Let me guess what you’re thinking about your website.
It’s a few years old. The design feels dated. Maybe it’s not mobile-optimized. The photos could be better. You’ve been meaning to update it.
And you’re probably thinking: “That’s why we’re not getting enough direct bookings. We need a new website.”
I’m going to tell you something that might surprise you:
Your website is probably fine.
The Real Test of Your Website
Here’s the only question that matters about your website:
When someone actually lands on it, do they book?
If you’ve got good photos, clear information about your property, accurate availability, and easy booking—and people who visit your site convert into guests at a reasonable rate—then your website is doing its job.
The problem isn’t your website.
The problem is almost nobody is finding your website.
What Visibility Actually Looks Like Now
Open Google in an incognito window (so it doesn’t personalize results based on your search history).
Search for the type of property you own in your area. Something like:
- “Romantic cabin near Orillia Ontario”
- “Family resort Lake of The Woods”
- “Mountain lodge near Banff”
Look at what appears at the very top of the page.
You’ll see a stack of sponsored results then video results mixed with something called an “AI Overview“—Google’s artificial intelligence answering the search query directly. It recommends 3-5 specific properties by name before showing any traditional search results.
Now ask yourself: Is your property one of those video recommendations or AI recommendations?
If not, here’s what’s happening:
Hundreds—possibly thousands—of potential guests are searching for properties exactly like yours every month. Google is recommending your competitors by name. And you’re not part of the conversation.
☛ Your beautiful website? They never see it.
☛ Your competitive rates? They never compare them.
☛ Your five-star reviews on Facebook? They never read them.
Because they booked one of the 3-5 properties Google recommended before they ever scrolled far enough to find you.
The Commission Trap
Here’s where this gets expensive.
When travelers can’t find you through direct search, where do they find you?
Airbnb. Booking.com. Boosted Posts on Facebook. Google Ads. Expedia.
The OTA platforms that charge for every click or 15-25% commission on every booking.
Now, I’m not saying paid traffic sources or OTAs are bad for business. They serve a purpose. Some OTA bookings and PPC traffic can make sense for most properties.
But here’s the question: What percentage of your bookings are you currently paying commission on?
30%? 50%? 70%?
Let’s do some quick math:
How many $ per year in PPC marketing and commission costs?
Over five years? $$$$$.
All because travelers searching for properties like yours can’t find you directly—so they find you on platforms that take a cut.
The Actual Problem (And Why Most Owners Don’t See It)
The real problem may not be your website design, your photos, or your booking system.
The real problem is search visibility.
Specifically, visibility in AI-powered search results that now dominate how travelers under 40 discover properties.
And here’s why most lodge and resort owners don’t realize this is happening:
Your business still feels stable.
Bookings are coming in. Repeat guests are still returning. Revenue might even be up from last year.
Maybe there’s no alarm bell ringing. No obvious crisis demanding attention.
But underneath that stability, something fundamental has shifted:
The way travelers discover new properties has changed dramatically, and most independent lodges and resorts aren’t positioned for it.
You’re competing with one hand tied behind your back, and you don’t even know it because the bookings are still coming in—you’re just paying 15-25% more for each one than you need to.
What Changed (And When)
For years, the SEO playbook was straightforward:
Build a decent website. Get listed in directories. Collect reviews. Maybe run some Google Ads. Show up on page one of search results.
If travelers clicked through to your website, you had a shot at the booking.
That still works… sort of.
But in the last 12-18 months, Google rolled out AI-powered search overviews across millions of queries, including virtually all travel-related searches.
Now, before anyone sees traditional search results, they see AI recommendations.
And those recommendations aren’t based purely on who has the best SEO or who’s paying for ads.
They’re based on how AI interprets the quality, relevance, and authority of your property based on dozens of factors most property owners have never optimized for.
The lodges and resorts showing up in these AI recommendations? Some did it intentionally. Many did it accidentally because they happened to have the right signals in place.
The ones not showing up? They’re invisible to the next generation of travelers, WORSE – they have no idea it’s happening.
The Two Futures
Let me paint two different pictures of the next five years:
➤ Scenario A:
You continue as you are. Bookings stay relatively stable, though you notice an increasing percentage coming through OTAs. Commission costs creep up year over year. You occasionally wonder why you’re not getting as many direct bookings as you used to, but you chalk it up to “that’s just how the market is now.” In five years, you’re paying $40-50K annually in OTA commissions and wondering where your profit margins went.
➤ Scenario B:
You get positioned correctly in AI search results. Travelers searching for properties like yours start seeing your name recommended by Google before they see OTA listings. Your direct booking percentage increases from 30% to 60%. You’re paying commission on a shrinking percentage of bookings. In five years, you’ve saved $100K+ in commission costs and built a pipeline of younger guests who discovered you directly and will become your repeat customers for decades.
The difference between these scenarios isn’t your property quality, your service, or your pricing.
It’s visibility.
What You Need to See
If you own a lodge or resort and you’re paying more than $20,000 per year in PPC costs and OTA commissions, you need to see something.
I’ve put together a 90-second video showing exactly what happens when travelers search for properties like yours. What they see. Which properties get recommended. And why most independent lodges are invisible.
Watch it below. If what you see concerns you—if you realize you’re in Scenario A and want to move toward Scenario B—join my email list.
I’ll send you a quick series showing you how to check where your property actually appears in AI search results, who’s getting the visibility you should have, and what it means for your booking costs.
I’m also offering complimentary visibility assessments this month. We’ll spend 20 minutes looking at your specific situation. No cost, no pitch—just clarity on where you stand and what it’s costing you.
Your website probably doesn’t need a redesign.
But your visibility strategy? That needs immediate attention.