How Documentary Style Branding Photography Can Improve The Guest Experience
Over the years my day job has provided me with many ‘opportunities’ to stay in hotels.
And except for, maybe, of one or two outstanding exceptions I need to say that hotels and hotel rooms, in general, are very boring.
Partially because of the standard layout of the rooms (how creative can you be designing one room, with one or two beds, and a shower/bathroom?).
Partially because of the pictures and other art on the walls: usually run-of-the-mill images or abstract paintings that have no connection with the hotel, its people, or its environment
Would imagery in hotels not be more engaging when it would show, for example, the people who work in the hotel in a documentary, street photography style?
That would connect the rooms and the guest experience more directly with what is happening in the hotel, and it would provide the hotel an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the people who make the guest’s stay comfortable and pleasant:
Showing hotel staff being dedicated, having fun at work, doing a great job;
Showing how much work hotel staff puts in every day to provide the guests with a great experience;
It would allow a peek behind the scenes, and on a subconscious level provide reassurance to the guests that they are well cared for.
Examples of this type of photography can be:
Cooks in the kitchen
Maids making the beds
The pool guards
Setting the dinner table
Using this type of documentary/street photography style images not only can be used to increase the room environment; this style can also be used throughout the hotel: corridors, lobby, lounges, etcetera.
In addition, documentary-style photography can be used to link the hotel to its (immediate) surroundings: e.g. the valet boys at work, or showing a picture of the cook in the kitchen next to a picture of the cook shopping for fresh groceries; or show people participating in activities near the hotel.
The type and style of these images also can be adjusted to align with the branding of the hotel and the lifestyle of your guests. For example sportive, classic, modern, or black-and-white versus color. The possibilities are endless, and the results would make for a more enjoyable hotel stay.
Let's no longer settle for the standard boring hotel images, let's work towards a fresh and engaging style.