What photos and media work best on hotel websites?
Short answer
The photos that work best on hotel websites are real, current, and informative: each room type as it actually is (including bathrooms and views), the entrance and exterior to help arrival, breakfast and common areas, and the immediate surroundings. Honest images set accurate expectations and reduce disappointment. Add descriptive alt text, use modern formats at sensible sizes so pages stay fast, avoid lazy-loading the main hero image, and use short practical videos where they show something photos can't. Keep a schedule for replacing photos after renovations.
By Lodging Engine Editorial Team· Reviewed by Eric Zwanenburg· Last reviewed
Photos guests need
- Each room type: wide shot, bed, bathroom, view, work or seating area.
- Arrival: exterior, entrance, reception, parking.
- Food and drink: breakfast setup, restaurant, bar.
- Facilities: pool, spa, gym, meeting rooms — as they really look.
- Surroundings: the street, nearby landmarks, the view.
- Accessibility: accessible rooms and bathrooms.
Keep them honest
- Current — retake after renovations.
- Lightly edited; no misleading wide-angle distortion or removed features.
- Labelled when showing a specific room type.
Make images findable and accessible
Google's image guidance includes using standard HTML image elements, descriptive alt text and file names, and placing images near relevant text. Alt text should describe the image ("Deluxe room with balcony and sea view"), not repeat keywords.
Keep pages fast
- Serve modern formats at the size they're displayed.
- Use responsive images for different screen sizes.
- Don't lazy-load the main hero image — web.dev warns this delays Largest Contentful Paint.
- Lazy-load gallery images further down the page.
See how fast a hotel website should be.
Video
Short room tours and arrival videos can help. Avoid heavy autoplay hero videos on mobile. See using video content.
Common mistakes
- Stock photos or photos from another property.
- Images without alt text.
- Huge uncompressed images.
- Pre-renovation photos still online.
Checklist
- Real photos of every room type and key space
- Descriptive alt text
- Optimized formats and sizes
- Hero image not lazy-loaded
- Photo refresh after any renovation
Sources
- Image SEO best practices — Google Search Central
- Optimize Largest Contentful Paint — web.dev
- Video SEO best practices — Google Search Central
- Web Vitals — web.dev (Google)