The pace of innovation at online travel agencies (OTAs) continues to accelerate, transforming how travelers discover, plan and book their stays. For independent hotels and B&Bs, these changes can bring both opportunity and pressure.
NB: This is an article from Lighthouse
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The year 2025 marks a turning point. Major players Booking.com, Expedia and Airbnb are reshaping their platforms through artificial intelligence (AI), social media and new business models that impact OTA dynamics and hotels globally.
What do these shifts really mean for independent hoteliers like you? We spoke to Vincent Goemaere, Vice President of Independent Hotel Solutions at Lighthouse, who closely monitors developments in the market to gather his expert knowledge and advice.
This article outlines the three most important OTA trends of 2025 every hotelier should know and practical ways to respond.
OTA trend #1: Booking.com and Expedia increasingly leverage AI
Artificial intelligence is quickly moving from the background to the forefront of the travel booking experience. Very recently, both Booking.com and Expedia launched direct integrations with OpenAI’s GPT-5, allowing users to search and book trips through conversational AI rather than by browsing websites.
Travellers can now ask “Find me a well-rated hotel in Lisbon with amenities for young kids and close to the main attractions” and instantly receive bookable recommendations, all powered by OTA data.
“Travelers no longer scroll through endless websites and lists of hotels,” says Vincent Goemaere. “Instead, they ask questions, expect instant answers and trust AI suggestions. OTAs have now entered this AI era, giving them even more influence over visibility and making it vital for hotels to optimize their presence.”
AI-driven search engines show properties that are well-represented on OTAs, with strong visuals, detailed information and high review scores. That means having complete, accurate and up-to-date listings has just become even more important.
How to respond
Keep OTA listings fully updated. Use recent high-quality photos, detail-rich descriptions and complete lists of the amenities you offer.
Collect and manage reviews actively. Response rates and review quality directly influence AI rankings.
Balance OTA exposure with a strong direct strategy. Continue using OTAs for visibility, but apply tactics to increase direct bookings to gain control over guest relationships and protect your profitability.
Leverage guest data. Encourage direct engagement post-stay via email or loyalty offers to bring repeat guests back through your own channel.
Adapt your website. Make sure AI engines can easily crawl and understand your site in order to increase mentions. Follow the 5 key steps in our guide: How to optimize your hotel website for AI search.
