How Google, ChatGPT, Copilot and Perplexity choose their sources (2026): what they say and what a hotel can do

Updated: 10 November 2026

When a traveller asks an AI "where to stay near the beach with parking?", the answer cites a handful of websites. How are they chosen? There are plenty of "tricks" around, but here we only collect what the companies themselves say on their official pages, read on 10 November 2026, with the exact quote and its date. Anything we could not confirm is flagged as such. Nobody, including us, can guarantee that a hotel will appear in an AI answer.

The short answer

The essentials:

Google: "There are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode"; SEO best practices still apply (page updated 10-12-2025).
OpenAI: to appear in ChatGPT search, allow OAI-SearchBot in your robots.txt; blocking GPTBot only affects model training.
Microsoft: Copilot runs on Bing's index and "there's no secret sauce that guarantees selection in AI answers" (8-10-2025).
Perplexity: PerplexityBot surfaces and links websites in its results, and Perplexity recommends allowing it in robots.txt.
None of the four publishes an exact rule for choosing which websites to cite: not confirmed.

Google: AI Overviews and AI Mode

What Google Search Central says ("AI features and your website", updated 10-12-2025):

Quote: "There are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode".
Quote: "The best practices for SEO remain relevant for AI features in Google Search".
To limit what is shown from your pages, Google points to nosnippet, data-nosnippet, max-snippet or noindex. Note: using them also limits what can appear from your site.
To limit use for training and in some other Google systems, it points to Google-Extended, which is a separate control.

OpenAI: ChatGPT search

What OpenAI's official crawler page says (no visible date):

Quote: "OAI-SearchBot is for search". It is used to surface websites in ChatGPT search results; if you block it, your site does not appear in those answers (it may still show as a navigational link).
OpenAI recommends allowing OAI-SearchBot in robots.txt and the IP addresses it publishes.
Quote: "Disallowing GPTBot indicates a site's content should not be used in training generative AI foundation models". Each setting is independent: you can allow OAI-SearchBot and block GPTBot.
A robots.txt change can take about 24 hours to take effect. ChatGPT-User visits pages when a user asks and, according to OpenAI, robots.txt rules may not apply.

Microsoft: Bing and Copilot

What Microsoft says:

Microsoft Advertising Blog, Krishna Madhavan (Microsoft Bing), 8-10-2025: Copilot is "Powered by Bing's search index" and "there's no secret sauce that guarantees selection in AI answers".
The foundation is still "Crawlability, metadata, internal linking, and backlinks"; it recommends "Use schema, clear headings, and modular layouts".
It advises against hiding key answers in tabs or expandable menus ("AI systems may not render hidden content") and against keeping key details only in PDFs or images.
Bing Search Blog, Jordi Ribas, 12-2-2026: AI agents are drawn to "structured, verifiable, and applicable content"; Bing Webmaster Tools offers an AI Performance report in public preview. No detailed criteria are given.

Perplexity

What Perplexity's documentation says (no visible date):

PerplexityBot is "designed to surface and link websites in search results on Perplexity" and is not used to train foundation models.
Perplexity recommends allowing PerplexityBot in robots.txt so your site can appear in its results; changes can take up to 24 hours.
Perplexity-User visits pages when a user asks and, according to Perplexity, "generally ignores robots.txt rules".
Its technical FAQ says: "Perplexity respects robots.txt".

If you run a property: what travellers ask AI

Example questions and the detail on your website that answers them (our tip):

"Quiet hotel with parking near the centre": say in plain text whether there is parking, where it is and whether it costs extra.
"Do you accept dogs?" or "Is there a lift?": write rules and accessibility on a visible page, not in an image or a PDF.
"What time is check-in?" or "Is cancellation free?": clear times and terms, the same everywhere.
"How do I get there from the airport?": your own useful directions, written by someone who knows the place.

Practical checklist for the hotel website

What follows from the official statements, no tricks:

Crawlable website: check your robots.txt and make sure you are not blocking OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot or the search engines (Googlebot, Bing) by mistake.
Consistent details: the same name, address, phone, times and services on your website, on Google and on your listings. Our tip, not an official statement.
Original, useful content with clear headings and the important information in visible text, as Google and Microsoft ask.
Structured data (schema) where it makes sense, as Microsoft recommends.
No tricks: no company publishes a way to guarantee a citation. Anyone who promises one cannot prove it.

How iQuota helps

iQuota makes independent properties available to AI assistants with direct booking, payment at the property and 0% commission, with the price and terms each property sets. We cannot guarantee that an AI assistant will recommend you.

Want AI to give your real details, with direct booking and no commission? The first 30 hotels join free until 30 June 2027.

See the Founding Hotels programme

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to do anything special to appear in Google's AI Overviews?

Google says no: "There are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode". The same SEO best practices apply.

If I block GPTBot, do I disappear from ChatGPT?

According to OpenAI, no: GPTBot is for training. ChatGPT search relies on OAI-SearchBot, and each setting is independent.

Does Copilot use its own search engine?

Microsoft says Copilot runs on Bing's index, so it helps if Bing can crawl your website.

Can anyone guarantee I will appear in an AI answer?

No. Microsoft puts it this way: "there's no secret sauce that guarantees selection in AI answers". None of the four companies publishes an exact rule.

What should I do first?

Check your robots.txt, put the details travellers ask about in visible text and make sure they match everywhere.

Sources

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