Cendyn Launches Wayfinder to Help Hotels Stay Visible in the Age of AI Search
AUSTIN, Texas: Hospitality technology company Cendyn has unveiled Wayfinder, a new Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) analytics and large language model (LLM) monitoring platform designed to help hotels maintain and strengthen their visibility across AI-powered search engines.
The launch comes as the hospitality industry experiences a major shift in how travellers search for and book accommodations, with platforms such as Gemini, ChatGPT and Perplexity increasingly influencing consumer decisions.
Wayfinder allows hotel operators to monitor how their properties are represented by AI systems and identify inaccuracies or inconsistencies that could affect their online visibility and booking performance.
Integrated directly into Cendyn’s content management system (CMS), the platform simulates common traveller queries across leading AI models and evaluates how hotels perform in AI-generated search results.
The system measures factors such as GEO health, factual accuracy and content readiness, helping hotel marketers understand how well their websites are prepared for the AI-driven search environment.
One of Wayfinder’s key features is its ability to detect what Cendyn calls “AI drift” — situations where AI models begin presenting outdated, incorrect or misleading information about a hotel.
When such inconsistencies are identified, the platform immediately alerts marketing teams so corrective action can be taken.
Cendyn executive vice president of product Kevin Duncan said the risk of becoming invisible in AI search is emerging as one of the hospitality industry’s biggest challenges.
“If dependence on online travel agencies is a tax on bookings, AI invisibility is a cliff.
“Wayfinder gives hotels complete transparency, allowing them to identify and fix inaccuracies before they affect customer trust and bookings,” he said.
Duncan noted that many hotel websites were built for traditional search engines and are not optimised for AI systems, which prioritise structured, consistent and trustworthy information.
To address this gap, Wayfinder analyses hotel content and recommends data schemas, text files and AI directives that help language models better understand and represent hotel brands.
“When information such as room rates, policies and brand messaging becomes inconsistent, trust erodes among both AI systems and travellers.
“Wayfinder helps hotels maintain authority and visibility in this new environment,” he said.
Cendyn chief marketing officer Nicki Graham said the rapid rise of AI is reshaping how consumers discover, compare and book hotels, making brand ownership more important than ever.
“Hotels that fail to adapt risk becoming invisible to the next generation of travellers before they even reach a booking engine.
“Wayfinder turns AI uncertainty into actionable insights that help hotels remain visible and competitive,” she said.
Wayfinder is part of Cendyn’s broader AI-native strategy, following the launch of AI Connect earlier this year, which enables hotel availability, rates and inventory data to be more easily accessed by AI systems.
The company said it plans to continue integrating AI capabilities across its product suite to help hotels improve operational efficiency, strengthen guest engagement and remain competitive in an increasingly AI-driven travel market.
