What is llms.txt and how hotels can improve discoverability in AI search

In the early days of the internet, robots.txt gave websites control over how search engine crawlers accessed and indexed their content. Now, with the rise of large language models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, a new standard is emerging: llms.txt.

If you're a hotelier who cares about visibility and guest engagement, understanding this simple file could help you improve discoverability in LLM results.

From robots.txt to llms.txt

In 1994, robots.txt was introduced to give websites a way to signal which parts of their content should or shouldn't be crawled by search engines. It quickly became a widely respected standard.

Fast-forward to 2025, and search is no longer about blue links alone. Travelers now turn to AI tools and ask questions like:

• "What are the best boutique hotels in Oaxaca?"
• "Where should I stay near the Amalfi Coast with kids?"

The answers they receive aren't lists of links. They are direct, conversational responses generated by models trained on vast amounts of public web content.

This shift changes how content needs to be presented and protected. That's where llms.txt comes in.

What is llms.txt?

In September 2024, Jeremy Howard, Co-Founder of Answer.AI, proposed the llms.txt file format as a standardized way for websites to provide key information to LLMs. This markdown-based file distills a site's content into a concise, structured format, bypassing the need for LLMs to parse complex HTML, ads, or JavaScript.

llms.txt is a proposed standard that allows website owners to control how their content is accessed or used by large language models. It is conceptually similar to robots.txt, but tailored for the AI era.

Placed in the root of your website (for example, www.hotelmistral.com/llms.txt), this file allows you to specify whether LLMs are allowed to train on or retrieve content from your site. While adoption is still early, some leading AI providers are already respecting the protocol.

By adopting this standard, we're taking a step toward a future where every company provides two versions of their documentation: one for humans and another for LLMs.

Documentation to deliver answers

Before AI, finding answers from documentation could be a guessing game. Search within docs hinged on hitting the right keywords. If you looked for "invoice editing" but the docs referred to it as "billing adjustments," you'd be out of luck. Without effective search, customers often have to resort to deciphering navigation hierarchies and skimming endless pages.

People might try turning to third party search engines to find the right docs or relevant community forums. But this relies on strong SEO and also hitting the right keywords, yet another roll of the dice.

The same challenge applies to hotel websites. When travelers search for specific amenities or local information, they often struggle to find what they need if the exact terminology doesn't match.

Why llms.txt matters for SEO

Search engine optimization is undergoing a quiet transformation. It is no longer only about being ranked on Google. The new frontier is generative engine optimization, or GEO. This refers to how your content appears in the answers produced by LLMs.

If your website is excluded from model training or retrieval due to an improperly configured llms.txt, you might miss opportunities to appear in AI-generated suggestions. This is especially critical for hotels. When potential guests ask an AI for recommendations, your visibility in that answer set is determined by whether the model has access to your content.

Conversely, explicitly allowing access through llms.txt improves your likelihood of being part of those AI-powered conversations.

Implications for LLMs

For AI providers, llms.txt is a step toward responsible and transparent content usage. It creates a framework for respecting the preferences of content creators and businesses. This is particularly important in travel and hospitality, where context, nuance, and voice matter.

If your site includes high-quality descriptions, FAQs, editorial content, or local guides, you are producing the kind of material that AI models seek out. Without llms.txt, there is no standardized way to govern how that material is accessed or used.

Think of it as SEO for AI. Users can now find product-specific information directly through general-purpose LLMs, bypassing the need for exact keywords.

How to get started with llms.txt

Implementing llms.txt is simple and can be done in just a few minutes, even without technical expertise.

The easiest way is to use a free generator built for teams that don't want to manage the file manually. We created one specifically for hotels and hospitality teams at Visito:

• https://www.visitoai.com/en/llms-txt-generator: a lightweight tool to generate an llms.txt file for your property

Other reliable generators include:

• https://llmstxt.firecrawl.dev: a clean, fast generator with preset access options
• https://llms-txt.io: a visual walkthrough for creating your file step by step

To get started:

1. Visit one of the tools above
2. Select the AI providers you want to allow or restrict
3. Generate the file and copy the content
4. Upload it to the root of your website, so it's publicly accessible at https://www.yourhotel.com/llms.txt

If you're not sure how to upload it, your web developer or hosting provider can help. It's a one-time task that takes just a few minutes and ensures your content is properly indexed by the next generation of AI tools.

How hotels can appear more in AI search results

Implementing llms.txt is just one tool. To improve how your hotel shows up in AI-generated answers, consider the following best practices:

Keep content clear and structured: use concise language, clear headers, and organized formatting. Avoid clutter or overly sales-driven language.

Add an FAQ section: address common questions directly on your site. Structured Q&A formats are ideal for AI processing.

Publish authentic, local content: AI models reward relevance and detail. Share curated guides, local recommendations, and insider tips.

Earn third-party mentions: mentions and links from reputable third-party websites increase your hotel's chances of being included or referenced in AI-generated responses.

Stay accessible to AI tools: unless you have a strategic reason to block access, remain open. This increases your chances of being surfaced in natural language answers.

Conclusion

Think of llms.txt like submitting a sitemap in the early days of SEO. It doesn't guarantee results, but it ensures you're in the running. As travelers increasingly rely on AI tools to plan their stays, your discoverability in those systems becomes just as critical as your Google rank. Getting started with llms.txt is easy and could help with visibility in AI searches.

At Visito, we help independent hotels improve guest engagement and drive direct bookings through AI. If you're ready to explore how to stay visible in the age of AI search, let's talk.

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