I
t sounds like an oxymoron, but research shows it’s a fact: The more we use AI, the worse we feel about it. A 2025 global study found that fewer than half (46%) of respondents around the world trust AI systems — a statistic even lower than in a previous study conducted in 2022.
The strongest marketing strategies in 2026 will find creative ways to address consumers’ mixed reactions to AI by leveraging technology while focusing on what matters to humans. Three of the key elements in this approach are GEO, authenticity, and trust.
1. GEO: Generative Engine Optimization
First there was SEO, then there was AEO (answer engine optimization), and now there’s GEO — generative engine optimization. GEO is starting to play a prominent role in content marketing, so understanding what it means and building an effective GEO strategy will be critical for your 2026 marketing plan.
Going Beyond Featured Snippets
While AEO strategies help your content appear in featured snippets and AI-powered searches, GEO takes it to the next level: optimizing content so it can be easily crawled and summarized by large language models (LLMs), outside of traditional search results. To put it another way, AEO is about providing a quick, short answer to a frequently asked question, while GEO is about being a reliable source that helps generative AI (genAI) formulate meaningful long-form responses. That’s why establishing your domain authority and thought leadership is crucial to GEO.
Tapping Into Travel Planning
About two-thirds of travelers are using genAI to help them research destinations and plan itineraries, so it’s vital to get your content in the mix. The goal of GEO is to help AI assistants and chatbots (like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude) recognize the authority of your content and draw from it when generating conversational responses, step-by-step guides, and other in-depth interactions. The key is to create and share content that showcases your brand as the expert on your destination and region, the experience travelers will have when they stay with you, and what they need to know before and during their trip.
Using GenAI to Reach GenAI
Weird but true: Generative AI models can provide you with tools and insights that boost the chances of your content being referenced within those models. For example, you can use genAI to create tables, graphs, and images, which in turn attract AI bots because they present material in ways that are easy to crawl and digest. You can also provide genAI with data, quotes, and statistics that build credibility around your brand, increasing the likelihood that your content will be cited by genAI in other conversations. It’s a little like the ouroboros, the ancient symbol depicting a snake or dragon eating its own tail. In fact, there’s a concept called “the ouroboros AI effect” — the idea that AI systems will be continually trained on their own outputs in a never-ending cycle of information exchange.
2. Authenticity
While AI can make people’s lives (and travel planning) easier, they aren’t willing to sacrifice that sense of human connection. While they might find you through a chatbot, once they get to your site or follow your social media accounts, make sure they get a sense of your brand’s unique personality. Here are some ways to showcase the authenticity of your brand in your 2026 marketing strategy.
Have Real Conversations
Communicate with your audiences as much as possible. Always respond to comments on your social media, and initiate interactions, too. You could ask followers to share their favorite item on your menu, weigh in on naming a new event space, or vote for a fragrance for your in-room bath products. When you post on social media or send promotional emails, consider including an introduction or sign-off from a real person who works at your property and is uniquely equipped to answer a particular question. Here are more ideas for creating authentic content.
Own Your Imperfections
If you receive consistent negative feedback about an aspect of your property, don’t give a canned reply — let them know you’ve heard them, make a change that shows you listened, and then let everyone know. You could even build an ad or email campaign around your nimble responses to criticism, whether it’s extending the pool hours, bringing back that lava cake everyone loved, or replacing the showerheads in your guestrooms. Think: “5 Changes We Made Because You Asked Us To.” Nothing says human like imperfection, and owning up to it and trying harder will endear you to your audiences.
Showcase Your Experts
Authenticity is all around you — so put it on camera! Livestream a cooking class with your chef in your sunlit kitchen or a gardening how-to with your landscape designer in a blossoming rose garden. Capture your mixologist coming up with a new seasonal cocktail. Ask your Instagram followers to submit questions for your concierge, and then share a video of them answering the queries one by one. Interview your general manager or CEO about what’s next for your property. This is all great content for organic and paid social media posts, emails, and your website.
3. Trust
Data breaches, deepfakes, text scams, AI hallucinations — there are minefields everywhere in the online world. While that may seem less relevant to resorts and hotels than it does to banks or healthcare companies, every brand with an online presence should strive to make people feel safer right now. Think about it: Most new visitors book sight unseen, and the trust you build at a distance will help them feel comfortable taking the leap.
Transparency
Be transparent about your processes and policies. If you’re using AI in your marketing, booking process, or elsewhere, explain how and why you use it. Make sure your hotel’s pricing and cancellation policies are easily accessible and clearly explained on your website, with no confusing language or legalese. Your marketing team might not be involved in setting these policies, but it should take the lead in communicating them effectively.
Privacy
Consumers are increasingly unwilling to engage with companies that don’t protect their data. To assure them that you prioritize their privacy, publish a comprehensive privacy policy on your website that explains what data you collect (and why), how you use and store it, and who you share it with. If you use third-party platforms on your site for booking or partner with other brick-and-mortar companies (tour guides or transportation providers, for example), check that they all have strong data protection policies in place, and share that information with your guests as well.
Ethics
Walk the talk: Don’t just tell people about your values, show how you’re putting them into practice. If you highlight sustainability in your marketing — such as using renewable energy or energy-efficient systems — share third-party data and certifications that validate your success in going green. Showcase your partnerships with local farms, nonprofits, and community initiatives by interviewing key people in the orgs and posting the videos on social media. You could even create a dedicated section on your website where you detail your ethical commitments and share your progress on goals.
What’s great is that the top three goals for 2026 marketing are closely interwoven, so what you do to support one area will benefit the others. For example, communicating authenticity through expert interviews builds trust with your audiences. And if your experts not only speak specifically about your property, but also address general questions about their areas of knowledge, that’s good for GEO, too.
Ready to get started on building a solid marketing strategy for 2026? Our team can support you with every aspect of your 2026 marketing, from content to search optimization to branding. Get in touch today to schedule a consultation.