ChatGPT Business Hub:
How to Set It Up in Mauritius

A family in Lyon planning a holiday asks ChatGPT where to stay in the south of Mauritius. An investor in Johannesburg asks it which developers sell to foreign buyers. A company in London asks it for an accounting firm in Ebene. More and more, the first answer about a Mauritian business comes from an AI assistant.

Until this week, a business had no direct say in what ChatGPT said about it. On 10 November 2026, OpenAI opened Businesses in ChatGPT. You can now claim a profile inside ChatGPT, correct your details and see how often you are mentioned. It works much like a Google Business Profile, for AI answers.

This guide explains which Mauritian businesses can set it up today and how to do it, step by step. It also covers what to do if yours is not eligible yet. It reflects the beta as of 13 November 2026, and OpenAI says eligibility may change.

What a ChatGPT business profile gives you

A claimed profile lets you correct your details in ChatGPT and see how often you are mentioned, for free. Everything happens in Business Hub, at chatgpt.com/business-hub. After your claim and identity check are approved, you can:

• Correct your details. You control your website, description, category and logo. You also set your delivery and return policies and can add a cover photo.
• Keep products accurate. Prices and stock can come from a product feed or a Shopify sync.
• Track how often you come up. Insights show 28 days of mentions, website clicks and the topics people ask about. They appear once your activity passes a minimum threshold.

Claiming is free at launch. OpenAI has not ruled out charging later.

What it does not give you is a higher ranking. OpenAI says claiming does not guarantee better placement. ChatGPT still decides on its own who to recommend.

Which Mauritian businesses can set it up now

Mauritius is on OpenAI’s list of countries where ChatGPT is available. That matters, because the rules differ for online and physical businesses.

Online businesses can create a profile today. Eligible businesses can claim a profile wherever ChatGPT is available. If your clients buy, book or hire you online, you are likely in this group:

• IT, software and outsourcing companies serving clients abroad
• Global Business companies and professional firms with a client-facing website
• Online shops delivering on the island or overseas
• Tour operators and activity providers that take bookings online
• Consultancies, agencies and training providers

Verification still has to succeed, and OpenAI may decline some categories.

Businesses with a physical location have to wait. OpenAI’s wording, quoted by BrightLocal, is that “local stores and restaurants can currently claim only an existing U.S. listing.” Search Engine Journal tried to create a new physical-location profile and was offered a waitlist.

If guests or customers have to come to a place, assume you are in this group for now. That includes a restaurant in Grand Baie, a boutique in Port Louis, a clinic in Curepipe or a hotel on the east coast. The section below explains what to do in the meantime.

Business Agents are not available here yet. A Business Agent helps people explore what you offer, inside ChatGPT. Customers can ask questions, compare products and find what fits, using information your business provides. OpenAI says the conversation is clearly labelled and kept separate from ChatGPT’s own answers. At launch it is limited to eligible ecommerce and online service businesses in the US, so Mauritian businesses cannot publish one yet.

What to prepare

Have your DNS access, the business phone or email, an ID and your BRN ready before you start. That way the claim does not stall halfway:

• Access to your domain’s DNS. Domain verification means adding one TXT record. If your website was built by an agency or freelancer, ask them for access now.
• The business phone number or email. OpenAI can send a verification code to either.
• A government ID for the person claiming, such as a Mauritian national identity card or a passport.
• Your Business Registration Number. The form asks for the identifier your country uses. In Mauritius, that is the BRN issued when the company was registered. If you are still setting up, our guide on how to register a company in Mauritius covers it.
• Authority to represent the business. Only the owner or someone authorised can claim.
• Your Shopify login, if you sell on Shopify. It is the fastest way to verify.

You do not need a ChatGPT Ads account or a contract with OpenAI.

Setting it up, step by step

Setting up takes seven steps, from signing in to adding a second admin.

1. Sign in at chatgpt.com/business-hub. Use an account the business controls, not the personal login of one staff member.
2. Search for your business name. If ChatGPT already has a listing, claim it. If it does not and you are an online business, you may be offered the option to add a new profile.
3. Choose a verification method. A code can go by SMS or automated call to the business phone, or to the business email. You can also add a TXT record to your domain or connect Shopify. You may not see all four options.
4. Wait for approval. If another person has already claimed your business, you can dispute it.
5. Pass the identity check. OpenAI uses Persona, which runs in your phone’s browser through a QR code or link. You may need your ID, your BRN and proof you represent the business. This step unlocks editing, insights and the blue check.
6. Complete the profile. Choose a category, then write a description. Add your logo, website and policies.
7. Add a second admin. You can invite colleagues from the business overview page, so access does not depend on one person.

Groups with several brands or sites should note one limit. Business Hub cannot yet manage a parent company’s brands and locations in one place. Each is claimed separately.

Writing a profile that works for buyers abroad

Many of the people asking ChatGPT about Mauritian businesses are not on the island. Write for them.

• Name the place and the customer. “Accounting and company secretarial services for international companies in Mauritius” tells ChatGPT more than “trusted financial partner”.
• Use the same wording as your website. Before Business Hub, ChatGPT pieced businesses together from websites, Yelp, data aggregators and directories, according to BrightLocal. If those sources disagree, ChatGPT has less reason to trust any of them.
• State policies that matter to foreigners. If you ship overseas, say where and how long it takes. If you take international payments, say so on your website too.
• Cover English and French on your website. OpenAI has not said how profiles appear to people asking in French. Your website remains a source ChatGPT reads, so keep your key pages complete in both languages.

If you run a hotel, restaurant, shop or clinic

Hotels, restaurants, shops and clinics cannot claim a location yet, but they can still shape what ChatGPT finds. Start with these:

1. Complete your Google Business Profile. It is still the master record for a physical business. BrightLocal found that Google relies on it for almost every business shown in AI Overviews and AI Mode.
2. Publish your facts as text on your website. Include hours, address, phone, rooms or services, in English and French. Add LocalBusiness structured data behind them.
3. Build reviews where your guests leave them. For hospitality that usually means Google and TripAdvisor. Reports on how ChatGPT answers local questions point to strong, recent reviews across more than one platform. Our hotel and resort marketing guide covers this for hospitality.
4. Check Business Hub each month. When local listings open outside the US, claim yours straight away.

Why to do it now

ChatGPT ads are not yet open to companies registered in Mauritius, as our guide to ChatGPT ads in Mauritius explains. Business Hub is different. Eligible online businesses here can claim a profile today, at no cost.

It also fits a pattern we see in search. As we explain in SEO services in Mauritius, competition for most local search terms is still low. AI answers look similar so far. A business that gets its facts right early is easier for ChatGPT to describe correctly. That will not buy you a ranking, but it removes one reason to leave you out.

Claiming fixes your facts. Being recommended is earned through answer engine optimisation: clear pages that answer real questions, and mentions on sites ChatGPT trusts.

Where to start

If clients buy or book from you online, claim your profile this week. It is free, and the insights show how often ChatGPT already mentions you.

If they visit you in person, use the wait to fix your website and listings. Run our free AEO Score to see how AI search reads your site today.

If you want help, our SEO and AEO team sets up Business Hub and makes sure ChatGPT has the right facts about you. We then work on making you the answer, as your Co-Driver in Mauritius and abroad.