A debate on how hotel videos fit into marketing plans

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How important is it to have a good hotel video?
Dimitri Sionis – Hi everyone, I wanted to get a discussion going on how important you feel hotel videos are. Do you watch them? do they convince you? what do you look for when viewing?
Jean-Pierre Thys See the hotel videos on our website of our magazine Communications Business Solutions www.cbsmedia.biz See at News Thanks for your feedback and comments
February 27 at 2:03 PM
Brian Simpson Too many videos I see lack character and do not accurately convey the personality/life-style of the hotels. Many are over produced and feel sterile. I see a lot of potential in video when done right. I don’t need a video of a bed.. I want video to show me the destination from the perspective of the hotel/it’s employees.
February 27 at 9:35 PM
Steven Speliotis As a videographer, I feel optimistic about the role video plays in the success of businesses. especially the travel business. More and more decision makers are realizing the importance of connecting to their clients in a more personal way…. & those that don’t, hopefully will be catching up later… I just created a real estate video for a Broker who already had Professional photos of her property on her website. So I felt fortunate to find someone who wants to be in front of the camera… 🙂 Now not everyone has the budget or the desire to be in front of a camera. But there are alternative ways of making a compelling video….
this is a destination video I shot with my Wife at the High Line Park/ Meat packing Dstc. NYC… enjoyhttp://youtu.be/-FHAliawA30

Steven
ps. Jean – Pierre I’m going to take a look at your video right now…
February 27 at 10:50 PM

Jeff Mesnik Hi Dimitri, First I agree with Steven and feel very optimistic about video’s. There are a lot of real examples of how video’s have increased bookings in the travel and tourism industry. What I think is the challenge, of where some of these video’s may fail is that they need to be part of a total content strategy. A strategy that defines what the video and other content they should be conveying. For example we spoke with a number of Tour operators, who focused on creating video’s based on travelers experiences. In the moment video’s, where people are discussing how much they love the property, destination, or experience. Now you match that with other content that provides more options, then there is some real opportunities to get content that will drive new bookings for the travel companies. They key is that any content in a vacuum, that is not sustained or maintained may fail, but content with a purpose like Steven’s NY video will generate rewards.
February 28 at 1:53 PM
Alan Tennant Hi, It’s not just the standard, content and context of video that’s important, it’s what you do with it once it’s shot. Extensive research over a 10-year period by Hotels.tv has shown that a good hotel video is a fantastic marketing tool for hotels, but only if it’s properly marketed! What makes a “good” video? In our experience having a presenter in front of the camera is a pre-requisite, someone who is articulate and can convey the atmosphere and key features, good and not-so-good, about any given hotel. An independent view is also important as no prospective client will realistically be taken in by a hotel staff member or recent happy guest waxing lyrical about the hotel. Thereafter best use of the video should be the prime objective – presumably it will fit with the marketing strategy, so where and how is it distributed, what languages can it be dubbed in, how can it best be used in attracting new clients etc etc. I think from a hotel’s perspective they see video as a “nice-to-have” rather than a “must have”, which although disappointingly common is nevertheless an opportunity missed. Not only does the hotel have an opportunity to reach new media and clients, but having a video on their website also contributes to higher SEO rankings and gives them the opportunity to convert “Lookers” to “Bookers” by capturing their attention immediately.
February 28 at 2:59 PM
Steven Speliotis Thank you Jeff,I also agree with you. One video is Great… but when working with a business
I see a series of videos is the way to go for blogging, featuring diferent aspects on their website, and promotional material in their social media campaign….

Here is another video I created this past october in Vermont for a lovely B&B.

http://youtu.be/gEQE8D-P_60

I interviewed the other guests and got their testimonials…

All the best
Steven
http://www.youtube.com/speliotis
http://www.speliotis.com
February 28 at 4:22 PM

Rex Gelert Hello everyone, if you think there is a question as to the importance and popularity of “QUALITY” hotel videos, take a look at Dimitris web site: http://www.hotelvideogallery.com
I just recently discovered his site and we put one of our videos on his site. This is a great resource for inspiration on how hotels are using this great medium of video.
My whole company is dedicated to producing quality hotel films. Here is our portfolio of some recent films we have made:
https://vimeo.com/channels/rystarproductionsCheers everyone
Rex
Director at Rystar Productions
February 28 at 4:30 PM
Brian Simpson Steven- Your vid definitely gives off what I would believe to be the real feeling of the B&B.. something that is so very hard to do with imagery and text. This one is a bit longer but something we did at Roger Smith Hotel a few years ago.. what seems apparent in your video and was crucial to the success of video at RSH was/is the support of the owners and them seeing the value of being real. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0C7amoTxrk4
February 28 at 4:37 PM
Jeff Mesnik Hey Brian, I actually really like your video’s. Not only have I seen them before, but I have stayed at the Hotel. And what I think is very cool, is that the Hotel while nice it is not always the nicest or the best deal, but because of the video and content marketing it has become a destination. And I have to say no offense Alan’s point, I think the using of the people at the hotel “waxing poetic” is very powerful and fun. I agree that you should have both types of videos. They have different jobs to do. For example I often promote the idea of Heart Beat content, which is the way to insure that you have regular good content on a budget, and then leverage high value content intermittently. If you offer Hotels this type of content strategy, they will see new sales and they will place a higher value on it all. I guess my main point, is that no single type of content alone will make a large enough impact, it needs to be integrated. The Roger Smith has done this with a focus around being the social media hotel. And they have turned a nice hotel into a destination hotel. Great Stuff Brian.
February 28 at 4:53 PM
Dimitri Sionis I’m glad to see that the discussion is taking shape! I definitely agree with Jeff, integrated is the way to go. Hotels need to have a “flagship” video, like the ones we feature at hotelvideogallery.com, videos that are engaging and communicate the character of a property. On the other hand, video blogging on a regular basis, showing off events, recipes, scenery and opinions to share through social media platforms is a great way to keep create a buzz, and interact with followers in a more informal fashion.
March 1 at 9:50 PM