Guests look for quick and easy ways to get information on hotels while making travel plans. According to a recent research, almost 51% leisure travellers and 68% of business travellers find hotel videos helpful in selecting a hotel and booking online. From a sales perspective, these are significant numbers for hotels and resorts.
 

So, what makes videos important for your hotel website?

Today, when most hotel services are standardised, you need something more to impress potential guests. People booking online tend to choose hotels with best looking rooms, lobbies and exteriors, in other words the hotels with the best presentation. A video on your brand website helps you do that by offering the 'Wow!' factor to your guests.
 

Is that it then, are videos mere gimmicks to impress hotel customers?

The answer to that is no, videos also help you sell more. Almost 67% of the responders to the aforementioned research said that they would prefer to watch a video of room amenities and services (e.g. dining, spa and gym) offered by the hotels. Thus, videos on your hotel website also act as a marketing tool, helping potential guests in their buying process.
 

How to create the perfect video for your hotel’s brand website?

Based on our experience in creating video websites for hotels and resorts, we are sharing some pointers that can help you create an appealing video for your hotel website:

• The video should convey the entire story of your hotel, showcasing the experience, amenities and services at their best.

• Ideal play time for the video shouldn’t exceed 25-30 seconds

• The video should play in a continuous loop

• Screen frames should play at a relaxed pace so that customers have time to take in the information

• Video quality should be good (no pixelation or artefacts)

An important thing to remember is that most guests have already decided upon the place of their visit when they arrive on your hotel’s website to book. So, it is a good idea to include a popular place (e.g. Taj Mahal) or an activity (e.g. river rafting) nearby your hotel in the video, but you should avoid excessive advertising of “places to visit” and “things to do”. Make it your hotel’s story.
 

Are there any technical specifications for having smooth running video backgrounds?

Video websites do take up more bandwidth than sites with just images, but using right technologies you can have a fast loading video website for your hotel. The following technical parameters in a video can help with load time.

• MP4 Video in web optimised format (h.264 / 265 encoding)

• HD or Full HD Resolution (720p / 1080p)

• 5 MB in size for Autoplay videos / 15 to 20 MB for Click to Play videos

• Ideal video bitrate range between 800k – 1500k

 

On a side note, having video banners for mobile websites is not advisable as cellular data connections might alter the user experience on these devices.

If you wish to get a video website for your hotel, contact us at hello@simplotel.com or call us at +91 804 812 4881.