The use of high-quality professional photos on a hotel’s website is absolutely crucial and has a direct impact on a hotel’s conversion rates and revenue. This is because photos are a powerful visual tool that can help potential guests get a sense of what a hotel is like and make informed decisions about whether to book a stay.
The first impression a visitor has while visiting a website is crucial and may influence his behavior when the visit likely results in a business transaction. This issue is even more important to take into account in the hospitality sector because hoteliers are offering a temporary living place where convenience and beauty are key components. As a result, employing professional photos is the ideal approach to convey this first impression.
Several studies corroborate this position. A 2016 study published in the Journal of Travel Research indicated that high-quality images positively influenced consumer's views of a hotel's quality and attractiveness, leading to greater booking intention and readiness to pay a higher price for a room.
According to a survey by VFM Leonardo, hotels with more images of their rooms and facilities saw an increase in bookings and online conversion rates of 46%.
The same study discovered that bookings for hotels with more than 20 high-quality photographs per room increased by 136% as compared to hotels with less photos.
Another study conducted by Expedia - discovered that hotels with high-quality photographs generated 63% more bookings than those with low-quality photos.
Best practices to ensure high conversion rates
Hotels should adhere to the following photography best practices to boost online sales:
- Invest in high-quality, professional photos for your This can involve hiring a professional photographer to take photos of the property, including guest rooms, common areas, and amenities.
- Hotels should also ensure that their photos are well-lit, well-composed, and accurately represent the property. When a guest reserves a room based on how it appears online, they anticipate finding the same standard of quality when they arrive. If this is accurate, customers will feel much more confident and are more likely to come back because they know what to expect. A high level of competence and the ability to make the most of expensive equipment are necessary to capture a space effectively.
- If a hotel has a beautiful roof top bar or an appealing lobby, it's crucial that these features are prominently displayed in the hotel marketing photoshoot. These unique selling points could influence customers' decisions between particular hotels.
- Draw attention to each room's best attributes. Take into consideration the specific requirements visitors have while making a hotel reservation. For instance, in a hotel where most of the guests are business travelers, they may want to know if the room has an iron; photographing this assures them that it will be. Creatively capturing the room's essential aspects results in pictures that convey more about the space than just a list of its contents.
- Restaurants are a valuable asset for hoteliers since they must be made appealing by broadcasting images of the designated locations as well as the food supply by showcasing very high-quality photographs. Photography is the finest way to communicate how important eating establishments are to many tourists while making their decision.
In conclusion, photos are an essential element of a hotel website. They are a powerful visual tool that can help potential guests get a sense of what a hotel is like, set expectations, and ultimately drive conversion rates and revenue. By investing in high-quality, professional photos, hotels can ensure that they are presenting themselves in the best possible light and attracting the right guests to their property.
Photos: Aya Ben Azri at www.aya.co.il
Hotel: Leonardo Hotel Bad Kreuznach, Germany