John McAuliffe, President with VFM Leonard, contributed this interesting article recently published on Tnooz that addresses a question that he is often asked by hotel emarketers, 'Do we really need so much visual content to sell our hotel rooms?'.

His answer is simply “It’s not about the content, it’s about the story that the content tells about the hotel.”

Take a look at the digital content that is displayed on your brand site.  Is it the type and quality that really separates your hotel from your comp set and prompts your visitor to find out more about your hotel or to answer a specific call-to-action?

Your digital content must tell a meaningful story about your hotel and convey a message that says what you see is what you’ll get when you book this hotel.

John goes on to suggest that “Visual content has to focus on telling each hotel’s unique story, albeit under the umbrella of the brand’s story. To effectively do this, hoteliers should consider the following:

• Compelling stories are not centralized in corporate offices but rather decentralized: known, told and experienced at the hotel property level.
• Stories are not one-way communication; they are told through a many to many approach – hotel to consumer, consumer to hotel and consumer to consumer. This will require building and amplifying stories that include contributions of user-generated content.
• Hotel marketers with tools and processes that help amplify their stories and successfully engage travelers will have the greatest impact in the market.

• The Revere Hotel - Boston, MA
• Le Parc - West Hollywood, CA
• Lake Lanier Islands Resort - Buford, GA
• Opus - Vancouver, BC
• Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain - Paradise Valley, AZ
• High Line NYC - New York City, NY