Photography has never been more important in the accommodation industry than it is today. With guests increasingly relying solely on the internet to find a place to stay, the visual medium is a key marketing tool. So it’s little wonder that over 90% of hotel guests find photography and other visual content helpful when choosing a hotel, according to data from Atmosphere Research Group.
Henry Harteveldt, travel analyst and president of Atmosphere Research Group, explains: “Unlike airlines, hotels are a fundamentally visual product. When I say ‘economy seat’, you can imagine what that will be. But when I tell you ‘three-star hotel’, it’s subjective. What’s the style of decor? What does the bathroom look like? Certainly location and price matter, but photography is necessary to help hotels distinguish themselves from one another. It also helps consumers better understand the difference between room types.”
RISE IN OCCUPANCY Katerina Petropoulou, Founder and Managing Director at Hotelising, a revenue management company for hotels in Greece, agrees that updated, high-resolution images are vital to a hotel’s success. She saw improved results after revamping the online photography for a villa in Mykonos. “After publishing the new photos, we raised the selling prices by 20%,” she says. “At the end of the season, not only did we have a higher average daily rate, but also a rise in occupancy, giving a turnover of over 35%.”
A BETTER ONLINE APPEARANCE
Professional hotel photography will improve your online presence and draw attention to the advantages of your hotel. When a potential guest is planning a trip and browsing for accommodation, they usually spend no more than 1-15 minutes looking through various websites. The average time a person will spend looking at a hotel once they have clicked on it through booking.com, Expedia or any other online booking site is just 7 seconds. They will quickly decide if they wish to keep looking at the hotel or move onto the next one. This is why it is absolutely essential that images look professional and draw in attention.
PHOTOS OUT-PERFORM CONTENT Humans typically direct their eyes to a good image way before they start reading content. Though it doesn’t mean that written content does not hold any weightage but a good image will always draw them to your hotel listing before paragraphs of content. Customers are more interested in viewing the hotel through a gallery of pictures these days. LET US ASSIST YOU Thinking about updating your hotel images? Get in touch with us for an obligation free consultation and walk through of your hotel. Email: studio@benchmarkphoto.com.au - Mobile: +61 416 114 487