Preparing Your Hotel or Resort for a Photo Shoot

Your hospitality photographer should arrive on property one or two days before the photo shoot is to begin, so that he or she can scout the property and then know the optimum times of day for the best light.

After the shoot days are planned and a spreadsheet has been created with times for each shot, including a line for props and models, ask for a pre-production meeting with your photographer and a list of what the photographer will need from you and your staff to make the best photographs. At the pre-pro meeting, be sure to ask for what you want for each shot and the photographer will tell you if your requests are possible.

Keep in mind that a photo shoot with a shot list of 20 or more images of a new or renovated hotel property will take several days shooting 10 to 15 hours each day.

Typically the photo crew is up before sunrise and finishes their last shot after the sun goes down. Sometimes they will take a break mid-day when the light is harshest and they can grab lunch.

Interior images: Can be shot at different times of day for various effects. For example, nighttime shots in restaurants and lounge areas can have a very urban sophisticated look whereas sunshine in rooms can create a very bright, tropical feel.

Exteriors: Often look best shot at dawn or dusk, with as many lights turned on outside and inside the property as possible. Therefore, have someone available to turn lights on 1 hour before shooting begins and able to help with lights during the shoot. For large properties, you may need several people to help turn lights on inside.

Hint for all Photographs: A rule of thumb is that a room or a pool area or any other area of the property should look in the photographs like it does when a guest experiences it in person. Therefore, photographers should not take great liberties moving furniture, changing furniture or styling areas differently than a property normally styles their spaces. If a towel is rolled a certain way on a lounge chair by the pool, it must remain this way in the photographs. (That isn’t to say that photographers will not need to move furniture a few feet this way or that way to suit the way the camera “sees” a space. However, reworking an entire room setup will not reflect the property as it actually is and guests may point this out and feel that they were misled by the photographs.)

Steaming and Pressing Linens: Often an overlooked item on your photo-shoot-to-do-list, all linens for guest rooms, meeting spaces and restaurants should be steamed and pressed prior to the photographer arriving in the space to do the photography. (Not doing this will slow the photographer down and may cause the entire photo schedule to be re-worked.)

Pillows and Beds: In guest rooms these items should be styled the same way for each room.

Soft Goods Stylist: Consider hiring a soft goods stylist who can also style beds. Stuffing pillows with the proper material can make a huge difference in the appearance of a bed.

Windows in Guest Rooms: The photographer should be given direction by the DOSM as to whether window sheers should be open or closed in the guest rooms and if the views out the windows are to be visible in the photograph. (A skilled photographer can achieve this in retouching/Photoshop.) This should be consistent in each room.

Views Outside Windows: Choose the views that you want. This often requires pre-planning and taking the rooms out of sales for the days and times that the photographer needs to shoot.

Should you show a phone or coffee maker? Decisions as to what should remain visible in each guest room should be made prior to the shoot. The fewer appliances or collateral that are shown, the longer the images will can be used without looking dated. On the other hand, a bare room may look very stark and less interesting in a photograph.

Restaurants: When setting up for restaurant shots, all tables should be set, usually for dinner service. Again, all linens should be pressed and steamed. Note: restaurants often have to be photographed during off hours; perhaps between lunch and dinner or late at night after dinner service is over.

Bar: Minimalism is key, so make sure drink mixing areas and the entire bar area is clean and free of clutter but still conveys the feeling of an interesting space.

Meeting rooms: You will generally need to shoot both a business meeting set-up and an event set-up. These shots should be taken on two different days, or at least leave the appropriate amount of time between these shots, as re-setting the room takes a great deal of time.

Business Meeting Set-up: Include one or two screens at the front. Tables should have water pitchers (empty so that they don’t sweat and leave marks,) water glasses, notepad and pencils or pens. All linens should be pressed and steamed.

Wedding Banquet Rooms should be set with fewer tables than normal to give the room a sense of space and avoid looking crowded. You can probably get away with half or less than half the tables you would normally set for an average reception in the space. Floral arrangements should be low so that a potential bride can see the space and imagine her wedding in that space. Tall flowers interrupt the view of anything behind the arrangements.

Food Photography: A food stylist is recommended to make your food look the best it can. Your chef should prepare the food and work closesly with the food stylist for the food shots. Plan on food shots taking 45 minutes to 1 hour each. Each dish should come out when the photographer is ready so the photographer can shoot the food while it looks its best. A dish should never sit out for 30 minutes, or worse, overnight and then be photographed.

Golf Course Photography: Scouting is key! Make sure the photographer is able to photograph signature holes at the right time of day. An hour to an hour and a half per hole is recommended and someone to accompany the photographer who knows the course is imperative. Leave a gap in tee times so you won’t have to stop play and be conscious of where other golfers are playing. Walkie-talkies will help everyone involved communicate with one another.

You’ve hired a photographer and the shoot dates are set. What steps should you take to prepare your hotel or resort for a successful photo shoot? This practical guide covers scouting, shot lists, styling, guest rooms, restaurants, exteriors, meeting spaces, and food photography.