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Industry Spotlight: 5 Effective Hospitality Videos
Using video to market the hospitality industry is nothing new. Just like in any other industry, companies who specialize in hospitality incorporate video in their everyday brand, advertising, training and more.
The hospitality industry accounted for a mind-blowing 570.18 billion dollars back in 2017, and continues to grow every year. With those large numbers come more opportunities and a bigger necessity to incorporate video more often.
But how can you make your video stand out among the thousands of other companies in your industry?
In this article we’ll highlight some beautifully produced videos in the hospitality industry. Not only are they skillfully produced, but much of the subject matter itself is breathtaking, from the feel-good stories to the rare glimpses of the inside of incredible hotels and resorts (just wait until you see number five).
We’ll also take a look at some strategies used by some of the top-level hotel chains to target specific niches within their industry. Think Budapest and abs, all at the same time.
Check out these top five hospitality videos to learn more!
1. Hilton Hotels Japan
This video promoting Hilton Japan’s Conrad Osaka location tells a story of love while at the same time wowing you with views of their stunning hotel.
And, while telling stories of love isn’t exactly uncommon, telling stories of love with dominos is. Not mention, it seems like it would be pretty hard to set this whole thing up.
The phenomenal video, by Hilton Hotels in Japan, starts slowly with music that draws you in. The audio experience is then coupled with an extraordinary view from the Nakanoshima Festival West Tower.
The video piece is exceptional with its dynamics. The frame continually moves, is packed with energy, and utilizes breaks efficiently to build and minimize momentum as needed.
This video shows you how thinking outside of the box—like way outside of the box, can lead to an impressive and unique video.
The wide frame camera shots and varying angles of the dominos falling on each other keep the viewer engaged and eager to see when the trail will come to an end, while subconsciously taking in all the amenities of this fabulous tower.
So the dominos thing has already been done. But what other objects could your company use creatively to tell a story? (Don’t say fidget spinners.)
Depending on what you use, it can really expand your creativity for camera angles and lighting for more captivating shots.
2. Airbnb
Movement. Music. Culture. Community. Experience. These are all of the things you encounter and feel when you watch this fast-paced Airbnb video.
It’s real. It’s authentic. And, it paints the perfect picture of Airbnb.
The video is short, at just 39 seconds. However, it’s quite uplifting and does a great job of capturing the viewer. While doing so, it also accurately portrays Airbnb’s culture and brand.
This video shows that, depending on the goal, a short video can still be very effective for a company’s message. These quick, diverse shots provide a lot of variety in this short clip that emphasizes Airbnb’s message.
3. Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
While the four seasons has put out several more videos on YouTube than their competitor (Hilton: 37, Marriott: 69) out of the 1,939 videos on their YouTube, we will focus on the one above.
The video, “We Are Four Seasons,” was one that promoted the brand through “connection.”
It was a video that set the pace with a steady piano piece and beautiful b-roll of imagery from all around the world.
Images that took you to beautiful beaches, countrysides, and ski resorts. The video also showcased architecture, food and wine, and glimpses of aqua blue water (so nice).
So, the video described above is just one of the many for the Four Seasons. But, what are all of the other videos about?
Well, the other videos featured titles such as, “Budapest Bucket List by Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest,” “Unveil Moscow with Four Seasons Hotel Moscow,” and countless other video titles on exercising and fitness.
Yes, the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts YouTube videos are tapping into the fitness industry—and they are going in deep.
33 videos published one month ago are all on exercise. These are videos about flat dumbbell chest presses, jump squats, planks (ugh), and supermans, to name a few.
Although these video workouts open with a few short seconds of some beautiful b-roll of resorts and beaches, they actually offer viewers a full core workout with a trainer.
Just by visiting the YouTube channel for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, you can literally find the best places to visit in Budapest and learn how to get a stronger core (watch the plank video).
And if you are curious about performance, the video, “Total Beach Body – Fit with Four Seasons,” has had 144K views in one month.
The takeaway here, as a brand, is to try stepping out into hot markets and niches that can complement your customers. Many people who travel hate to miss workouts while vacationing or on business.
What other markets might complement your ideal customer?
4. Bellagio Las Vegas (Bellagio Fountains)
Simply put, this video captivates and moves with its water fountains and lights. It leaves you in awe.
Most notably, there are mainly aerial and drone shots of this hotel. Not only are these shots extremely popular with drone technology getting better and more accessible each and every year, this a classic way to showcase the fascinating amenities of a glorious hotel like the Bellagio.
Although this Bellagio Fountains video might be a bit lengthy for some, with a run time at 4:53, it’s quite impressive.
The video never takes you inside its hotel, but definitely makes you consider booking a room at the Bellagio. If its fountains are this nice, what could the hotel rooms be like? The answer to this question is a no-brainer.
This video is high-energy and features different musical tempos, and footage from different viewpoints. The music flows with the movement of the lights and fountains in a sequence that must have taken hundreds of hours in planning and production.
5. Castle in the Country Bed and Breakfast
The wow factor of this video is greater than 1.21 gigawatts. It’s literally like being trapped in a series of beautiful Bob Ross paintings while an orchestra plays along.
This video may not be as extravagant or over the top as others in this article, but we know the hospitality business ranges from 5-star resorts, all the way to ma and pa bed and breakfasts.
The video’s intro builds with a violin. Then the video showcases the beautiful colors of the trees with drone videography and takes you on a virtual tour of this unforgettable B&B, and everything it has to offer.
At some points in this video, you’ll feel like you are walking down woodsy trails or riding along in a horse-drawn carriage. In other parts, you’ll take in a video experience of sitting down at the fire pit for a glass of wine.
And throughout it all, you’ll notice the impeccable use of natural lighting—the sun casting shadows through the tall trees, seeping into a hiking trail, and marking the end of the day with a beautiful sunset over the water.
Between birds-eye-view shots and smooth panning of the various amenities, both the Bed and Breakfast and the video itself remind the viewer that sometimes it’s best to take things slow and steady.
Recap
In this blog, we showcased what we thought were some great videos, and strategies, in the hospitality industry.
With both Hilton Hotel Japan and Bellagio Las Vegas Hotel, we learned that you can tell beautiful stories, show the beautiful architecture, and wow the viewer in the most unexpected and artistic ways. Who uses dominos to tell a love story?
Airbnb showed us that short videos can still capture your brand and deliver its message. With Airbnb’s video, in just 39 seconds, you get it—and you want to be a part of it.
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts taught us that not only can you deliver a beautiful overall video for your brand, but you can tap into niche markets to complement your ideal customers.
And with the video for Castle in the Country Bed and Breakfast, sometimes it’s best to stick with the basics and take things slow, to really capture an ambiance of a location. Some good music to match the mood never hurt either.
If you are looking to line up a few thousand dominos and record them as they fall down through the hallways of a beautiful hotel or if you want a professional camera crew to shoot your next company video, reach out to Crews Control. We’ve got you on the best camera crews all over the world, but you’ll have to set up the dominos on your own.
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