In Brief: A new study from 5W Research suggests that artificial intelligence platforms are reshaping how travelers discover brands online. The findings indicate that airlines, hotel companies and booking platforms with the strongest reputations and editorial presence are gaining greater visibility in AI-generated recommendations, regardless of their size or market share.
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AI Visibility Emerging As New Battleground for Airlines, Hotels and Travel Brands, Study Finds – Image Credit Unsplash+
AI Recommendation Engines Favor Brand Reputation Over Scale
As travelers increasingly rely on AI-powered platforms such as ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Overviews to plan trips, a new report from 5W Research suggests that visibility within AI-generated answers may become as important as traditional search rankings.
The firm’s AI Visibility Index analyzed more than 60 common travel-related prompts across multiple AI platforms during the second quarter of 2026. Researchers examined which airline, hotel and travel brands were most frequently cited in responses to traveler questions ranging from “best airline for international travel” to “best hotel loyalty program” and “best site to book flights.”
The results reveal a growing disconnect between operational scale and AI visibility. According to the study, brands most frequently recommended by AI systems are not necessarily the largest companies in their sectors, but rather those with the strongest reputational footprint across editorial coverage, reviews, traveler communities and industry consensus.
Hotel Giants Benefit from Loyalty and Brand Recognition
In the hotel sector, Marriott and Hilton emerged as the clear leaders in AI-generated recommendations. The study found that both brands regularly appeared together in responses to questions about the best hotel chains, loyalty programs and business travel accommodations.
Marriott’s position is notable given its scale, with approximately 1.7 million rooms across more than 9,000 properties worldwide. However, the report suggests that size alone is not driving visibility. Instead, decades of brand recognition, extensive loyalty programs and sustained editorial coverage appear to be reinforcing its presence within AI-generated recommendations.
Hyatt also outperformed its physical footprint, ranking seventh overall. Researchers attributed this to strong associations with loyalty program quality and premium travel experiences.
By contrast, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts—operator of approximately 6,400 U.S. locations and the country’s largest hotel chain by property count—ranked only 14th. The report suggests that budget and economy-focused brands may struggle to gain visibility because travelers are less likely to ask AI platforms about them by name when seeking recommendations.
Delta Leads Airlines Despite American’s Size Advantage
Among airlines, Delta Air Lines ranked as the most frequently cited travel brand overall, accounting for an estimated 10.5% of all brand references tracked by the study. Marriott and Hilton followed closely among hotel companies.
Perhaps the most notable finding was American Airlines’ performance. While American remains the largest U.S. carrier by passenger capacity, it ranked fifth in AI citation share behind Delta, United Airlines and other competitors.
Researchers found that AI platforms consistently associated Delta with reliability, operational performance and premium service, helping it dominate responses to “best airline” queries despite not being the largest carrier.
United Airlines also performed strongly, particularly in international travel-related prompts where its global network frequently surfaced in recommendations.
Online Travel Agencies Face Growing Pressure
One of the report’s more significant conclusions concerns the future role of online travel agencies (OTAs).
Booking.com, Expedia and Hotels.com all appeared in AI-generated responses, but researchers believe the category faces increasing pressure as AI platforms provide direct answers to travel planning questions that historically required users to visit intermediary booking sites.
The report argues that as AI systems increasingly surface flight, hotel and destination recommendations directly within answers, portions of the traditional travel booking funnel may become compressed. At the same time, hotel companies and airlines continue to invest heavily in direct-booking strategies, creating additional competitive pressure on intermediary platforms.
Airbnb represented a notable exception. The company ranked eighth overall and appeared to benefit from occupying a distinct category of travel intent. Queries related to alternative accommodations, group travel and vacation rentals frequently generated Airbnb recommendations without direct competition from traditional hotel brands.
Editorial Coverage and Traveler Communities Influence Visibility
The research highlights the growing importance of editorial publications, review platforms and traveler communities in shaping AI recommendations.
Sources frequently cited by AI systems included travel publications, consumer review sites and online communities such as Reddit and FlyerTalk. According to the report, these sources collectively help establish the consensus signals that AI models rely upon when generating recommendations.
As a result, travel marketers may need to think beyond traditional SEO and paid advertising strategies. Building authoritative editorial coverage, maintaining positive traveler sentiment and developing expertise around specific traveler needs may increasingly influence how brands appear within AI-generated answers.
Implications for Travel Marketing
The study concludes that AI visibility is emerging as a new competitive metric for the travel industry. Brands that consistently appear in recommendation-oriented queries such as “best airline for business travel,” “best hotel loyalty program,” or “best hotel for families” may gain an advantage as more consumers begin their travel planning with conversational AI tools.
For marketers, the findings suggest that reputation, trust and consensus are becoming increasingly important digital assets. While fleet size, room count and market share remain critical operational measures, they do not necessarily determine which brands AI systems recommend to travelers.
As AI-assisted travel planning continues to evolve, the brands most visible within those recommendations may ultimately gain a growing share of traveler attention—and bookings.
Discover more at 5W.Research.
