A hotel is basically a visual product. And for this reason, it is important to focus on photos, which are one of the main factors that influence a customer's decision when booking a particular hotel. It can be said that photography is the most important thing that makes a customer choose a particular hotel. And for what reason is this the case?

The main source of all hotel bookings comes from online channels. Travellers search and compare hotels online before making a booking. Studies show that the two main factors in decision-making are reviews and photos. And photos alone have up to 60%-78% decision share.

Photographs provide the customer with key information about the destination, hotel location or rooms, it also helps them to better understand the differences between different types of hotels. The point is that the term "five-star hotel" is very subjective and therefore photography is important here.

Based on a study by Cornell University in New York, it shows that photos can quickly provide consumers with a huge amount of information such as the condition of the property, approximate age, amenities, and overall size. Also comparing whether the name and photos match the price of the hotel.

Through a photo gallery on a website, a consumer can be given compelling reasons to choose a particular hotel. It could be the atypical shape of the pool, the luxurious bathrooms or the quality of the restaurants. Very closely related to this is the targeting of a specific type of customer, as a certain type of photo can be used to target a specific range of customers. It is therefore up to the hotel how they put their photo gallery together.

Among other things, the photographs can help to differentiate a particular hotel from similar types of hotels in a particular destination, just by targeting a certain range of people.

And what about the numbers? A hotel with professional photographs has up to 2.5 times more bookings.

But how to choose a good photographer for your hotel? Read the following article.

As already mentioned photography has the power to influence customer decision-making. So what does a customer want to see to make them choose a particular hotel?

First and foremost, the customer wants to see what they encounter when they arrive at the hotel. So it's not primarily about re-decorating the photos and putting as many things in the rooms to make them look good, but it's primarily about showing what the customer is expecting so that they are spared disappointment.

The important photographs in the gallery are the rooms where attention to detail is needed, such as the bathroom and the furnishings in the room. Another important point is the restaurant or dining room, where a pleasing appearance is a concern.

If a particular hotel is mainly targeting business contracts, it is also a good idea to show meeting spaces such as conference rooms or boardrooms.

On the other hand, if a particular hotel targets tourists or other customers it is good to show recreational areas, these may be typical events that customers usually go to a particular destination for or other activities.

Katerina Petropoulou, founder and CEO of Hotelising, a revenue management company for hotels in Greece, talks about the importance of up-to-date and good photos. "We increased our selling prices by 20% after the publication of the new photos," she says. "At the end of the season, we not only had a higher average daily rate, but also an increase in occupancy, which brought turnover to over 35%."

How many photos is just right - 10? 20? 50? The decision is usually yours 20-50 photos is enough to showcase a small to medium-sized hotel. However, some search engines/platforms do favor hotels with more photos.

Don't forget that it is also necessary to prepare the hotel for the photo shoot if you want advice on how here is an article on How to prepare a hotel for a photo shoot.

The click-through rate for a Google My Business link with photos is up to 30% higher than a page without photos?

This article discusses the importance of photography and how it influences a customer's choice, but it's not just photography that influences the choice of a particular hotel. So what else will increase bookings for a particular hotel?

Primarily, it's about having a functional and user-friendly website that customers see before they even get to the photo gallery. Did you know that more than 87% of guests visit a hotel's website before making a reservation?

This is also influenced by the hotel's cooperation with an online booking system, which is more convenient for customers than a traditional website. It is also about the fact that the customer finds a large number of hotels together and learns everything essential, including photos.

Another factor that can influence the customer's decision is the hotel's activity on social media. Here, photos are also very important, as also the possibility of easy and quick communication between the hotel and the customer before and after the stay.

As you can see it's not just that, if you need help with selection, shotlist compilation, or preparing the hotel for the shoot don't hesitate to contact us. But definitely don't underestimate the power of photos.