Below is a free research report provided by Heads On Pillows.

Research Scope: Hospitality Industry
Location: Da Nang, Vietnam

To explore the detailed analysis, please refer to the full results file here GEO Handbook: Danang Hotels AI Visibility – Heads On Pillows

We ran 15 broad prompts (“Best hotels in Danang”) and 15 detailed prompts (“Best luxury family resort in Danang with kids pool”) through ChatGPT’s live search, ~11 times each. This playbook distills what the data says about how hotels surface in AI search, and what you can do about it.

Part 1: Findings

The AI search response anatomy

Every ChatGPT hotel search produces two distinct sections:

• local pack (a map-style list of ~15 hotels with names, ratings, review counts and links)
• Text response (a curated editorial pick of 5–7 hotels with prose descriptions, inline citations and clickable brand-entity links). Occasionally, a comparison table appears for “where to stay” or “resort list” queries. Importantly, each component has different rules for what appears and why.

Finding 1: Broad and detailed queries surface fundamentally different hotel sets

Broad searches are dominated by a small group of recurring hotel brands. In fact, the same 6–7 hotels, including InterContinental, Hyatt, Pullman, Sheraton, Four Seasons and Naman Retreat, appear in 80–95% of broad responses, regardless of how the search is worded. Detailed queries break this pattern, each intent surfaces a largely unique set of hotels tailored to the specific need.

InterContinental Danang appeared 138 times across broad queries vs 81 across detailed. Budget queries (D3) had zero overlap with luxury queries (D9). Pet-friendly queries (D10) surfaced hotels that appeared in no other query type

Finding 2: Detailed queries are the battleground for independents

Independent and boutique hotels rarely appear in broad search results. However, they perform much better for specific, detailed search categories, where they can stand out by matching the user’s particular needs and intent. Naman Retreat appeared in 88 detailed results vs 69 broad. Fusion Resort appeared in 53 detailed vs only 8 broad. This is where microsite content strategy pays off.

Fusion Resort & Villas appeared 53 times in detailed queries but only 8 times in broad  a 6.6x ratio. Parosand Danang Hotel, a strong independent, appeared primarily through detailed “where to stay” and “budget” queries.

Finding 3: The citation source varies by query intent – predictably

The leading citation source changes depending on the user’s search intent. Hotel websites win for specific property information, OTAs win for comparison and discovery searches, and travel blogs win for experience-based recommendations. Each source performs best when it matches what the user is trying to find.

Finding 4: Microsites with feature-specific pages get cited as authoritative sources

The single most powerful content strategy observed: danang.intercontinental.com had 90 citations across the study – 89% from detailed queries. It was cited because the website provides detailed pages for key topics users often search for, including sustainability, kids’ activities (Planet Trekkers), romantic experiences, room types, and swimming pools. These dedicated pages make it easier for search engines and AI platforms to find and reference the most relevant information.  Each page answers a specific query intent directly.

Finding 5: Brand.com entity links ≠ brand.com citations. They serve different functions.

2.2 Intent-specific content pages

[01 – High] Create a /family or /kids page with specific amenitie

Family queries (D1, D6) are one of the few intents where brand.com beats OTAs (67% brand citations for kids club queries). Hyatt’s Kid-Activities.pdf and Camp Hyatt page were cited repeatedly. List your kids pool dimensions, kids club hours, child menus and family room configurations. Upload downloadable PDFs of activity schedules.

[02 – High] Create an /accessibility page with detailed specifications

Accessibility queries sourced 66% from brand.com — the highest brand share of any intent. voco Ma Belle’s ihg.com/accessibility page and Radisson’s rooms page with wheelchair specs were cited. List: roll-in showers, grab bars, doorway widths, elevator access, accessible pool entry, accessible restaurant seating. Specificity wins — “wheelchair accessible” alone is not enough.

[03 – High] Create a /pet-friendly page

Pet-friendly queries sourced 82% of their information from Booking.com, largely because no hotel had dedicated content covering its pet-friendly policies. This represents one of the clearest content gaps in the data. If your hotel welcomes pets, create a dedicated page covering key details such as weight limits, pet fees, pet-friendly room options, nearby walking areas and available pet amenity kits. By providing this information directly, your hotel could become a more relevant source for pet-related searches instead of relying on third-party platforms.

[04 – High] Create a /sustainability or /eco page

IC Danang’s sustainability and environmental-commitment pages were the only hotel sources cited for eco queries. Detail your waste reduction, energy certifications, local sourcing, plastic-free initiatives and any eco awards. This content does double duty: eco queries (D12) AND broad “best resorts” queries where sustainability differentiates.

[05- Medium] Create a /rooms/pool-villa or /private-pool page

Villa and private-pool queries (D7, D9) cite marriott.com sub-property pages and travel blogs. If you offer pool villas, create a dedicated page that clearly outlines the villa types, pool dimensions, privacy features and pricing tiers. For example, Marriott’s Non Nuoc Beach Villas pages were cited for this search intent. Therefore, providing detailed, dedicated content can help your property appear for more specific villa-related searches.

[06- Medium] Create a /romantic or /couples page

IC Danang’s “perfectly-romantic” venue page was cited for honeymoon and couples queries. For anniversary queries (D13), room-suites pages showing specific room categories were key citations. Include: couples packages, in-room dining, spa-for-two options, sunset venues and any wedding/anniversary planning services.

[07- Medium] Create a /business or /meetings page

Business queries cited Trip.com (a rare appearance – 3 citations in one run) and pullman-danang.com. Pullman’s microsite blog content about business facilities was cited. Include: meeting room specs and capacity, business centre hours, airport transfer details, co-working spaces and corporate rate information.

[08- Nice to have] Create a /business or /meetings page

Near-airport queries (D8) sourced 100% from Booking.com. Any hotel with airport shuttle or proximity advantage can capture this intent with a simple page: distance, transfer time, shuttle schedule, taxi cost estimates and pickup instructions.

2.3 Reviews & reputation

[01 – High] Actively build Google review volume

Review count appears to correlate with local pack prominence. For example, Melia Vinpearl Danang Riverfront, with 17,218 reviews and a 4.9 rating, appeared in 91 responses, including for queries outside its core positioning. By comparison, hotels with fewer than 2,000 reviews rarely appeared consistently. Therefore, set up post-stay review request flows and respond to reviews regularly to maintain an active review profile and strengthen visibility.

[2 – Medium] Maintain a 4.5+ Google rating

The average rating of hotels appearing in the local pack was 4.5–4.7. Hotels with ratings below 4.3 appeared far less frequently. Address negative reviews, train staff on guest experience touch points and monitor review sentiment trends.

2.4 Third-party & PR strategy

[01 – High] Get featured in travel blog “best of” and area guide posts

Travel blogs supplied 50.1% of all citations and dominated solo female (96%), villa/couples (89%), eco (82%) and anniversary (58%) query intents. The most-cited blogs were vietmapper.com (191), daytripsvietnam.com (62) and danangpointer.com (62). Pitch these specific publications. A mention in a “Where to Stay in Danang 2026” guide translates directly into AI search recommendations.

[02 – Medium] Ensure your TripAdvisor listing is in the right filtered categories

TripAdvisor’s filtered list pages (“Romantic Hotels”, “Boutique Spa Hotels”, “5-Star Hotels”, “Honeymoon Resorts”) were cited 388 times – the #1 source domain. Being included in these filtered lists means appearing in ChatGPT’s curated picks. Verify your property categories, update amenity tags and maintain a strong TripAdvisor ranking.

[03 – Medium] Optimise your Booking.com listing for niche filters

Booking.com’s filtered pages: such as accessible travel, pet-friendly and airport hotels are often used as a default source when relevant hotel content is limited or unavailable. Even if you build your own landing pages, make sure your Booking.com listing has all relevant amenities and filters correctly tagged. Being included on these filtered pages can help reinforce your hotel’s visibility across search results.

2.5 Content strategy & maintenance

[01 – High] Pick 2-3 query intents and build deep content for them

Don’t try to win every query. The most successful independent properties owned a niche: TIA Wellness dominated wellness/spa across all runs. Naman Retreat owned eco + couples + luxury. Parosand dominated budget + “where to stay”. Identify your 2-3 strongest intents and create the deepest content in your market for those.

[02 – Medium] Upload downloadable PDFs for activity menus, kids programmes and wedding packages

Hyatt’s Kid-Activities.pdf was cited directly in family queries. IC Danang’s PDF documents were cited for anniversary and family queries. ChatGPT can index and cite PDF documents hosted on your website – these are high-specificity assets that OTAs cannot replicate.

[03 – Medium] Publish blog content on your microsite about local guides and experiences

pullman-danang.com’s blog posts were cited for business, family and anniversary queries. chiclandhotel.com was cited for eco queries via blog content. A microsite blog answering “things to do” and “how to plan” questions for your target traveller segments creates citable assets that generic property pages cannot.

[04 – nice to have] Date stamp and update content annually

Multiple cited travel blog articles included “2026” in their titles (danangpointer.com/private-pool-guide-2026, visitdanang.travel/family-amenities-2026). ChatGPT appears to prefer recently dated content. Update your feature pages with current-year information, seasonal programmes, and any new amenities or renovations.