ArrivlAI Search Visibility
for New Hotels
We tested whether AI knows about the newly opened InterContinental Taipei, recommends it to travelers, and can help them book a stay.
AI recommended InterContinental Taipei when travelers asked for a hotel without naming one
When travelers asked for a hotel near Taipei Dome for a concert, AI recommended InterContinental Taipei in 62.5% of our test answers
Gemini never recommended InterContinental Taipei in our tests, even when travelers asked for a hotel near Taipei Dome
Would AI recommend a new hotel?
InterContinental announced the opening of its new hotel in Taipei, Taiwan, on October 12. About a week later, we tested whether AI would recommend it to travelers. The hotel is part of the Taipei Dome complex, a major venue that hosts concerts as well as sporting events.
We asked AI where to stay for a concert at the venue, without mentioning InterContinental or any other hotel. This tested whether AI would connect the traveler’s plans with a new hotel in the same complex.
Across all our travel requests, AI recommended InterContinental Taipei in 14.6% of answers. This included concert trips, business trips, family stays, romantic breaks, longer stays and budget-conscious trips. For the specific questions about staying near the concert venue, the recommendation rate was 62.5%. The charts below cover the full set of travel requests.
Which questions led AI to recommend it?
AI recommends different hotels for different trips
We asked AI for hotel recommendations for different kinds of trips. InterContinental came up most often when travelers wanted to stay near the concert venue. It rarely appeared in family recommendations and never appeared in our long-stay tests, even though its residential suites have kitchens and in-room laundry.
Recommendation rate by travel scenario
| Hotel | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| InterContinental Taipei | ||||||
| W Taipei | ||||||
| Grand Hyatt Taipei | ||||||
| Mandarin Oriental Taipei | ||||||
| Regent Taipei | ||||||
| Shangri-La Far Eastern | ||||||
| Humble House |
Hotel AI visibility
When asked about InterContinental
88.2% of selected follow-ups gave a favorable or conditional assessment.
Why Muse shows 50%: When asked about InterContinental, Muse recommended it for concert trips and conditionally for longer stays needing a kitchen and laundry. For family trips, it kept Shangri-La because it considered the available room options better value. For business trips near Taipei 101, it kept Grand Hyatt because it considered it closer and less expensive. These were Muse’s judgments in our tests, based on the options it reported finding.
Getting onto AI’s shortlist
A new hotel can be missing from search results or from the names an agent thinks to check. We saw both in our tests.
A Google Hotels listing can still be hard to find
InterContinental had a listing, but the information and search results were inconsistent.
What new hotels can check: Review your Google Business Profile and ask your booking provider to confirm the rate, availability and official-link connection. Test the searches your guests use. Google setup guide
AI may already have a shortlist
Muse started with familiar hotel names. These two recorded examples show how InterContinental later entered the recommendation.
Found through opening coverage
- 01 · Familiar namesW Taipei · Le Méridien · Grand HyattInterContinental was absent
- 02 · Broader venue searchOpening coverage surfacedMuse found InterContinental
- 03 · Official website checkInterContinental recommendedThe hotel entered the options
Found after we named it
- 01 · Initial recommendationW described as the closestInterContinental was left out
- 02 · We named the hotel“What about InterContinental?”Muse checked it
- 03 · Recommendation changedInterContinental for proximityIts location changed the top pick
Separate test conversations. The search-source account comes from Muse’s explanation; it is not independent access to its internal reasoning.
The right suite went unnoticed
For a two-week stay needing a kitchen and in-room laundry, Muse initially recommended Hanns House, whose laundry facilities were shared. After we named InterContinental, it checked the residential suite on the official website and found a kitchen, washer and dryer.
Muse then considered InterContinental the stronger fit if the traveler was willing to pay roughly twice as much. The facilities were available to find, but they had not brought the hotel into its first answer.
What to check: Ask for a two-week stay with your suite’s specific facilities, without naming the hotel. Check whether the agent finds the relevant suite and understands which room includes those facilities.
A family search found the expensive room
For two adults and two children, Muse reported finding only a two-bedroom residential suite on the official website. It found a less expensive Two Queen Classic on Booking.com, but still kept Shangri-La as its recommendation on value.
The indoor pool alone did not win the recommendation. The room options returned for the whole family also shaped Muse’s decision.
What to check: Search your own booking engine and OTAs with the same adults and children. Confirm that the intended family room appears, with clear occupancy and child-age rules. Investigate differences before concluding that they are errors.
AI recommendations can change
We asked the same travel questions again to see whether AI would keep recommending the same hotels. For the concert trip, ChatGPT recommended InterContinental first in one answer. In another, it held back because it said the hotel was still opening soon, even though IHG had already announced the opening.
For a newly opened hotel, this is a practical visibility problem: AI can know the hotel’s name and location yet still leave it out of the traveler’s options because it gets the opening status wrong.
The alternatives changed too
Repeating a question also changed which competing hotels Muse considered. In the family test, Regent led one answer but was not among the hotels checked in the other. For the long stay, the lower-cost alternative changed while InterContinental remained an option.
| Same travel request | One answer | Another answer |
|---|---|---|
| A family hotel with a pool | Muse recommended Regent for its room layout and flexible cancellation. | Muse recommended Shangri-La for a room that fit the family, while leaving seasonal pool availability unconfirmed. |
| A two-week stay with a kitchen and laundry | Muse preferred Howard Residence for value, with InterContinental as the luxury option. | Muse offered Hanns House for value if shared laundry was acceptable, or InterContinental if in-room laundry was essential. |
These are comparisons of Muse’s answers to identical prompts, not independently verified assessments of the competing hotels.
When reviewing repeated answers, record which hotels AI compares yours with and the reasons it gives for choosing between them. That can reveal whether the hotel’s price, room features or location are shaping the recommendation, and whether those descriptions are accurate. A single answer gives only one view of that competitive picture.
Where AI sends the booking
For a newly opened hotel, getting recommended is only part of the opportunity. The next question is whether AI sends the traveler to the hotel’s own website or to an online travel agency. In our tests, AI suggested the official website most often when asked where to book, but its browsing attempts reached both direct and third-party booking forms.
Where AI suggested booking
AI booking routes
A booking request can send AI across several sellers before it chooses an offer. Explore the recorded tests to see which websites it checked, what changed its choice and where it stopped.
Muse changed its choice after checking the booking forms. Agoda looked cheapest initially; Trip.com became its final pick after the reported totals were checked. Its room and currency comparisons were not fully matched, so this records Muse’s choice rather than proving the cheapest equivalent offer.
This recorded route started with Google Hotels, then moved through Agoda, the official website and Booking.com. The final selected offer was non-refundable. Expedia and other sellers appeared in search results but are not shown as confirmed browsing stops.
A separate Muse booking attempt stayed on the official website and selected a flexible member rate. The different requests and offers prevent a controlled comparison with its OTA choice.
Meta AI reported unsuccessful rate checks on the official website, then Booking.com and Agoda after a follow-up request. Its suggestion to book direct did not come with a verified price.
Does AI prefer free cancellation?
We saw both choices. Muse recommended a flexible official rate in one concert-trip follow-up, explaining that it offered cancellation protection. In the best-total-price tests, ChatGPT chose a non-refundable Booking.com offer and Muse chose a non-refundable Trip.com offer. These results do not establish a general preference for flexible rates.
What new hotels should check
Test the decisions that matter to your hotel: whether AI considers it, whether it finds the right room for the traveler, and where it sends the booking. These checks follow the problems we observed.
| Check | What we observed | What to try |
|---|---|---|
| Opening status | An already-open hotel was left out because AI said it was still opening soon. | Ask whether the hotel is open and bookable. Compare the answer and cited sources with your published opening information. |
| Google Hotels visibility | The listing lacked a star rating and description; prices and appearance in results varied by search. | Review your Business Profile, confirm rate and availability feeds with your provider, and test searches by area, language, dates and guest count. |
| The first hotel shortlist | Muse said it started a search with familiar competitors. Broader opening coverage brought InterContinental into consideration in one run. | Ask for hotels near your main attraction without naming yours. Review the local guides, hotel lists and opening stories the agent uses. |
| Rooms for specific travel needs | Muse found the kitchen and in-room laundry only after we named the hotel. It then considered the suite a stronger fit for a long stay, at a higher price. | Ask for the facilities your target guests need, then follow up with your hotel’s name. Check which room details the agent finds or misses. |
| Family occupancy | Muse reported a more expensive family-room option on the official site than on Booking.com and kept recommending a competitor. | Compare room results for the same adults and children on your website and OTAs. Check occupancy, child ages and room availability. |
| Club lounge details | ChatGPT found that a club lounge existed, but could not verify its hours, workspace arrangements or eligible room categories. | Check whether your public room and lounge pages explain hours, facilities and which rates include access. |
| The final booking site | Muse changed its preferred OTA after checking the total at the guest-details page. In business searches, it reported using OTAs when Hyatt’s website was rate-limited. | Ask an agent to prepare a booking on your website. Check whether it can retrieve a full total and reach the correct room, or turns to an OTA. |
Methodology & data
The test setup, original questions and results are here for readers who want to inspect how we reached these findings.
The first round of tests
Six scenarios × two English prompts × four platforms = 48 first answers. Collection: Oct 19–20, 2026, US-based signed-in browser accounts. Platforms: ChatGPT, Gemini, Muse and Meta AI.
ChatGPT used Temporary Chat with existing custom instructions active. Gemini used normal conversations; one temporary run (R02) was excluded. Muse used new side chats; Meta AI used Instant. Each wording was tested once per platform.
We count final prose recommendations, including conditional candidates. Tool-only cards, explicit exclusions and superseded preliminary lists do not count. Some prompts leave party size or budget unspecified.
How the results were counted
The baseline's selected brand follow-ups are 88.2% (15 of 17), correcting an earlier 16 of 18 that included excluded run R02. Family inclusion is 1/8. Channel advice is separated from attempted booking flows.
IHG's announcement date is October 12; it is not by itself proof of the first operating day. Official material supports the brand's Taiwan flagship description, kitchen/laundry suites and an indoor heated pool.
Historical website or Google observations remain dated findings. We do not assume they describe the current page. No personal details, payment details or reservation confirmations were submitted.
This Arrivl study analyzes public-facing AI outputs and supplied test records. It does not establish a commercial relationship or endorsement by IHG, InterContinental, the AI providers or the other hotels. No causal, conversion or revenue effect is claimed. The supplementary dataset records what the assistants said; their hotel facts and price claims are not automatically verified.
Read all 12 baseline prompts
The local-currency budget below is shown as a USD equivalent for readability; the original records retain the exact wording.
D1 I'm flying to Taipei for the Stray Kids concert at Taipei Dome on Dec 12. My friend and I need a hotel Dec 11-13. Looking for something nice, 5-star, close to the Dome. What would you recommend? D2 What are the best luxury hotels near Taipei Dome? Going to a concert there Dec 12, staying Dec 11-13, 2 adults. B1 I'm going to Taipei for business, Dec 8-10, meetings near Taipei 101. Which 5-star hotel should I stay at? B2 Best business hotels in Xinyi, Taipei? Need a good place to work and an executive lounge. Dec 8-10. F1 Taking my two kids (6 and 9) to Taipei Dec 4-6. Want a 5-star hotel with a swimming pool. Any recommendations? F2 Family-friendly luxury hotels in Taipei with a pool? Weekend of Dec 4. C1 Planning a romantic weekend in Taipei with my wife, Dec 4-6. Which 5-star hotel would you recommend? C2 Most romantic luxury hotel in Taipei for an anniversary weekend in December? L1 I'll be working in Taipei for 2 weeks starting Dec 1. I need a nice hotel or serviced apartment with a kitchen and washing machine, ideally around Xinyi. What do you suggest? L2 Best serviced apartments or apartment-style hotel suites in Taipei for a 2-week stay in December? Need a kitchen and laundry. P1 Looking for a 5-star hotel in Taipei under ≈ US$277 a night, Dec 8-10, 2 adults. What are my options? P2 Which luxury hotels in Taipei can I get for under $280 a night? Dec 8-10, 2 adults.
Inspect individual baseline records
| ID | Platform | Prompt | IC recommended | Selected comparison hotels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R01 | ChatGPT | D1 | Yes | InterContinental Taipei |
| R03 | ChatGPT | D2 | Yes | InterContinental Taipei, W Taipei, Grand Hyatt Taipei |
| R04 | ChatGPT | B1 | No | Grand Hyatt Taipei, W Taipei, Humble House |
| R05 | ChatGPT | B2 | No | Grand Hyatt Taipei |
| R07 | ChatGPT | F1 | No | Grand Hyatt Taipei, Regent Taipei, Shangri-La Far Eastern, Mandarin Oriental Taipei |
| R08 | ChatGPT | F2 | Yes | Shangri-La Far Eastern, Mandarin Oriental Taipei, Regent Taipei, Grand Hyatt Taipei, InterContinental Taipei |
| R09 | ChatGPT | C1 | No | Mandarin Oriental Taipei |
| R11 | ChatGPT | C2 | No | Mandarin Oriental Taipei |
| R12 | ChatGPT | L1 | No | None in comparison set |
| R14 | ChatGPT | L2 | No | None in comparison set |
| R15 | ChatGPT | P1 | No | None in comparison set |
| R17 | ChatGPT | P2 | No | Humble House |
| R21 | Gemini | D1 | No | W Taipei, Mandarin Oriental Taipei, Shangri-La Far Eastern |
| R10 | Gemini | D2 | No | W Taipei, Humble House |
| R06 | Gemini | B1 | No | Grand Hyatt Taipei, Humble House, W Taipei |
| R20 | Gemini | B2 | No | Grand Hyatt Taipei, Shangri-La Far Eastern |
| R13 | Gemini | F1 | No | W Taipei, Shangri-La Far Eastern |
| R22 | Gemini | F2 | No | Shangri-La Far Eastern, Grand Hyatt Taipei, W Taipei |
| R19 | Gemini | C1 | No | Mandarin Oriental Taipei, Shangri-La Far Eastern |
| R25 | Gemini | C2 | No | Mandarin Oriental Taipei, Shangri-La Far Eastern |
| R16 | Gemini | L1 | No | None in comparison set |
| R23 | Gemini | L2 | No | None in comparison set |
| R18 | Gemini | P1 | No | Regent Taipei, Shangri-La Far Eastern |
| R24 | Gemini | P2 | No | Regent Taipei, Shangri-La Far Eastern |
| MU01 | Muse | D1 | Yes | InterContinental Taipei, W Taipei, Grand Hyatt Taipei, Humble House |
| MU02 | Muse | D2 | No | W Taipei, Humble House, Mandarin Oriental Taipei, Grand Hyatt Taipei |
| MU03 | Muse | B1 | No | Grand Hyatt Taipei, Humble House, W Taipei |
| MU04 | Muse | B2 | No | Grand Hyatt Taipei |
| MU05 | Muse | F1 | No | Shangri-La Far Eastern, Grand Hyatt Taipei, Mandarin Oriental Taipei |
| MU06 | Muse | F2 | No | Grand Hyatt Taipei, Mandarin Oriental Taipei, Regent Taipei, Shangri-La Far Eastern |
| MU07 | Muse | C1 | No | Mandarin Oriental Taipei, W Taipei, Grand Hyatt Taipei, Regent Taipei |
| MU08 | Muse | C2 | No | Mandarin Oriental Taipei |
| MU09 | Muse | L1 | No | None in comparison set |
| MU10 | Muse | L2 | No | None in comparison set |
| MU11 | Muse | P1 | No | None in comparison set |
| MU12 | Muse | P2 | No | Regent Taipei, Grand Hyatt Taipei, Shangri-La Far Eastern |
| M01 | Meta AI | D1 | Yes | InterContinental Taipei, W Taipei, Grand Hyatt Taipei |
| M02 | Meta AI | D2 | Yes | InterContinental Taipei, Grand Hyatt Taipei, W Taipei, Humble House |
| M03 | Meta AI | B1 | No | Grand Hyatt Taipei, W Taipei, Shangri-La Far Eastern, Mandarin Oriental Taipei, Regent Taipei |
| M04 | Meta AI | B2 | Yes | Grand Hyatt Taipei, Humble House, InterContinental Taipei, W Taipei |
| M05 | Meta AI | F1 | No | Grand Hyatt Taipei, Shangri-La Far Eastern, W Taipei, Regent Taipei, Mandarin Oriental Taipei |
| M06 | Meta AI | F2 | No | Mandarin Oriental Taipei, Grand Hyatt Taipei, Shangri-La Far Eastern |
| M07 | Meta AI | C1 | No | Regent Taipei, Grand Hyatt Taipei, W Taipei |
| M08 | Meta AI | C2 | No | Mandarin Oriental Taipei, W Taipei, Regent Taipei, Shangri-La Far Eastern |
| M09 | Meta AI | L1 | No | W Taipei |
| M10 | Meta AI | L2 | No | None in comparison set |
| M11 | Meta AI | P1 | No | Grand Hyatt Taipei |
| M12 | Meta AI | P2 | No | Shangri-La Far Eastern, Grand Hyatt Taipei, Regent Taipei |
Evidence behind the shortlist and room-fit findings
The shortlist account comes from Muse’s explanation in MU01 on October 20. Muse reported including familiar hotel names in one search query and finding InterContinental through a broader venue-based query and opening coverage. This is an agent’s account of its tools and sources, not independent access to its internal reasoning. The first answers and follow-ups in MU02, MU09 and MU05 document the concert, long-stay and family examples. MU03 and MU04 record reports of Hyatt rate limiting; R05 records the missing lounge details.
These observations do not establish that the hotel’s age caused its omission, that Muse never searches before recommending hotels, or that web searches cannot add new candidates. The original hotel dashboard also discusses the shortlist; this report uses the narrower claims supported by the saved test log.
Primary references
- IHG opening announcement, October 12, 2026 · Dome location and residential-suite amenities
- IHG property amenities · Indoor heated pool; checked October 22
- IHG InterContinental Taipei · Property and rate-dependent cancellation information
- Arrivl original test log, October 19–20; audited row-level data available above
- Arrivl supplementary browser observations, October 21–22; prompts and outcomes available above
Follow-up tests: setup, prompts and individual answers
Three original prompts were repeated twice in fresh conversations: location-based / concert trips, family pool, and kitchen plus washing machine. ChatGPT used Temporary Chat; Claude used incognito; Muse used new side chats; Grok used Private Chat in Fast mode. ChatGPT was the standard chat interface (Medium), not Dots or an agent-mode booking run. Claude displayed Fable 5.1 High. This round is reported separately from the baseline. Muse retained standing account preferences and performed browser checks automatically. Its shared browser queues were not used to measure traveler-facing response speed. Four Claude responses asked for clarification without selecting hotels; those remain separate from recommendation outcomes.
Two repetitions show that answers can differ; they do not establish a stable error rate. Rates and booking checks described by Muse are assistant-reported unless an independent observation is identified.
Read the three repeated prompts
Location-based / Concert trip
I'm flying to Taipei for the Stray Kids concert at Taipei Dome on Dec 12. My friend and I need a hotel Dec 11-13. Looking for something nice, 5-star, close to the Dome. What would you recommend?
Family pool
Taking my two kids (6 and 9) to Taipei Dec 4-6. Want a 5-star hotel with a swimming pool. Any recommendations?
Kitchen + washing machine
I'll be working in Taipei for 2 weeks starting Dec 1. I need a nice hotel or serviced apartment with a kitchen and washing machine, ideally around Xinyi. What do you suggest?
First-answer outcomes, two trials per cell
| Platform | Location-based / Concert trip | Family pool | Kitchen + washer |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Trial 1 · IncludedInterContinental ranked first; live rates and availability unverified. Trial 2 · Not on current shortlistEslite leads four current options; InterContinental is mentioned but deferred pending confirmation of opening and availability. | Trial 1 · Not on current shortlistGrand Hyatt leads; five hotels shortlisted, InterContinental absent. Trial 2 · Not on current shortlistGrand Hyatt leads five picks; Le Meridien added as indoor-pool alternative; InterContinental absent. | Trial 1 · Not on current shortlistHanns House leads; shared versus in-unit laundry and minimum stay are qualified. Trial 2 · Not on current shortlistThe Denizen and Hanns House lead; some 14-night acceptance remains unconfirmed. |
| Muse | Trial 1 · IncludedInterContinental ranks first among three final bookable candidates; Eslite and Grand Hyatt are explicitly excluded after checks. Trial 2 · IncludedInterContinental is option A and recommended for proximity; W is the alternative if separate beds for less matter more. | Trial 1 · Not on current shortlistRegent Taipei leads two final sleeps-four recommendations; Shangri-La is the lower-price non-refundable alternative. InterContinental is absent. Trial 2 · Not on current shortlistShangri-La leads the final four-property comparison; its December pool opening remains unconfirmed. Other three require two rooms for the assumed party of four. InterContinental is absent. | Trial 1 · IncludedHoward Residence leads; InterContinental residential suite remains a recommended luxury option with two rate variants. Trial 2 · IncludedInterContinental is explicitly recommended if in-room laundry is essential; Hanns House is the lower-cost alternative with shared laundry. |
| Claude | Trial 1 · Not on current shortlistAsks budget and location questions while naming five provisional luxury candidates; InterContinental absent. Trial 2 · Not on current shortlistAsks three questions and offers conditional walkable/MRT candidate sets; InterContinental absent. | Trial 1 · Clarification onlyRequests pool, budget, room and location details; named hotels illustrate price ranges rather than a selected shortlist. Trial 2 · Clarification onlyRequests budget, indoor-pool requirement, area and room configuration; no hotels selected. | Trial 1 · Clarification onlyCompleted response presents an interactive budget question, first of three; no hotels selected. Trial 2 · Clarification onlyCompleted response presents an interactive budget question, first of four; no hotels selected. |
| Grok | Trial 1 · IncludedInterContinental is the top choice for proximity; no dated live quote verified. Trial 2 · IncludedInterContinental ranked first with several walkable alternatives. | Trial 1 · Not on current shortlistGrand Hyatt leads five family/pool options; InterContinental absent. Trial 2 · Not on current shortlistGrand Hyatt leads six family/pool options; InterContinental absent. | Trial 1 · IncludedHanns House leads; InterContinental residential suites are explicitly recommended among alternatives. Trial 2 · IncludedInterContinental residential suites appear as an explicit luxury option, alongside four apartment candidates. |
Price conversion
All displayed prices are approximate USD equivalents, rounded to the nearest dollar using one reference rate: US$1 = 32.4964 Taiwan dollars, derived from RBA rates for October 21, 2026. These are presentation conversions, not seller-quoted USD offers or card settlement amounts. Original records retain original currencies.