The facts are in, folks, and they speak for themselves – fully and successfully optimised visuals on hotel websites help boost room bookings. Yes, really. Recent statistics prove it; believe it or not. The most important thing, should you feel – after reading this article – that the imagery of your property could do with a bit of titivating, is to focus on the pics that feature on your hotel’s own website; after all, that’s where you’re going to ultimately get the direct bookings. Yet don’t overlook those on social media, in email ads, on app pages or, indeed, anywhere else online for that matter. Why? Because imagery absolutely matters. And here’s the evidence…    

 

It sounds too simple, even too childish to be true, but apparently it is. Internet browsers can’t get enough of imagery (pictures and videos); for instance, the popularity of social media posts that include them far outweighs that of those with text alone. When it comes to hotel websites, though, findings from summer 2016-based research proves a group of hotels enjoyed a staggering increase in bookings of 136% following the enlarging of imagery on their site.

 

This one’s far less surprising. However, what may not have occurred to you is that there appears to be little limit when it comes to how many images you can include on your site of your hotel’s interior, its exterior, its rooms and its surrounding area. Indeed, according to recent research, hotels whose websites possess in excess of 100 images have a 238% bigger chance of enjoying a booking inquiry than those with none. Don’t scrimp on those photos!

 

That is; don’t overlook categorising and tagging the images on your site. Ensuring each is in a relevant category and accompanied with a meta-tag means its inclusion will instantly make sense to a visitor to the site/ potential booker. It will give the image context and, thus, it’s far more likely to play a significant, positive role in transforming a mere online browser into a room booker wanting to click their way through to your online hotel reservation system.

 

A bit of text; a bit of detail with your imagery is always welcome and will yield better results. For instance, don’t just label an image of one of your property’s rooms a ‘room’ or of the restaurant, ‘restaurant’; explain what sets them apart from those of other spaces and amenities in the hotel – and indeed of similar spaces and amenities in rivals’ hotels. What’s so great about the room? Does it contain a flat-screen-LED TV? Wi-fi access? Or voice-activated, mood lighting? And what of the restaurant – what cuisine does it serve? What sort of vibe and atmosphere can patrons enjoy? What about the interior – what’s its style? Remember; the devil’s in the detail!

Imagery is one of the biggest currencies online; don’t doubt it. And high quality, upgraded and categorised visuals accompanied by tags and descriptions are undoubtedly the way forward. Can a picture of your hotel speak a thousand words? Maybe not. But when it’s correctly optimised, it can be vital in helping to secure an all-important booking.