10 top tips for a successful hotel photoshoot

Begin by defining why you need a photoshoot. They require time, effort, and budget, so be clear on your objectives. Are you launching a new menu and want images for your website and social media to attract locals? Are you refreshing your wedding brochure to appeal to modern couples? Or do you want to promote a refurbished meeting room to your corporate audience?

Think of your shoot as part of a wider campaign. What’s the key message? Where will the images be used? Are there other campaigns you’ve seen that inspire you? The clearer your vision, the smoother the shoot.

Your photos will be used across multiple platforms, including your own website and social media as well as booking sites, review sites and third party sites, each with its own format requirements. For instance:

• Social media often requires vertical (portrait) photos and video content.
• Websites benefit from wide-angle, landscape images that showcase whole rooms.
• Third-party booking sites like Booking.com need at least four room shots, plus a bathroom image for each room type.

Create a checklist to ensure all required formats are captured. If you haven’t hired a videographer, consider capturing short clips on your phone while shadowing the photographer for use on social.

Working with a photographer you can trust is really important to a successful photoshoot. It’s also important to realise, that just because a photographer is great at weddings and other projects, it doesn’t automatically translate them into being a great hotel room, food, or lifestyle. Working with a photographer that specialises in hotel interiors is a game changer! They know how to light the sometimes awkwardly shaped bedrooms and showcase the rooms with the best angles, and photoshop the view out of the window into the end result. 

Other photographers of course can do all this too – but in my experience you will have to offer a lot more direction to capture the shots you need and be more mindful of stray telephone wires, signage on desks, bins in the shot, curtains not straightened and creased bedding.

Decide early on for the props you will need for your shoot. However, keep in mind, if you are planning to add flowers or dress your rooms or spaces, you may have guests expecting these to be included. For example, if your room shows a fruit basket in the shot, or your afternoon tea includes a class of champagne in the shot, and these are not normally included, you will have guests expect them to be included. So, if you are planning this, try and take photos with and without. 

Props can bring the photos of rooms to life, so I have seen some great bedroom photos with a travel bag, or dress on the bed, or a bottle of chilled wine and glasses next to a fireplace to give the photos ambiance. These photos are great to share on your social media to help with storytelling, whilst you can keep the un-styled photos on your booking platforms. 

A shoot day will run smoother with a clear schedule. Share a function sheet with the operational and sales teams so they know what’s needed, where, and when so they can set up room layouts, food setups, staff availability, etc.

Photoshoots rarely run perfectly to time, so build in breaks to check progress and adjust plans. I recommend a simple spreadsheet with columns for time, location, props, models, and any specific notes. You could also include campaign themes to check off, such as Summer Drinks, Couple’s Afternoon Tea, or Festive Stays.

Booking platforms need clean, straightforward room images that show exactly what guests can expect. Ensure everything is tidy and styled: beds made perfectly, curtains straightened, lighting even, and clutter removed.

Use a tripod for consistency across shots, especially in bedrooms where the finished photos will be shown next to each other. Capture at least four angles for each room type, one full room view and several detail shots as the booking platforms require many photos of the same room type. 

Then, you can get creative with extra angles for social media, like a cosy reading nook or a scenic window view or the bed front on. If photographing food, try different angles to make it more engaging on the website - think of the white space you will need to insert any text by the food on banners. 

Great hotel marketing is about storytelling—selling experiences, not just spaces. Plan shots that show moments, not just rooms:

• A coffee and book on the bed
• A drawn bubble bath waiting to be enjoyed
• A guest’s perspective of the pool while wearing a robe
• A chef plating up a dish
• A team member pouring a cocktail

Capture short video clips of these scenes for use across your social media platforms.

If team members are appearing in the shoot, give them plenty of notice, so you don’t scramble for volunteers on the day! Choose staff who represent your brand well and ensure they’re prepared: clean uniforms, appropriate grooming, and the option to remove name badges.

Keep them informed of any schedule changes and always thank them afterwards. A nice touch is to send them a copy of the image they feature in. And don’t forget to get written consent to use their images for commercial purposes. When you use team photos on social there is always more engagement! 

My list is something I keep in the back of my diary and keep adding to every time I notice a missing photo, or if someone asks for a photo we don’t currently have. This means, that when the next photoshoot is due, I can shoehorn in some of these missing photos to the plan. Or if the list for one product warrants its own photoshoot, it gives me a great place to start the plan. 

Once you receive the final images:

• Save high-resolution versions securely.
• Resize for web and social use.
• Rename all files clearly with the location, date, and featured products (e.g. “Suite101-Bedroom-Oct25-Champagne.jpg”). Keep everything organised—your future self (or your successor) will thank you!

Next, make sure the images are distributed widely:

• Update your website, social media, and booking platforms (like Booking.com, Expedia, and TripAdvisor).
• Replace old images in Google listings, wedding or meeting directories, brochures, and sales documents.
• Share a link to the updated folder with your sales and marketing teams so they don’t keep using outdated assets.

Also, check for old imagery hiding in quote templates, confirmation emails, or back-end systems. You’ll be surprised how far back some photos go!