Terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but the acquisition comes as hotel companies, large and small, try to figure out how they show up across AI platforms with the adjacent challenge of how to measure it. Lighthouse said Hotelrank.ai adds the measurement layer into its Connect AI solution, enabling properties to manage their appearance, ranking and performance across AI platforms.
Lighthouse unveiled Connect AI a year ago to help hotels get discovered and be bookable by AI agents. France-based Hotelrank, which was founded in 2025, aims to provide real-time analytics showing hotels where they are showing up across AI platforms and visibility compared to competitors. It also shows hotels whether AI agents are directing travelers to book direct or through intermediaries.
“AI is becoming one of the most important discovery channels in hospitality, and hotels need the same level of analytics and optimization they have for every other channel,” said Nicolas Sitter, co-founder of Hotelrank. “Joining Lighthouse means we can deliver that at a scale and depth no standalone tool could achieve. Together, we're building the definitive platform for hotels to win in AI-powered travel.”
“Bringing together Connect AI and Hotelrank is also setting the ground for what comes next: a world where AI agents book hotels autonomously on behalf of travelers. The properties that understand and optimize for these agents now will capture a disproportionate share of that demand,” said Benjamin Pipat, co-founder of Hotelrank.
While a number of companies say they understand how AI visibility works, Lighthouse chief AI officer JuanJo Rodriguez said that is not what the company is claiming.
“We claim we can properly measure your visibility. You don’t need to understand how the algorithm works to be able to build a report that shows the results of that algorithm.” he said. “Compared to the Google era, no one really knew how the algorithm worked either but you had multiple tools to understand what was happening with Google.”
Lighthouse has made a string of acquisitions in recent years, including Rodriguez' company, The Hotels Network, a year ago. In 2024 the company acquired market data company HQ revenue and Stardekk, a dynamic distribution management specialist. Lighthouse also secured a growth equity round of $370 million in late 2024.
Tags: Hospitality Lighthouse Benjamin Pipat, Hotelrank artificial intelligence
