Heads On Pillows joined the IHG EAPAC Commercial Summit 2026 at InterContinental Hanoi Landmark72, bringing its hospitality digital marketing expertise to regional industry conversations. Founder Samuel Walter’s presentation, “Travel Discovery Revolution”, explores AI search, Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) and the changing hotel discovery journey. The event provided an opportunity to connect with commercial leaders and discuss how digital visibility supports direct booking growth.
What Made IHG EAPAC Commercial Summit 2026 Significant?
The IHG Hotels & Resorts EAPAC Commercial Summit 2026 brought more than 300 commercial leaders from across East Asia and the Pacific to InterContinental Hanoi Landmark72. Held under the theme “United as One”, the event created an opportunity for IHG’s commercial community to strengthen connections, share knowledge and explore approaches to hotel performance.
The summit also provided a platform for discussions about the changing digital landscape, including AI discoverability, evolving traveller behaviour and the need to connect marketing investment with measurable commercial outcomes. For hotel marketing and revenue teams, these conversations reflected a growing focus on adapting to new discovery channels while maintaining effective distribution and direct booking strategies.
“Travel Discovery Revolution”: How Sam Walter and Heads On Pillows Are Rethinking Hotel Search
Samuel Walter, Founder and CEO of Heads On Pillows, presented “Travel Discovery Revolution” at IHG EAPAC Commercial Summit 2026, sharing HOP’s perspective on how AI and changing traveller behaviour are reshaping hotel discovery. Drawing from HOP’s experience in SEO, performance marketing, website development and hospitality digital strategy, the presentation explored how hotels can adapt their digital presence for a new search landscape.
The presentation highlighted a key shift in hotel marketing: visibility alone is no longer the goal. As travellers increasingly use different digital channels to research accommodation, including AI-powered tools, hotels need to ensure their information is accurate, accessible and useful throughout the discovery journey.
A key focus of the presentation was Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), which helps make a hotel’s information easier for AI systems to understand and use when responding to traveller questions. Unlike traditional SEO, which focuses primarily on improving visibility in search results, GEO considers how brands are represented within AI-generated responses and conversations.
For hotels, the value of GEO goes beyond appearing in AI results. A successful approach connects AI discovery with commercial outcomes by helping travellers find relevant information about rooms, experiences, location and unique selling points before making a booking decision. This requires clear website content, consistent brand information and well-structured digital assets that allow both travellers and AI platforms to better understand the property.
By presenting the connection between AI search, GEO and direct booking growth, Sam and Heads On Pillows highlighted the importance of treating digital visibility as part of a wider commercial strategy. The goal is not simply to gain attention online, but to create a stronger path from discovery to direct revenue and long-term growth.
Partner with Heads On Pillows for Your Hotel’s Digital Marketing Strategy
The hospitality landscape is changing quickly, with travellers discovering hotels through more channels than ever before. Hotels need a digital strategy that connects search visibility, AI discovery, website performance and paid marketing with their commercial objectives.
Heads On Pillows helps accommodation and tourism brands build stronger digital foundations through SEO, GEO, paid media, social media and website solutions designed for the hospitality industry.
Ready to strengthen your hotel’s visibility in search and AI? Contact Heads On Pillows to discuss a digital marketing strategy that supports your direct booking goals.
