—with structured, machine-readable content and open integrations. Hotels need to future-proof their websites and core tech to stay competitive in this new AI-first era.”