Short answer: Hero images win attention, but the photos that turn a browse into a booking are the ones where guests can picture themselves there. That means the room in its best light, the food and rituals of the stay, the evening mood, and small human moments. Recent research backs this up: photos that show the experience outperform photos that just show the facilities.
The hero images: first impressions
These show this is somewhere special:
• A grand exterior shot in golden light
• Your guest rooms at their very best angle, styled and inviting
• Your signature space or view, the thing that's unmistakably yours
The quiet details: where bookings are won
• Craftsmanship and thoughtful touches: the linen carefully chosen, a handwritten note
• A room in its best light: soft morning glow, or the last of the afternoon sun
• The food and the ritual: the welcome drink, local produce and the story behind it
• The evening mood: your place after dark, warm and lamp-lit
• A relatable human moment: coffee and a book by the bedside, clothes set out for the day
What the research says
• Guests choose on "vibe". In Booking.com's January 2025 survey of 2,000 US travellers, 62% said they look at the images to get a feel for the overall vibe of a place, and that this is a key deciding factor.
• Show the experience, not just the room. A September 2025 study in Tourism Management Perspectives compared luxury hotel cover photos on booking sites. Photos that conveyed enjoyment and experience did significantly better than purely practical ones on click-through, booking intention and willingness to pay. The researchers found this works because the photo lets people imagine themselves there. The effect was stronger for hotels with lower brand awareness, which is good news for independent and boutique hotels!
• Your main photo matters. A 2023 study of Airbnb listings in New York and San Francisco (International Journal of Research in Marketing) found that a main photo showing the living room and its interior design lifted the booking rate by 35% over a holiday period.
• Quality and honesty count. Expedia's own research (2015) found that hotels with good-quality photography convert better than those with poorer images. It isn't surprising that rooms showing an attractive view from the window drew the most positive reactions. Distorted wide-angle "fisheye" shots made people suspicious.
Why this matters for direct bookings
Booking sites like Booking.com and Expedia charge hotels commission on every booking, commonly 15% or more. Every guest who books on your own website instead saves you that fee, so your own site needs photos that do the persuading.
Professional photography is an investment that can pay for itself over time, through more attention for your property and more direct bookings.
Get the free guide: The Shots Every Beautiful Stay Deserves
Sue O'Keefe is a Melbourne-based hotel and hospitality photographer at Travel Any Road. travelanyroad.com
Sources: Booking.com Partnerships Hub, "2025 US travel trends" (January 2025). "Does the luxury hotel cover photo matter? Understanding the impact of picture value types on consumers' behavioral intentions on OTAs" (2025), Tourism Management Perspectives, vol. 58. "Image features and demand in the sharing economy: A study of Airbnb" (2023), International Journal of Research in Marketing, 40(4). Expedia study (2015), reported by Travolution.
