Hotel video: what to film before the season starts

Every spring the same thing happens: the island’s hotels open in April with last year’s website and order the new video in July, when the property is full and the light is the worst of the year. This article is the list of what to film before the first guest arrives, and why.

Why before the season

Three practical reasons. The property is immaculate: freshly painted, gardens ready, pool clean and not a towel out of place. There are no guests in frame, which removes the privacy problem at the root. And the April-to-June light is the year’s best for exteriors: sun high but not vertical, vivid green, sea already blue.

The second window is September: golden light, pool running and occupancy falling.

The shot list you will amortise all year

1. The location shot. From the air, the property and what surrounds it: the sea, the mountains, the village. It is the shot that decides bookings and the only one no competitor can copy.
2. The continuous fly-through. From the entrance to the pool through the gardens. It shows the real layout better than any floor plan.
3. The pool at its best hour. Every pool has an hour without shadows and with the water lit up. It is found during scouting and shot exactly then.
4. Three verticals by theme. Pool, breakfast/dining and surroundings. That is the whole season’s social content, ready before it starts.
5. The aerial cover photo. The still of the property in its landscape, at the proportions Booking asks for. It lifts clicks on the listing, which is where everything starts.
6. The sunset. A single shot of the facade or terrace in the last light. It closes the main video and works on its own on social.

What you do not need to film every year

The rooms, if they have not changed. The surroundings, which do not change. General aerial material holds for two or three seasons if the property is not refurbished. That is why a well-planned annual update is a short shoot — what is new plus what is seasonal — at a far lower cost than the initial production.

The realistic calendar

• February–March: scouting, shot plan and date booking with a weather window.
• April–May: main shoot with the property ready and guest-free.
• Before opening: delivery of every piece, with per-channel versions.

If your hotel opens in May and still has no shoot date, you are cutting it fine — but you can still make it: here is the full service.