Congratulations, you just finished building a brand new property or renovated one, this is the most fun and exciting element, it also greatly impact your brand awareness, revenue, and marketing efforts.
Choosing wisely will impact many aspects of your business and marketing effort in the competitive world of hospitality.
So how can you make the best, right, and smart choice when choosing the right professional for the job.
Table of Contents
Reviewing Hotel Photographer Portfolio
Start by reading the about section on their website, see how much time they are in business and what companies and brands they have been working with.
Reviewing portfolios should be done on several levels.
- Check 4-5 comparable projects, make sure the small properties look as good as the luxury ones.
- Review all aspects of the scope of work, exterior, interior, rooms, suites, amenities, and public spaces to make sure they all look up to par.
- See if all projects have the consistent of quality and style to make sure that you don’t get impressed by one project rather than the entire body of work. Look for Diversity and Quality
- Diversity: Luxury hotels look amazing, see if the photographer has experience also with small hotels or motels and how their photos are looking.
- If they nailed a small motel you can be sure they can stun your guests as well.
- Check how many different projects they have that will showcase the experience of working with different hotels and ultimately projects and people.
- Photo quality: If you are getting excited from the photos and you think this is the level you expect for your hotel, review the entire portfolio and make sure there is consistency throughout the entire portfolio from hotels to architecture and design.
- Get Vendor Consultation: A great way to prof your vendor is by asking for their feedback and consultation about your project, amount of photos, time frame, and goals. Let them create a plan for your project based on our experience and guide them based on your needs and operation limitations. Don’t forget a professional who has experience in multiple projects across different countries while working with many companies and brands, and uses their experience to get feedback.
Pricing for Hotel Photography:
Pricing changes between vendors based on their experience, knowledge, licensing, and the amount of work needed.
While most have a budget in mind, it’s important to share this information with the photographer to make sure they can recommend what is the best plan to meet your budget, timeframe, and need.
Don’t lean on pricing solely, the price is minor to result in revenue growth and sustainability as every hotel proudly provides excellent service, their goal is to make sure your hotel will be the choice among all the others.
Tip: Make sure you send a full shot list and examples that you get a quote to reference your needs and not what the photographer thinks is needed.
Pricing will change greatly depending on the type of image license you need, so make sure you ask for the licenses that you need.
What RFP Should have (Request For Price)
The best way is to lay out the entire information you have about the number of images, type of license, dates, and other information in the RFP.
While you know what’s best for their property it’s crucial to advise an experienced professional and work together to fulfill your needs.
The more you provide information the better and faster you will receive a quote that answers your needs.
Qualifying a Professional
Based on the recommendations your photographers provide and also the questions they are asking you should see if they can provide added value and not only beautiful photos.
It is important to have an engaging professional, we know it’s a hassle to go back and forth Q&A but it is important that they understand the scope and goal of your project and will also provide an added value based on their experience.
Remember those recommendations are based on experience and knowledge and are not meant to “lead the way” or go against your needs, Be open to them and create a dialog for a successful photo shoot.
