IMAGE GUIDELINES & RECOMMENDATIONSFOR RESPONSIVE HOTEL WEBSITES

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SHOOTING WEB-PHOTOS

Simple Tips4

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PROPERTY SHOTS

General Hotel Shots6

Accommodations7

Meeting Rooms8

Dining & Signature Restaurants9

Weddings / Events10

Spa11

Activities12

Lifestyle13

Hospitality Services14

Special Offers / Promotions15

Video16

Video Placement & Recommendations18

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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RECOMMENDATION FOR

SHOOTING WEB-PHOTOS FOR RESPONSIVE WEBSITESThere are a number of technical challenges when shooting photos for responsive websites. Being aware of how images will scale on different devices is something to consider when framing your shots.

For example, images that look great on a desktop browser don’t always translate well for mobile devices. The focal point will often change position resulting in images that seem out of context.

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FOCAL POINTThe best way for developers to ensure your focal area is not cropped out of a responsive website is to shoot with the subject matter centered in the frame. Our development team will orient images to a centerpoint that reacts to specific “Breakpoints”. This gives us some level of control over how images will shift on different devices.

PLENTY OF ROOM FOR CROPPINGLeave plenty of room around your subject matter so the web designer can crop images appropriately for the space. Often times, the Art Director will need to use the same image in a variety of height/width ratios. It isn’t always proportional. Having lots of room in the periphery of your focal point gives us the flexibility to make sure the subject matter doesn’t get lost or cropped.

FILE FORMATSPlease provide us with hi-resolution photography files. It’s always better for us to have large files (JPG, TIF, or RAW) to work with. We will optimize the files down to web-safe sizes in-house.

SIMPLE TIPS

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The list below contains our recommendations on property photography. All asterisk (*) items are considered strongly suggested in order to provide high-quality content for potential users. The minimum is a single photo, but please keep in mind the more photography that’s provided, the more varied the content on your site will be.

RECOMMENDATION FOR

PROPERTY SHOTS

GENERAL HOTEL SHOTS

ACCOMMODATIONS

MEETING ROOMS

DINING & SIGNATURE RESTUARANTS

WEDDINGS / EVENTS

ACTIVITIES

LIFESTYLE

HOSPITALITY SERVICES

SPECIAL OFFERS / PROMOTIONS

VIDEO

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GENERAL HOTEL SHOTS

Several wide shots of Signature Entrance and Exteriors*

•

Front Lobby, Concierge•

Pool, Wide shots & lifestyle shots•

Architecture & Property Details (e.g. chandeliers, wrought iron gates, featured art, etc.)

•

Cabanas•

Beachfront, including & excluding people.

•

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ACCOMMODATIONS

At least 3 shots per room type:•

Any specific room amenities offered.

•

a. Bed Types*b. View from the room*c. Bathroom and/or other room highlight*

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MEETING ROOMS

At least 3 shots per meeting room type*

•

Meeting services (e.g. catering, AV equipment, in room beverages etc.)

•

Various room setups, reception areas, staging areas

•

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DINING & SIGNATURE RESTAURANTS

Exterior*•

Interior*•

Signature dishes or menu item*•

Wait staff, kitchen, bar areas, atmosphere

•

Views•

List is applicable to each individual dining experience. At least 3 shots of the following:

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WEDDINGS / EVENTS

Weddings taking place on property, Ceremony, Dance floor, etc.

•

Wedding or Event property decor*•

Panoramic views of space•

Reception areas, table set-ups, floral arrangements, Couple’s arriving/departing

•

Beach views, Romantic walks at sunset, etc,

•

Couple relaxing in Honeymoon suite, nostalgia-shots, etc.

•

Seasonal set-ups in the lobby, etc.•

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SPA

Spa Lobby or Entrance*•

Spa service room(s)*•

Décor and other accents that showcase the atmosphere

•

At least 1 shot of the following:

Guests relaxing, speaking to staff•

Staff at work•

Changing rooms if applicable•

Each type of service offered (e.g. facials, massages, manicures, etc)*

•

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ACTIVITES

Property Exterior* (e.g. panoramic views, pools, beach-views, general atmosphere, etc.)

•

Property Layout* (e.g. set up lounge area & chairs, lockerooms, wait staff pampering guests, etc.)

•

Property Detail shot* (e.g. specialty drink on bar top, etc)

•

Area Attractions (e.g. recreation, water-sports, golf, shopping, beach & other points-of-interest)

•

Beach, pool, water sports etc.•

List is applicable to each individual activity at the pools, cabanas, beach, kids-room, & facilities.

Local restaurants, bars, golfing, hiking, etc.

•

Nightlife•

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LIFESTYLE

In room guest stay•

Enjoying view from room•

Residing poolside, cabanas, lobby, workout room

•

Models acting naturally rather than posed, can include:

Checking in/out, arriving at property

•

Staff at work•

Dining, single couple & large groups*

•

Shopping*•

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HOSPITALITY SERVICES

Wait staff (e.g. waiters delivering food, bartenders making cocktails, chefs preparing food)

•

Front Desk & Concierge (e.g. helping guests check in, doorman handling bags

•

Poolside services•

Wait staff, kitchen, bar areas, atmosphere

•

Room Service (e.g. housekeeping making beds, room service food shots)

•

Employees acting naturally rather than posed, can include:

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SPECIAL OFFERS /PROMOTIONS

Family enjoying facilities•

Couples having romantic dinner, relaxing, drinking, playing, etc.

•

Pets in rooms or with owners on premises

•

Aerial and/or panoramic shots•

Food close-ups•

Keeping in mind the need to run special package promotions and other guest deals

People dancing, enjoying the entertainment venues, etc.

•

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VIDEO

Beach Activities•

People shopping•

Golfing•

People dining•

Pool scenes•

Video of activities on/off property that will help your audience imagine what the experience will feel like.

Local Attractions and Tourist Activities

•

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Video has the ability to attract, trigger emotion, strengthen engagement, and potentially bring them back. Video help visitors understand your property’s personality and culture. With proper use and consideration, video can also allow visitors to quickly understand your offering and messagevisually. Video does not replace written content but is a great compliment.

Here are tips to ensure your video message and implementation are successful.

VIDEO (CONTINUED)

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MASTHEAD

MID-PAGE PUSHES

VIDEO PLACEMENT & RECOMMENDATIONS

• Generally uses a very wide aspect ratio but varies (i.e. 1920x500px) • Keep around 1 minute • Make seamlessly loopable • No text or messaging baked into video (this would be added with HTML) • No sound • Keep shots simple and airy. • No sudden or jarring movements • Provides more room for overlay copy • Typically compliments designs better • Transitions should be smooth and pleasing • Tell a compelling visual story

• Generally follow the masthead recommendations• Plan video edits based on push space • Pushes tend to be 4:3, 3:4, or 1:1 ratio. This varies

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CAROUSEL/GALLERY ELEMENTS

FULL-LENGTH SPECIFIC VIDEOS

FOOTER

• Generally follow masthead and push recommendations• These tend to be 16:9 or 4:3 ratio. This varies

• This style of video typically lives within a body or copy or is specifically understood to be a long-format experience

• These videos resemble standard videos with sound or text overlays, etc. They do not need to be a certain length or follow the previous recommendations

• No dimension or aspect ratio limits but should consider the design of the website

• Generally follow the masthead recommendations

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