Photos and video for a hotel website: what you need and how to plan the shoot

On a hotel website, photos and video sell more than any text: they’re the first thing people look at when deciding where to stay. With Nomadict Media I shoot the content for Nay Palad Hideaway, a resort in Siargao, and when a project starts I almost always find the same problem: there are plenty of photos, but not the ones the website needs.

Start with the website, not the camera

Before shooting, it pays to know where each image will go. A full-screen header needs horizontal shots with room for text; room pages need photos that read at a small size; phones need vertical framing. Plan it the other way round and you end up cropping, which rarely works.

The shot list

• One shot that sums it all up. Usually from the air: the hotel in its surroundings, for the home page header.
• Every room type. A wide shot, a detail and the view from inside. It’s what people compare most before booking.
• The common areas. Pool, restaurant and lounges, at the time of day they look best.
• The surroundings. The beach, the mountains, the village: what guests come for even if it isn’t the hotel’s.
• Details. Textures, food, objects. They work as transitions on the website and on social media.
• People, with permission. The team and guests bring the images to life, but only with written permission to use them.

How to organise the shoot

• Follow the light. Exteriors at sunrise and sunset; interiors when the sun isn’t coming straight in. A good shooting plan is ordered by hours, not by spaces.
• Prepare each space before the camera arrives. Beds made, nothing personal in sight, fresh flowers. Five minutes of preparation save hours of retouching.
• Shoot video and photos at the same time. With the same kit and the same light, the website’s photos and videos go together.
• Leave room for the weather. A rainy day can ruin an exterior shoot; better to plan a spare day.

What to ask for on delivery

• High-resolution photos, already graded, with consistent colour across them all.
• Short video clips, with no text or music, 5 to 15 seconds long: they’re the ones that work as a header background.
• Horizontal and vertical versions of the key shots, for the website and for social media.
• A tidy archive, organised by space, so your team can find every image without having to ask.

In short

A good hotel shoot isn’t about taking lots of photos, but the ones the website needs, in the right light and delivered ready to use. If you’re preparing your hotel’s website, tell me about the project: I can take care of the website and the shoot at the same time.