What Do Your Online Images Say About Your Hotel Experience?
Seeing photos of your hotel is one of the most important things to potential customers. It can impact their booking decisions and either keep them on your website or send them looking at the competition.
In fact, a study by TripAdvisor found that the photos on your hotel website have a significant impact when it comes to increasing bookings and driving engagement on your website.
In this article, we look at the question, “What do your online images say about your hotel experience?” We uncover how important visual images are and how you can use them to beat the competition.
Online Images Affect Decision Making
Visual imagery is so important to customers when booking a hotel room. Along with price, location, and review, photography can make or break a booking.
Your potential lodgers are scouring your website for photos. They want to see every aspect of their potential lodging from the room and bathroom to any amenities you offer.
They actually want to get a feel for your hotel. Because of our digital age, everything is at your customer’s fingertips. They want the perfect experience whether they’re traveling on vacation or business. Your online imagery can show them if your property can give them the experience they’re looking for.
Your visual imagery is vital on your website, and you want to showcase that same imagery on social media and in your email marketing, too.
Bottom line – you want to show everything you possibly can online so your guests can get the hotel experience the minute they land on your website or social media platform.
When booking a hotel room, your guests first identify several online choices. If they land on your website, and your imagery is exceptionally enticing, they probably won’t look any further.
If they do decide to look at their other options, they’ll come back to your property because your imagery lets them know more completely about your hotel experience.
So, do your very best to capitalize on professional photography to increase your bookings and overall conversion rate.
Online Images Differentiate Your Hotel
How can you take your imagery to the next level?
First, you want all the best images on your website and social media platforms.
Next, you want to go beyond this and consider 360-degree virtual tours and even augmented reality.
When you go the extra mile with imagery, you provide your potential customers with an enhanced hotel experience the minute they land on your website. With the 360-degree tour, you give power to your potential guests. They can drag around the photo to get a look at every corner of the room you’re showing.
One study even found that when you show website visitors a 360-deree tour, they are 67% more likely to book your hotel room online.
If you really want to go one step further, consider adding augmented reality. With this visual feature, you can give your customers an in-depth idea of what it’s like to actually be in one of your hotel rooms. This is essentially a try before you buy feature.
Online Images Help Customers Connect
With your hotel website and social media accounts, your goal is to connect with your potential customers through online images.
First, you want to connect on an emotional level. Your imagery should show your guests how comfortable they’ll be during their stay.
Next, your professional images should reassure your future customers. Your guests want to be assured that your hotel will meet their needs, is clean, and has the amenities they’re looking for.
Photography Tips for Online Images
Now that you know how important it is to showcase online images that speak to your hotel experience, let’s look at some best practices.
- Make a list before your photo shoot. You want to feature your guest rooms and bathrooms clean and uncluttered. Take photos from several angles.
- Use professional photography. This isn’t the place to cut costs. When it comes to hotel marketing, you want to have a professional photographer take your photos. This person has an artistic eye and can make sure your photos highlight your hotel. In addition, professional photographers know how to use lighting to make your hotel shine.
- Take photos of not only your guestrooms but also the interior and exterior of your hotel, the common areas, amentiies, other hotel facilities, and other images that highlight the location of your hotel.
- Don’t forget to incorporate a mix of angles and types of shots. You can also add people to your photos to show real people in your hotel. This way you can show some empty areas and some with people.
- You want to choose big, powerful images. Don’t post small photos on your website. You want large photos that your website visitors can use to get a good idea of your hotel.
Finally, make sure your website images are optimized so they don’t slow down the speed of your website.
Final Thoughts
With so much digital noise, it’s never been more important for your lodging property to stand out from the competition.
You’ll find that the more professional, beautiful, and engaging photos you put on your website, the more bookings you’ll see.
When you have images of not only the inside and outside of your hotel, the reception area, restaurants, rooms, and amenities such as the swimming pool, sauna, fitness room, spa, and any shopping, you’ll see your bookings rise. (tweet this)
Don’t forget to also include some photos of the surrounding areas and attractions. These might push someone to book the hotel in your city instead of another area.
Your customers feel more comfortable booking a hotel they can really “feel” through viewing your images.
Do make sure to be honest with your photos and show as many rooms and views as possible. Use natural lighting, make sure everything is clean, and always look to a professional photographer.
You’ll find that your online images have a lot to say about your hotel experience. Capitalize on these images and use them to your advantage.
Once you do this, your customers will become comfortable with your hotel experience and much more likely to book with you.
We are your hotel’s digital advertising specialists and can help you highlight your property and your hotel experience through beautiful, professional photography. Whether it’s a new website, search engine marketing, online booking, online listings, social media marketing or website design, we are here to help. Contact us today to start a conversation about your digital advertising needs.
Images: Osian Ballinger and Alena Torgonskaya on Unsplash
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