By Hannah Prince
If it wasn’t posted on Instagram, did it really happen? It's a question that can haunt both venue managers and planners. So today we'll dig into visual storytelling for hotels.
Discover the best visual storytelling techniques for hotels
Hotels can get the ball rolling by elevating their own visual storytelling, both before and during the events at their property. Whether or not your venue has picturesque gardens and endless water or city views, you can find ways to promote your unique amenities and experiences.
To attract group business, you of course need to showcase your meeting spaces, and event diagrams can help you do just that. But any high-quality, well-staged photography and video of the property goes a long way with planners, since they are looking at the entire guest experience when choosing a venue.
Key visuals for hotel storytelling include:
Meeting space diagrams that show the view from each seat
Interactive floor plans that show how your meeting spaces fit together (show the planner where the bathrooms are compared to the buffet!)
Professional photographs of the space as well as details such as tables and chairs
Videos of the space shot from your front door into the rooms
Be sure to distribute those visuals on both social media and popular sourcing platforms. Also, don’t forget to leverage newer, more instant features and sites such as Instagram Stories and Snapchat.
When it comes to the event itself, offer to create visually appealing experiences. Not only will planners share photos and recommendations with their colleagues, but attendees will also help you reach their networks when they post pictures online.
Learn more about using visual storytelling to market your venue
Watch this video to find out how one hotel leveraged creative visuals on social media to make a big impact, and how you can do the same. Then discover how changing expectations in 2020, from personalization to cybersecurity, could impact your business. And, see how to improve your group experiences by downloading Cvent’s Eight Great Best Practice Tips and Trends here.
Hannah Prince
Hannah joined Cvent as the Senior Editor for Hospitality Cloud content after more than a decade in the journalism world. As a passionate editor, she's always willing to discuss the merits of the Oxford comma, the use of who vs. whom, or the definition of a dangling modifier. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, taking her dog to happy hour, and buying even more shoes.