Hotel Photography Checklist for OTAs and Websites

What should a hotel photography checklist include?

Cover the complete stay first, then create channel variants. Guests need to verify the room, bathroom, shared spaces, location context, and accessibility before they need a cinematic brand story.

Google’s current Hotel Center guidance recommends 2048 × 1366 pixels, accepts JPG, JPEG, WEBP, and PNG up to 10 MB, and requires at least 1024 × 683 pixels for its lodging photo feed. Airbnb’s current host guidance recommends horizontal high-resolution images and context-rich room tours. Other OTAs have their own live rules, so confirm them in the extranet rather than applying these numbers universally.

Build the master shot list

Property and arrival

• exterior from the real guest approach;
• entrance, reception, parking, drop-off, and signage;
• day and night context when both materially affect arrival;
• steps, ramps, thresholds, corridors, lifts, and accessible routes;
• pool, dining, spa, gym, work, event, and family spaces that are actually available.

Every sellable room type

• a wide view from at least two useful positions;
• the full bed and sleeping layout;
• bathroom with fixtures, floor, and access visible;
• balcony, terrace, window view, desk, seating, storage, and relevant amenities;
• connecting-room or extra-bed configuration when sold;
• accessibility features and transfer space where applicable.

Service and story

• current food and beverage experience;
• team and service moments with permission;
• architecture, materials, art, and local context;
• nearby experiences the hotel can accurately support;
• seasonal conditions when the stay changes materially.

Select OTA images for comparison

OTA galleries are usually viewed as thumbnails and room-level tours. Prioritise unambiguous images that help a traveller compare:

1. a truthful lead image that represents the property;
2. room-category images assigned to the correct room;
3. the bathroom and full sleeping layout;
4. material amenities, view, and access constraints;
5. shared facilities and exterior context.

Avoid distortion, excessive filters, tight crops that hide layout, collages, and graphics that can be mistaken for part of the property. Google advises natural brightness, straight lines, realistic colour, no dramatic filters, and no added elements. Airbnb advises straight horizontal framing, natural light, a mix of wide and detail shots, and captions that explain layout.

Select website assets for a guided story

The official website can arrange the same evidence around a guest decision:

• lead with the strongest accurate stay promise;
• follow with the relevant room and bathroom proof;
• explain location, dining, service, and experience;
• use people only with releases and in contexts that remain representative;
• link each gallery or campaign to live availability for the shown room or package.

Video can add atmosphere, but it should not block the core answer or booking action. Provide a poster image, avoid unexpected sound, respect reduced-motion preferences, and let the page remain useful if the video does not load.

Prepare delivery files for speed and reuse

Keep an archival master and generate channel derivatives. For the web:

• export responsive widths close to actual display sizes;
• use a modern format when supported and retain a suitable fallback where needed;
• set intrinsic width and height or aspect ratio to prevent layout shift;
• preload only the true largest-content image;
• lazy-load below-the-fold galleries;
• write alt text for the image’s purpose and keep decorative assets empty;
• record photographer, licence, subject release, property, room, shoot date, and expiry review.

Do not embed the only copy of an asset inside a social post or OTA. Maintain a searchable source library with stable names.

Run a pre-publish accuracy check

Ask rooms, operations, revenue, accessibility, and marketing owners to sign off:

• every image matches the named property and room category;
• features shown are available under the stated conditions;
• renovations, removed amenities, and old brand elements are gone;
• captions and alt text do not add unsupported claims;
• asset rights and guest permissions are recorded;
• crops work on small mobile cards and large screens;
• the live page is checked for image size, LCP, CLS, broken sources, and missing alternatives.

Measure business use, not a generic conversion claim

Tag major gallery changes and compare room-page engagement, booking-engine progression, confirmed bookings, cancellations, and photo-related questions before and after. Use a comparable period or controlled test where possible. Do not attribute every change to photography when price, inventory, demand, or policy changed at the same time.

Sources and references

1. Photo recommendations and best practices, Google Hotel Center Help.
2. Provide and manage images for hotel listings, Google Hotel Center Help.
3. How to take great photos for your listing, Airbnb Resource Center.