A mini-guide to using AI for hotel photography
Some prompts and tips to making event photography for hotels
For years, hotels have invested thousands on professional photography. One shot of the room empty. Another with a towel folded into a swan. Maybe one more with some mood lighting. But once the shoot is done, that’s it. Until now.
—But, hold on, did you know that this is just an excerpt from the complete and free newsletter that is available here? Sent out once a week, original viewpoints, insights and interesting things to read.—
With the recent updates to ChatGPT’s image tools, something remarkable has happened: your existing photography becomes the base for a lot more image assets. Want a version of the same room as a romantic honeymoon setup? Done. Want it staged for a birthday, a corporate group, a family with kids? Done. Want your client’s company logo on the TV for that room block email campaign? You get the idea.
Prompt: I want to keep the photo like it is, without altering the elements and all the details. But I want to give the room a feeling of having been lived in. The sheets are not so perfect. A handbag. A blurry silhouette of somebody walking by. Some clothes on the chair on the left. And then the light is not so bright. Take it down so it's a little more like a late afternoon sunset.
This isn’t about some future vision of “What will AI bring to hospitality”. This is live now—and it changes how hotels should think about creating assets for their marketing. You can now generate dozens of variations from a single photo, all on brand, all contextual to the season, event, or guest interests. And this isn’t just social media assets. Imagine using it in pre-arrival emails, email marketing, even upselling campaigns. A “Here’s your suite, set up just for your anniversary”+ anniversary package upgrade is going to more relevant than just a call to action.
Better still: pair that AI-generated still with a five-second video loop—a simple pan across the room or a walk-through. Suddenly, you’ve got something that feels produced, without needing a full production crew.
This may sound like a job-killer for photographers or designers. It’s not. It’s a job-changer. Hotels will still need original, high-quality photos. But from there, the AI becomes a creative multiplier. What you used to get in one version, you now get in ten—each with a story to tell. Creative photographers will provide the quality source content and marketing teams will be able to vary it in dozens and dozens of ways.
The real win here is specificity. Instead of shouting “romantic honey moon package,” you can show it—with a visual built just for that room, with that view. It’s marketing, leveled up.
Hotels, this is the part where you move fast. Grab your existing library, open ChatGPT, and start creating for Easter, wedding season, summer, or the corporate retreats you’re pitching.
And it’s here right now. No you don’t need to turn your hotel room into a Studio Ghibli art.
Thanks for reading. Subscribe for free to receive new posts.
About me: I'm a fractional CMO for large travel technology companies helping turn them into industry leaders. I'm also the co-founder of 10minutes.news a hotel news media that is unsensational, factual and keeps hoteliers updated on the industry.
