New survey compares 8,000+ AI answers to local hotel concierges, finds AI is definitely "not from Boston"

BOSTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / June 10, 2026 / With more than a million visitors expected to descend on the Boston area next week for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Massachusetts Lodging Association (MLA) and its Boston-based PR firm Hollywood Agency released a new survey that finds that when it comes to local knowledge, AI is definitely "not from Boston."

The survey focused on questions that many tourists are likely to ask AI, like where to get a table without a reservation, the best bar to catch a match and the best place for chowder.

Because every AI search generates a new answer, and those answers can vary widely from one search to the next, polling was used to find the most common AI answers. More than 8,000 AI answers were collected and compared them to the recommendations of 13 veteran hotel concierges with more than 200 years of combined experience, from Boston Harbor Hotel, Boston Marriott Copley Place, Boston Marriott Long Wharf, Hyatt Regency Boston, Renaissance Boston Seaport, Seaport Hotel, Sheraton Boston, The Dagny Boston, The Ritz-Carlton Boston and XV Beacon Hotel.

Several questions saw overlap between AI Search and concierge answers, like the best view of the city in Boston. The human-machine consensus is View Boston. Many answers did not.

Where can I get the best clam chowder in Boston? A majority of concierges say it's the Sail Loft. The AI platforms couldn't agree. Claude and Perplexity picked Union Oyster House, ChatGPT and Google's Gemini went with Legal Sea Foods. Both are fine choices, but they are the kind of spots a visitor would already know about. The concierges pointed somewhere a local is more likely to send you.

What Boston restaurants usually have space for walk ins if I don't have a reservation? AI overwhelmingly recommends Neptune Oyster. Their strict 'no reservations' policy and the fact that it's one of the best raw bars in the city means you're unlikely to just walk in and be seated. Waits can routinely run 90+ minutes. A concierge will send you there if you are looking for a fantastic meal, but if "quick" is a better bet for a visitor on a tight timeline, for walk-ins they suggest several great restaurants that included Eastern Standard, jm Curley, Rochambeau and State Street Provisions.

Best day trips from Boston during World Cup? "Rather than head south and deal with traffic, go north to Salem and the other charming towns of the North Shore. Many are easy to get to by MBTA, or you can travel to Salem by ferry with Boston Harbor City Cruises," said Nathan Goff of Boston Harbor Hotel. Most concierges agreed. AI went the other way, recommending the Newport mansions in 80 percent of its answers, a 75-mile drive to another state, on a route that sends anyone staying west of Boston right past Gillette Stadium and into World Cup traffic.

What's the best neighborhood bar in Boston that tourists never find? We ran this question through AI search 372 times. It gave us 149 different bars. More than 50 of their "best" neighborhood bar recommendations showed up in only a single answer. L Street Tavern, the concierges' top pick, only showed up in 11% of those searches.

The same issue came up when asking, "Where do chefs eat on their nights off in Boston?" AI gave us more than 450 different restaurants. Nearly 200 of them were one-off answers. Recommendations for a hidden gem restaurant produced 363 different restaurants with 144 of them showing up just once.

"AI can figure out all the well-known, heavily reviewed landmarks but has less of a grasp on the type of local knowledge that defines an experienced concierge," said MLA CEO Christina Pappas. "It's great for postcards, but when it comes to authentic, local experience, the humans at hotel front desks are a valuable resource to visitors, while AI answers can be as good as guessing. "

One question that does remain unsettled is the best North End bakery. Concierges say Modern Pastry. ChatGPT agrees. But Google AI and Claude put Mike's Pastry on top about 96% of the time, while Perplexity ranks Bova's in the #1 spot 66% of the time. The debate lives on.

AI SURVEY METHODOLOGY

Hollywood Agency's proprietary platform, fAImous, collected and analyzed more than 8,000 responses across ChatGPT, Google AI, Claude and Perplexity over ten days using API keys. fAImous tracks brand's visibility, rank and the web sources shaping the answers, accurately and at scale.

ABOUT MASSACHUSETTS LODGING ASSOCIATION

The Massachusetts Lodging Association is a trade association representing and promoting the lodging industry in Massachusetts. MLA's mission is to promote the business environment and image of the lodging industry through legislative and communication initiatives, networking, educational opportunities and member-focused programs and services. MLA has more than 500 members representing Massachusetts lodging establishments, related industry Suppliers, and the Hospitality Education Community. MLA is a member state association partner with the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), which represents the lodging industry on a national level. See www.masslodging.com

Contact Information

Steve Saleeba, Hollywood Agency
steve@hollywoodagency.com

SOURCE: Hollywood Agency