AI Overview (Google)

Definition

Google AI Overview is a feature in Google Search that displays an AI-generated summary at the top of the results page for certain queries. It is powered by Google’s Gemini model.

Google introduced AI Overviews (initially as “Search Generative Experience” or SGE) and has expanded its coverage to a growing share of search queries, including travel-related queries like “hotels in [city]”, “best boutique hotel near [landmark]”, and “where to stay in [destination]”.

How it appears for travel queries

For a query like “best boutique hotel in Porto”, a Google AI Overview might appear as a box at the top of the page with: 2-4 hotel names, a brief description of each (location, style, price range), and links to booking platforms or hotel websites. Below this AI Overview, the traditional organic results appear (hotel pack map, links, etc.).

The properties named in the AI Overview receive visibility before any other result on the page.

What determines which hotels appear

Google AI Overview primarily uses Google’s own data: Google Business Profile, Google Maps, Google Reviews, and content from indexed websites. It is more influenced by Google’s first-party data than other AI search systems.

The most important single action for Google AI Overview hotel visibility is completing and verifying your Google Business Profile.

Secondary signals: schema.org markup on your hotel website, Google Review volume and recency, consistent NAP data across platforms.