The Importance of Imagery on Hotel Websites
By: Univers Labs
Tags: Travel, Web Development, Hotel Booking, Web Design, UX Design

The Importance of Imagery on Hotel Websites

How hotel photography can enhance the online customer experience and drive direct bookings

When booking a hotel, there are numerous factors individuals must consider before choosing the right one for them. The type of hotel, price, location, amenities and reviews are all extensively analysed by the user before they make a purchase. In today’s digital world, consumers are willing to scour the web, utilising a range of information sources available to them, including online travel agents, social media and review sites to find the best hotel to suit their needs.

Consumers often perceive the purchase of travel products, such as hotel bookings as risky, as they can only be reviewed upon consumption, unlike a physical product such as a jumper which you can try before you buy. Due to this perceived riskiness and the fact travel products are often priced at a premium, the decision-making process of booking a hotel room is incredibly complex.

The Travel Decision Making Process

The decision making process of booking a hotel room can be broken down into five main parts:

1. Need Recognition

An individual identifies a need/desire to book a hotel room.

2. Information Search

The individual will search through a range of information sources.

3. Evaluation of Alternatives

The individual will evaluate a range of hotels which they have identified from the information search stage based on price, location, reviews, amenities etc.

4. Choice of Product or Service

The individual will choose a hotel room based on what best suits their needs from the evaluation stage.

5. Post Purchase Evaluation

The customer will evaluate their experience during and after their stay at the chosen hotel.

The Importance of Hotel Imagery during the Decision Making Process

The intangibility of the travel and tourism sector, means that consumers rely heavily on images to obtain an idea of what their hotel stay will look like before they purchase. Therefore, it’s vital that hotel brands present a range of high quality photos about their hotel and the amenities it offers. Providing consumers with a range of images allows individuals to create a detailed mental picture of what their experience will be like before they purchase.

‘Our research found that there was a 15% increase in conversion rates when hotels used high-quality images, compared to when hotel brands used low quality or minimal photos on their website’. — Univers Labs

Images on a hotel website play both a functional and emotional role in the decision-making process of booking a hotel. In simple terms, they provide the user with an idea of what the hotel, rooms and amenities are like. On an emotional level, images provide an opportunity to inspire and connect with travellers and their hotel or destination.

Driving direct Hotel Bookings and Away from OTAs

The Ritz Experience Website Photography

Since their introduction in the mid-’90s, online travel agents (OTAs) have gained considerable market share. They are particularly popular amongst consumers because OTAs cover a crucial part of the decision making process. OTAs allow users to evaluate alternatives, offering a range of accommodation options and compare prices on one easy to use platform. The convenience that OTAs offer to users has seized opportunities from hoteliers, prompting users to purchase through OTAs and away from booking directly.

A study conducted by TripAdvisor found that photos have the most significant impact for driving engagement from travellers researching a hotel. Providing high quality images of a hotel and extensive photos of individual rooms, can help hotel brands differentiate themselves from OTAs and encourage users to book directly.

A user experience study conducted by Expedia found that when a hotel website displayed multiple images of the hotel, rooms and amenities, individuals felt positive feelings towards the brand and reassured that the brand was being honest. What’s more, consumers were more likely to purchase if the hotel displayed images of rooms with natural light and views outside. As many hotels offer a range of rooms to guests, it can be tricky for users to determine the most appropriate option for them. Budget hotel chain easyHotel, allows users to browse all of their available rooms, providing them with a visual image of what they are actually booking.

easyHotel Room Options

Going Beyond Imagery with 360 Virtual Tours and Augmented Reality

As the hospitality market becomes increasingly competitive, more and more brands are looking for innovative ways to differentiate themselves from their rivals and drive more direct bookings. Hotel brands such as Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn have all implemented 360 degree virtual tours, allowing users to get a taste of what the hotels have to offer before purchasing.

Hotels such as Premier Inn Hotels have gone a step further implementing augmented reality into their marketing tactics. Users can direct their smartphone at the wall and they collect information about the hotel amenities and the nearest points of attraction. Hotels applying augmented reality into the consumer buying experience can give customers the idea that they are actually in their hotel room before they arrive, allowing users to ‘try before they buy’.

Conclusion

As the hotel market becomes increasingly competitive, providing images of your hotel and its amenities is no longer enough to persuade travellers to book with you. Your hotel brand must connect with your customers on an emotional level, beautiful imagery can both reassure a traveller of what they’re buying and also inspire them, helping to enhance the online customers booking process and drive direct bookings. The rise of new technologies such as virtual and augmented reality are already creating new opportunities for hoteliers to market their brand and are sure to play an important role within the future of the hospitality industry.