Short answer: asked the same question in Chinese, Doubao and ChatGPT recommended five hostels each, and four were the same. Both relied on booking sites, even though most of that information was in English. But the two AIs ranked the hostels differently, and their descriptions of one hostel even contradicted each other. For businesses, this shows two things: AI with web search doesn’t care which language your information is in, only whether real information about you exists online; and AI makes mistakes, so your own information needs to be clear, specific and consistent.
How the test worked
- When: the afternoon of 20 October 2026
- Where: Kampot, Cambodia. I was staying at one of the hostels at the time.
- Question (in Chinese): “Where should I stay in Kampot, Cambodia? Recommend a few hostels.”
- Method: I asked Doubao and ChatGPT in their phone apps, each in a new chat, both with web search on.
It started with a simple observation: almost all the guests at my hostel were foreigners, and I seemed to be the only Chinese guest. I assumed Chinese AI might not know the place. That turned out to be wrong.
Results
| Doubao | ChatGPT | |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Monkey Republic | Onederz |
| #2 | Onederz | Karma Traders |
| #3 | Karma Traders | Monkey Republic |
| #4 | Yellow Star Hostel | River Nest Hostel |
| #5 | Arcadia Waterpark Hostel | Arcadia Waterpark Hostel |
| Sources | Showed 4 searches and 23 sources; Booking.com was visible among the citations | booking and travel websites |
Finding 1: both AIs picked almost the same hostels
Four of the five were the same: Onederz, Monkey Republic, Karma Traders and Arcadia.
So AI recommendations are not random. Businesses with lots of information, lots of reviews and frequent mentions online get picked by different AIs.
Finding 2: asked in Chinese, AI looked at English websites
These hostels mostly host foreign guests, and most reviews and descriptions of them online are in English. Yet when asked in Chinese, both AIs found them and described their location, prices, facilities and who they suit, in Chinese.
In other words, AI with web search finds information across languages. Even if your information is only in English, you can still be recommended to someone asking in Chinese, and the other way around.
Keep in mind that this only applies to AI with web search. Models without web search answer only from what they saw during training, and may behave very differently.
Finding 3: the order changed, so “number one” matters less than you think
Doubao put Monkey Republic first; ChatGPT put Onederz first. Same question, different AI, different number one. Ask again at another time and the order may change too.
For a business, what matters more than your exact position is this: are you on the list, and does AI describe you correctly?
Finding 4: the two AIs described the same hostel in opposite ways
Their descriptions of Karma Traders were almost the reverse of each other:
- Doubao called it an “eco-friendly, quiet” option for people who “don’t like partying and prefer peace and quiet”;
- ChatGPT said it has a “rooftop bar and a social backpacker vibe”, good for people who “like drinking and chatting in the evening”.
Prices differed too: the two AIs quoted slightly different dorm bed prices for the same hostel.
AI stitches together information from different sources. When those sources disagree, or the information is out of date, AI can get things wrong. A guest who wants a quiet night could end up booking the wrong place because of one line in an AI answer.
What this means for businesses
- Put your information where AI looks. In this test, both AIs relied on booking and travel sites. Find out where AI looks in your industry, and start there.
- Describe your business clearly and specifically. Quiet or lively, who it suits, what the price range is. The more specific you are, the less likely AI is to get it wrong.
- Keep every platform consistent. If your website, booking sites and maps contradict each other, AI can only guess.
- Check regularly what AI says about you. If something is wrong, add to or correct the information on the platforms it comes from.
Limits of this test
- One question, two AIs, asked once each. AI answers vary, and asking at another time may give different results.
- These are results from phone apps with web search on, which differ from API results without web search.
- This article only records what the AIs said. It is not my review of these hostels.
Want to know how AI describes your business?
Try the free AI visibility check. It asks DeepSeek, Doubao and Gemini questions in Chinese and English, and the report shows who AI recommends, whether you’re mentioned and which websites AI cites. The free AI visibility check is currently available in Chinese. If you’d like someone to walk you through the results, email hello@martingeo.net.