Answers for lodge owners about AI and bookings

Short pages that each answer one question owners often get wrong. Every fact links to its source and shows the date we checked it.

• How do guests reach your lodge, and what does each route cost?Direct costs a 3.2% card fee, booking sites 15% to 23%, tour operators about 25%, Nice to Find You R1,490 a month.
• Can you pay to appear in ChatGPT’s answers?No. Since 21 October 2026 you can buy an ad below them.
• Does a booking-site listing help AI find your lodge?AI sent travellers to booking sites 13% of the time, own websites 43%.
• How do AI assistants choose places to stay?From web pages they can read, and Google ranks local results on three things.
• Can a booking site stop you charging less on your own website?Not the largest one, since 13 August 2024.

What we do for a place to stay, for one flat monthly fee: the Playbook.