ChatGPT Now Pulls Hotel Data from Yelp — Only in 5 Cities
We detected the exact date OpenAI turned this on: January 22, 2026. Yelp appears in 33% of hotel queries — but your destination determines everything.
TL;DR
Analysis of 603 ChatGPT captures across 14 destinations reveals that OpenAI began integrating Yelp as a hotel data source on January 22, 2026. Yelp appears in 33% of queries that show entity cards, but only for US cities (Las Vegas 40%, LA 38%, San Francisco 33%, NYC 29%) and Berlin (30%). It always supplements Google Places, never replaces it — only 0.2% of captures showed Yelp without Google. For hotels outside these 5 cities, Yelp optimization has zero impact on ChatGPT visibility.
Executive Summary
This is the first public documentation of ChatGPT's Yelp integration for hotels. We detected when OpenAI flipped the switch, mapped the geographic rollout, and identified the A/B testing pattern. Yelp is a secondary data source that supplements Google Places — it never replaces it.
Destination-Dependent
Yelp only appears for US cities (Las Vegas, LA, SF, NYC) + Berlin. Zero coverage for European resorts, Dubai, or Mediterranean destinations.
Your Location Doesn't Matter
Whether you search from the US, UK, or Germany, Yelp presence is consistent — it's the destination that matters, not where you're searching from.
Supplementation Only
Yelp is always a supplement to Google Places, never a replacement. In 33% of responses, ChatGPT combines both sources. Only 0.2% showed Yelp alone.
Related Research
Compare with Google AI Mode Study — Google keeps 79% of hotel clicks within its ecosystem, while ChatGPT pulls from multiple sources.
See also AI Hotel Landscape 2026 for the full breakdown of data sources across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity & Grok.
Our Dataset: 14 Destinations
We track ChatGPT hotel responses across 14 destinations using standardized prompts. These cities were chosen to represent a mix of US urban markets, European capitals, luxury resorts, and Mediterranean destinations.
US Cities
- • Las Vegas — Casino/entertainment hub
- • Los Angeles — Major US gateway
- • San Francisco — Tech hub, tourism
- • New York — Largest US market
European Cities
- • Berlin — German capital
- • Rome — Mediterranean capital
- • Barcelona — Spanish coast
- • Istanbul — East-West gateway
- • Amsterdam — Northern Europe
Luxury/Resort
- • Saint-Tropez — French Riviera
- • Megeve — French Alps ski
- • Courchevel — French Alps ski
- • Saint Barth — Caribbean luxury
Middle East
- • Dubai — Luxury hub, business travel
The Rollout Timeline
We detected the exact date: January 22, 2026. Here's how it unfolded.
| Date | Event | Entities | Yelp % | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 22, 2026 | Yelp entities first appear | 119 | 12.6% | US proxy only |
| Jan 25, 2026 | Full attributes schema deployed | 65 | 17.6% | All 30+ attributes |
| Feb 5, 2026 | DE & GB proxies start | 319 | 12% | Peak volume |
| Feb 6, 2026 | Normal operations | 55 | 9% | — |
| Feb 7, 2026 | Continued tracking | 42 | 11.9% | — |
| Feb 8, 2026 | Analysis published | 66 | 11% | This report |
Yelp Presence by Destination City
The critical finding: Yelp presence is entirely destination-dependent, not proxy-dependent. Yelp only appears for US cities + Berlin.
Cities with Yelp Coverage
Yelp Active (Optimize Here)
- • Las Vegas (40.2%)
- • Los Angeles (38.2%)
- • San Francisco (32.6%)
- • Berlin (30.4%)
- • New York (28.5%)
Zero Yelp (Don't Waste Time)
- • European resorts: Saint-Tropez, Megeve, Courchevel
- • Mediterranean: Rome, Barcelona, Istanbul
- • Middle East: Dubai
- • Caribbean: Saint Barth
| City | Yelp Share | Data Source |
|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas | 40.2% | Google + Yelp |
| Los Angeles | 38.2% | Google + Yelp |
| San Francisco | 32.6% | Google + Yelp |
| Berlin | 30.4% | Google + Yelp |
| New York | 28.5% | Google + Yelp |
| Amsterdam | 0.9% | Google + Yelp |
Your Location Doesn't Matter — The Destination Does
We tested from US, UK, and German proxies. The result: your location has no effecton Yelp visibility. Only the destination matters.
| Destination | US Proxy | GB Proxy | DE Proxy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas | 44.9% | 36.4% | 31.7% |
| Los Angeles | 35.2% | 42.9% | 38.9% |
| San Francisco | 35.8% | 26.2% | 32.3% |
| Berlin | 30% | 31.5% | 30.3% |
| New York | 27.5% | 29.7% | 29.9% |
Yelp by Prompt Type
Does the type of hotel query affect Yelp presence? Somewhat — but it's mostly driven by which destinations each prompt type targets.
| Prompt Type | Total Captures | With Yelp | Yelp % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 145 | 57 | 39.3% |
| Boutique/Design | 120 | 45 | 37.5% |
| Affordable | 54 | 19 | 35.2% |
| Family | 62 | 21 | 33.9% |
| Romantic | 60 | 19 | 31.7% |
| Luxury/5-star | 124 | 36 | 29% |
| Beachfront | 31 | 3 | 9.7% |
| Ski/Mountain | 7 | 0 | 0% |
Yelp vs Google: Supplementation, Not Replacement
How often does Yelp appear alongside Google? Almost always — Yelp rarely appears alone.
What Data Does Yelp Provide?
When Yelp entities appear, they include rich business metadata — but not all fields are populated.
High Fill Rate (82%+)
- • business_url
- • about_this_biz_bio
- • about_this_biz_specialties
- • about_this_biz_history
- • year_established
- • wi_fi
- • dogs_allowed
Lower Fill Rate
- • Payment methods (64%)
- • Restaurant attributes (6.5%)
- • menu_url (0.2%)
Always null: yelp_menu_url, is_claimed, popularity_score, online_reservation
| Attribute | Fill Rate | Category |
|---|---|---|
| business_url | 82.1% | Business Info |
| about_this_biz_bio | 82.1% | Business Info |
| about_this_biz_specialties | 82.1% | Business Info |
| about_this_biz_history | 82.1% | Business Info |
| about_this_biz_year_established | 82.1% | Business Info |
| wi_fi | 82.1% | Amenities |
| dogs_allowed | 81.1% | Amenities |
| business_accepts_credit_cards | 64% | Payment |
What This Means for Hotels
Actionable recommendations based on our analysis. Your strategy depends on your location.
US City Hotels + Berlin
If your hotel is in Las Vegas, LA, San Francisco, NYC, or Berlin — Yelp matters. These cities see 28-40% Yelp coverage in ChatGPT results.
Action: Optimize Yelp Profile
Follow the checklist below to maximize your Yelp visibility in ChatGPT.
European/Luxury/Other Hotels
Saint-Tropez, Megeve, Courchevel, Rome, Barcelona, Dubai? Focus entirely on Google. Yelp has zero presence for these destinations.
Action: Skip Yelp
Don't waste time optimizing Yelp. Focus on Google Business Profile and your website content.
Yelp Profile Optimization Checklist (For Covered Cities)
Based on our analysis of which Yelp attributes appear in ChatGPT, prioritize these fields:
Complete your "About This Business" section (82% fill rate)
Fill out: Bio, Specialties, History, Year Established. These appear in 82% of Yelp entities.
Set your Wi-Fi policy (82% fill rate)
Confirm Wi-Fi availability — this amenity is surfaced in recommendations.
Set your pet policy (81% fill rate)
Indicate whether dogs are allowed — important for pet-friendly travelers.
Confirm payment methods (64% fill rate)
Credit cards, Apple Pay, Android Pay — update if your options have changed.
Don't worry about "claiming" your profile
The is_claimed field is always null in current data — it doesn't appear to affect visibility.
Google First, Always
Yelp supplements Google but never replaces it. Your Google Business Profile is still the foundation for ChatGPT visibility — Yelp is a bonus layer for covered cities.
Watch for Changes
Yelp integration appears to be in A/B testing — presence is sporadic. OpenAI may expand coverage to more cities or pull back entirely. We're tracking this ongoing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Yelp and ChatGPT hotel recommendations.
Methodology
How we collected and analyzed this data.
Data Collection
- • GPT-5-2 model with web search
- • 603 captures analyzed
- • 140 standardized prompts x 4 proxies
- • Jan 22 - Feb 8, 2026
Entity Detection
- • Provider field = "yelp"
- • Image URL contains yelpcdn.com
- • 22-char alphanumeric ID format
Limitations
- • ES proxy not yet active
- • DE/GB only have 1 day of data
- • Sampling variance in sporadic captures
This is a Living Document
We're continuing to track ChatGPT's Yelp integration as it evolves. OpenAI may expand coverage to more cities or adjust the provider mix. Check back for updates — this page will be updated as we detect changes.
Last updated: February 9, 2026
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