April 2005

Kay Warren Book Cover Image

The world of travel and leisure has changed quite a bit over the past several years! And with it the way in which the industry promotes itself. Many have been operating on smaller, tighter budgets and have pulled back in advertising and promotion. But at the same time, as the public returns to traveling on a more frequent basis, they are demanding more information and expecting more from the very same companies that have been pulling back.

It has been a gradual change, but with travelers, both business and leisure, being as web savvy as they are, they virtually want to see their entire destination before they ever get there …. Virtually! So right when companies seem to have the smallest and oldest inventory in marketing materials and imagery is, of course, when they need it most. Many are and will be scrambling for fresh materials to retain and grow interest in their properties.

Another factor that comes into consideration is the fact that “shots of the rooms” no longer suffice! People don’t want to see just what they are going to SEE when they get to their destination; they want to see what they are going to DO! And with that enters the “lifestyle” aspect. Which is great, but lifestyle imagery dates itself much faster than static interiors. So to stay on top of things, companies can’t just “do a shoot” and sit back and relax, they’ve got to be constantly updating their library to stay current.

We were at the Four Seasons – Scottsdale in January and will be there again this month. This is a beautiful and luxurious resort. But it is one that is in constant transition. With the completion of a new ballroom and adding additional entertaining spaces both inside and out, and coming soon a new children’s center, they constantly have to produce new imagery to reflect the new amenities offered. And along with that, new imagery to reflect the lifestyle!

Shooting for the hospitality industry is great! We get to go to some amazing places and see some amazing things! The challenge is to tell each story in a new and different way for each client so that they can retain their own style and distinctiveness. We are looking forward to doing a lot more of that this year!