How Hotel Photography Works: From First Contact to Delivery

How Hotel Photography Works: From First Contact to Delivery

Thinking about booking a hotel photoshoot? You probably have a few questions. What’s the process? How long will it take? What do we need to get the best results? And of course, how much does it cost? Let’s break it all down so you know exactly what to expect

1. What Do You Need?

Every hotel has unique needs, depending on its marketing goals. That’s why I like to start with a quick Zoom call to understand exactly what you’re looking for and tailor the shoot to your brand.

• Do you need new images for your website, social media, or booking platforms?

• Are you focusing on specific areas, like rooms, restaurants, spa, lobby or event spaces?

• Do you need day and night shots? Drone images? Food photography or just architectural photographs.

The more details you provide, the easier it is to create a plan for a photoshoot and to give you a correct price estimate.

2. What I Need From You

Once I understand your goals, we’ll start planning the photoshoot.

·      Shot List: I will share a shoot list with you, once you have a clear idea of the spaces and angles you want to capture, you will write them down and share them with me. This way I know how many images I need to capture and how many days we might need for the photoshoot. I’ll create a shared Google Sheets shot list, so your team can add, review, and adjust details in real time as we plan the shoot.

• Scheduling: I always arrive early either by few hours or a day before the photoshoot, we will scout locations together and agree on times we photograph each space, this will allow you to coordinate with your team on site and let them know where and when each shoot takes place.

• Room Preparation: Clean, well-lit, and perfectly staged rooms make all the difference. Small details like perfectly ironed bed linens, fresh flowers, and clutter-free spaces improve the final results but keep in mind we need to fallow brand guidelines if there are any.

• Staff Coordination: If you want food shots, we’ll need to schedule those at a time that doesn’t interfere with operations of the bar/restaurant.

3. What to Expect

Depending on the size of your hotel and the number of shots required, a shoot can take anywhere from a few hours to multiple days.

• I carefully adjust lighting to create the best possible look for each space I will move chairs, tables, decorations and everything else not fixed to the wall to ensure the best possible image outcome.

• We should aim to capture anywhere between 2-4 images per room, this will give you options when creating room categories as well as booking listings.

• If drone photography is included, flights will take place during early morning hours and sunset hours.

4. When Will You Get the Photos?

After the shoot, I process and edit the images to ensure they look their best.

• Turnaround Time: Depending on the number of images, editing usually takes between 7-14 days.

• File Formats: You’ll receive high-resolution images for print and optimized versions for web use as well as Jpegs and Tiff formats. (I do not deliver or provide RAW files)

• Final Delivery: I deliver the photos via an online gallery or file-sharing platform like drop box, making it easy for your marketing team to access them.

• Additional Edits: If I miss something or you need adjustments, I’m happy to go back and retouch the photos.

5. How You Can Use the Photos?

Once you have your new hotel images, you can use them across multiple platforms:

• Your hotel website

• Booking platforms like Booking.com, Expedia, and Airbnb

• Social media posts and ads

• Print brochures and marketing materials

• Press releases and PR campaigns

If you need additional edits or resizing for different platforms, just let me know!

Ready to Book a Shoot?

If you’re looking for high-quality hotel photography that helps boost bookings and showcases your property at its best, let’s talk.