SEO and AI Search Visibility Analysis for a Resort Hotel (Case Study)
What happens when six AI platforms disagree about your business?
A small, independently owned resort hotel in Central America approached me for a comprehensive assessment of its online search visibility. The business offered accommodations and organized scuba diving trips, with an established online presence and an excellent reputation among guests. What followed was an extensive investigation involving website analytics, search terms and phrases, technical SEO, competitive research, and visibility across traditional and AI-powered search platforms. I examined data from over a dozen specialized tools, investigated discrepancies, and evaluated what the findings meant for the business.
This work requires more than knowing how to operate SEO software. It takes years of experience to recognize meaningful patterns, understand customer search behaviour, and connect technical findings with real business concerns. Knowing which questions to ask, what needs closer investigating, and how to develop practical recommendations is a significant part of the expertise involved.
The assessment uncovered numerous issues and opportunities, and one of the key findings was especially striking. Among the more extensive analyses, I asked six AI platforms the same question about where to stay for a scuba diving vacation. Only three of them recommended my client. And among those that did, two placed the business last in their list.
That was just one finding from a much larger investigation. The following examples highlight some of the most revealing discoveries, rather than every test, technical issue, or recommendation included in the assessment.
Six AI platforms, six different recommendations
To understand what prospective guests might encounter, I tested ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, and Grok using the same question about hotels offering accommodations and organized scuba diving trips.
Developing the questions was itself an important part of the analysis. I considered how different travellers might research a destination, compare the properties they found, and narrow down their choices before booking. The tests also required evaluating competitors, checking the accuracy of responses, and determining what the differences between platforms actually meant.
One key comparison produced these results when I queried them:
| AI platform | My client’s placement |
|---|---|
| Perplexity | 2nd of 8 |
| ChatGPT | 5th of 5 |
| Grok | 6th of 6 |
| Google AI Overviews | Not recommended |
| Gemini | Not recommended |
| Claude | Not recommended |
The hotel appeared in only three of six responses, and in two of those, it was the final recommendation. Meanwhile, an established competitor appeared prominently across multiple platforms. So the same business appeared differently even with the same question. These differing results were something to consider before making any big decisions related to marketing and budgeting.
Changing the question changed the recommendations
I repeated the test, this time specifying small, independently owned hotels offering accommodations and scuba diving trips. Google AI Overviews, which had previously overlooked my client, now included it among three recommendations. ChatGPT moved it from fifth to second place, and Grok moved it from sixth to third. But Perplexity, which had originally placed the hotel second out of eight, no longer mentioned it. Even more revealing, a well-established competitor appeared in all six responses and ranked first in five of them.
These differences demonstrated how AI and search system recommendations could change substantially depending on how a question was phrased. They also raised important questions about the language businesses use to describe their services and how closely that language reflects what prospective customers are actually looking for.
An article from 2008 appeared in Google’s AI results
One unexpected discovery involved Google’s sources. Among the various articles that were cited as a source of the information, one of the AI-generated hotel recommendations was one originally published in an article discussing the hotel all the way back in 2008. Nearly two decades later, that article was still appearing as supporting material in a modern search experience. This highlighted the continuing relevance of third-party coverage and historical online content. It also raised questions about the competitive advantage established businesses may have accumulated through years of publicity, industry recognition, and online references.
And to be fair, I have been suggesting to all of my clients over the past two decades that publicity is great for SEO, content marketing, and now AI. It makes perfect sense. AI systems want to show worthwhile answers to questions that people have. And third party endorsements by way of articles like the one in 2008 is a valid source.
AI understood the hotel, but didn’t always recommend it
I also asked the platforms to compare my client’s property directly with a prominent competitor. The AI systems generally understood the hotel’s strengths such as having more upscale accommodations, greater privacy, smaller diving groups, and personalized service. Yet several recommended the competitor for a general scuba diving vacation, citing its longer history, established reputation, and more affordable or clearly presented packages. My client offered a different experience, as it appealed to travellers who valued comfort, privacy, and personalized attention.
This was an important distinction. The investigation went beyond whether the hotel appeared in AI search results. I also examined how the business was being positioned, which advantages were being communicated, and what might influence a prospective guest’s decision.
Pricing information wasn’t always easy for AI to find
The comparisons uncovered another concern. In one response, an AI system indicated that bundled pricing wasn’t available for my client, even though pricing information was published elsewhere on the website. The information existed, but the system hadn’t found it or at least hadn’t made the connection between the accommodations and the pricing. This is problematic because it meant that the “thinking” was being left to the AI to do which makes no sense in this case.
This highlighted an area worth investigating further. That is, how clearly the hotel’s packages, inclusions and pricing were presented, and whether AI systems could reliably retrieve the information needed to compare its offerings with competitors.
The technical SEO audit uncovered additional issues
The AI investigation was supported by a much broader technical and traditional SEO assessment. I examined approximately 32 areas covering website performance, structure, content, search visibility, backlinks, local and international search factors, and other elements affecting the hotel’s online presence. This included reviewing analytics and search query data to understand how people were finding the business, which search terms and phrases were bringing visitors to the website, and where opportunities or problems might exist. The website had several strengths, including an established backlink profile and excellent customer reviews. However, the analysis also uncovered issues requiring attention:
- Mobile performance: One assessment returned a mobile speed score of just 28 out of 100, compared with 89 out of 100 on desktop.
- Website structure: Older URLs, redirects and disconnected pages meant there were opportunities to improve organization and accessibility.
- Content and headings: Some pages had missing or duplicated headings, while others needed more complete descriptions of services and experiences.
- Image optimization: The investigation identified more than 90 images exceeding certain accepted upper limits, presenting opportunities to improve loading performance.
- Internal links: Broken links and outdated references needed to be addressed.
- Competitive positioning: Some descriptions could better communicate the property’s accommodations, diving experiences, and premium offerings.
The work involved more than identifying technical errors. Each finding had to be evaluated in context, taking into account its potential impact, the effort required to address it, and how it fit into the business’s broader search visibility priorities.
Turning the findings into business decisions
Identifying issues was only part of the assignment. The next challenge was determining which findings mattered most and what the business could realistically do about them. That meant evaluating technical SEO problems alongside customer search behaviour, competitive positioning, and the growing influence of AI-generated recommendations. Some findings pointed to relatively straightforward improvements. Others required a deeper look at how the hotel presented its services, communicated its value, and competed for attention. The result was a set of findings and priorities to help the business understand its position and make informed decisions about improving its online visibility.
Note that the examples shared here represent only a portion of the investigation. Behind them was substantial research, the use of multiple analytical tools, and the experience needed to interpret the evidence and identify practical recommendations.
Do you know what AI is recommending about your business?
The hotel had an established online presence, excellent reviews, and experience serving its guests. Yet depending on which AI platform a traveller consulted, the business could be prominently recommended, barely mentioned, or completely overlooked. That’s the kind of competitive visibility problem business owners need to understand, and precisely why a comprehensive analysis matters.
My Search Visibility Diagnostic for Small Businesses combines technical SEO analysis, website analytics, competitive research, AI search visibility testing, and experienced interpretation to uncover problems and opportunities that automated reports can miss. You’ll gain a clearer understanding of where your business stands, what needs attention, and which steps may help improve its visibility.
