Your hotel’s website is an essential marketing tool to drive more bookings and showcase the unique qualities of your hotel. Therefore, it’s critical to spend time on its design, making sure that the experience is user-friendly and easy to navigate.
As you consider how to design your hotel website, remember that humans are visual creatures. No one wants to visit a page that consists of walls of text. This is why images are so important.
Many hotel websites feature a hero image, which is a large banner image at the top of a page that viewers will see before anything else. According to Optimizely, a hero image “serves as a user’s first glimpse of your company and offering because of its prominent placement towards the top of a webpage that usually extends full-width.”
Hero images are effective because they capture the attention of your visitors. However, it’s easy to get caught in the trap of using a stale, generic image on your hotel’s website. In this post, we’ll share three tips for choosing hotel website hero images that highlight what makes your property special and make an impact on your potential guests.
Avoid stale stock images
Web visitors come to your site to learn about your property and understand why they should stay with you. Your site should convey authenticity, and it should start the moment that they land on your home page.
If you haven’t done so already, work with a professional photographer to capture high-quality images of your hotel. Not only can you use these photos for your hero image, but you can also use them all across your website, social media and hotel review sites.
Before you begin shooting, though, make sure your photographer is briefed on the purpose of the hero image and understands the necessary dimensions.
Optimize the image for the page
Once you’ve chosen the perfect hero image, you’ll want to make sure that it’s as polished as possible before making it front and center on your website.
A hero image should be high-resolution and formatted in the correct height-to-width ratio, so it looks good on any type of device. The colors should complement your website and be pleasing to the eyes. You should also be able to add readable text on top of the image, so make sure it’s not too busy or pattern-heavy.
Incorporate your brand’s personality
The goal with a hero image is to capture your visitors’ attention — quickly. Most times, a bland photo of the outside of your hotel won’t do that.
Focus on the areas that make your property unique. Does your hotel have breathtaking views? How about a killer swimming pool? You don’t have to show the external features of your property; instead, stoke your guests’ imagination by allowing them to envision themselves at your hotel.
For example, the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay sits atop a cliff that drops into the Pacific Ocean. Their hero image not only includes a high-quality shot of their hotel but also showcases the majestic scenery that guests can enjoy during their stay.
As a hotelier, your website is arguably the most important marketing tool you have, but a generic hero image won’t impress your potential guests. Capitalize on their attention and leave a strong impression by using a striking hero image that ignites their imagination.
