5 MINUTE READ
In an age where travel shoppers have too many choices and not enough time, hotel marketers need to do everything they can to capture their attention. The best way to do this is by providing high-quality, informative content where travel shoppers can easily find it. Professional photography and busy Instagram feeds have already become standard practice for luxury hotels across the globe. So what else can be done to sway a guest’s decision and win their business?
Video is the the most popular form of content on the internet, projected to represent over 80% of internet traffic by 2019. Video can provide a wealth of useful information in a very short amount of time. As a result, websites with video rank significantly higher on search engines and keep visitors engaged for longer. But where to begin with your video strategy?
Your video strategy should always start with the primary thing you are selling – the room. Travel shoppers are searching for the best value on something they have never seen in person, so it is vitally important you provide them with the best possible information.
What is a Room Tour?
Room tour videos are the best way to show off your accommodations online. In the space of one minute, a well-produced Room Tour can tell a potential guest everything they would want to know about a room. In addition, video is very difficult to fake so viewers are more willing to trust what they are seeing. This gives them the necessary confidence and peace of mind to book with you.
Just imagine you were planning a trip and comparing three luxury hotels with similar locations, amenities, and pricing. If one hotel provided high-quality Room Tour videos and the other two didn’t, where would you feel more comfortable booking your stay?
For years, we have been producing Room Tour videos and working closely with our hotel marketing clients. Here are some of the lessons we’ve learned to maximize video effectiveness and increase bookings:
Shoot Every Category of Room
Your online visitors will want to see every type of room your hotel offers. As with photography, make sure you choose a room that is representative of its category and produce a short Room Tour video for each. This will make comparing room categories far easier for your online travel shoppers.
Set The Right Expectation
Remember that Room Tours are meant to sell a room, not the entire hotel experience. Keep the imagery focused on the room itself. Provide the kind of information that would answer a potential guest’s questions. This includes shots of the bed(s), bath, view, and other in-room amenities.
Prior to filming, have your Director of Housekeeping review each room to ensure that it is in pristine condition. The bed should be neatly made to the strictest hotel standards. All lights and in-room amenities should be in good working order. Any close-up shots could reveal unsightly flaws if there are not spotted and addressed beforehand.
While it is important to put your best foot forward on camera, avoid including things that wouldn’t normally be found in the room upon arrival. This means no extra flower arrangements, candles, Doing this will help to set the right expectations with online bookers, ensuring they are not disappointed when they first enter their room.
If done well, a Room Tour video should give your guests a pleasant sense of déjà vu upon arrival and a relaxing familiarity.
Distribute Videos Across Multiple Channels
It won’t matter how nice your Room Tour videos are if nobody can find them. That is why it is so important to distribute your videos across every possible online channel.
Beginning with your hotel website, post your Room Tours on multiple pages. The Gallery page is usually the first place visitors will go to find imagery, so include a video section in the gallery to display the Room Tours there. Second, the videos should also be visible under each room description in the Accommodations section of your website.
Beyond your website, be sure to include your Room Tour videos across your social media presence. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other are already optimized for video content. For more information on distribution strategy, click here.
Following these simple guidelines will help to ensure your Room Tour videos lead to a significant increase in bookings.
About Accommovision
We take a holistic approach to hotel video marketing by providing our clients with all the content and tools they need. After producing brand videos of the highest quality, our clients can request a video archive full of captivating stock footage for use in later projects. Our ongoing editing support means your video content will never go to waste, and we will always be available for updates and special promotions. For more information on our services, simply contact us.