Boost Your Bookings Using AI Photo Tours: Learn from Airbnb
NOV 21, 2024

NOV 21, 2024
Picking a hotel is a big decision for travelers. It’s not like buying shoes you can return if they don’t fit. When booking a hotel, your guests want reassurance that they are making the right decision. Today’s attention spans are shorter than ever, averaging just 8 seconds. Yep, that’s all the time you’ve got to make an impression, and it's enough time for Airbnb, a leading hospitality marketplace, to create a difference. 0Airbnb’s vision transformer offers an effective way to grab guests' attention with the help of AI-driven photo tours.
Airbnb understands that guests aren’t going to stick around reading paragraphs of text to decide if their property is a good fit. Instead, guests are looking for visuals that grab them instantly and say, “This is where I want to stay.” If your listing doesn’t engage them visually, they’re gone before you can say, “Welcome.”
The global AI in the hospitality market is growing and is projected to reach USD 70.32 billion by 2031, up from USD 16.33 billion in 2023. This growth is primarily due to the demand for enhanced guest experiences—an area where Airbnb shines with the help of artificial intelligence. Not only does this help guests make faster, more confident decisions, but it also allows hotels to personalize their offerings by analyzing guest data to anticipate needs better. Let us explain why this matters and how it can make all the difference for your hospitality business.
Source: kingsresearch.com
Booking a hotel is often seen as a leap of faith. Customers can’t test out the bed or feel the luxury of the bathroom tiles before clicking “book now." The decision process can be complicated, as your customers have to scroll through reviews, locations, and prices. High-quality imagery helps reduce that risk.
A study by Univers Labs found that conversion rates jumped by 15% when hotels used high-quality images compared to those with low-quality or minimal visuals. Images serve a functional purpose by showing off your rooms, amenities, and surroundings. They also hit an emotional chord and inspire travelers, making your hotel feel like the destination they’ve been dreaming about.
High-quality visuals can set you apart and drive direct bookings. For instance, when a competitor of Airbnb conducted a user experience study, they discovered that detailed imagery—especially of rooms with natural light and views—built trust with travelers. It reassured them that the hotel was transparent and honest.
Believe us or not, images are your silent salespeople. They check two necessary boxes:
Airbnb, for instance, leverages high-quality imagery through its Vision Transformer, ensuring every photo tells a compelling story. By clustering images and arranging them into seamless virtual tours, Airbnb helps guests envision their experience before arriving. This emotional connection often seals the deal. Hotels can draw inspiration from this by investing in professional photography and AI-driven tools to deliver equally captivating visuals.
Did you know 52% of travellers change their plans based on what they see online? Additionally, 44% plan their trips on mobile phones, and 25% complete bookings on smartphones. Even more striking, 87% of business travellers use multiple devices for a single travel search (source). It simply shows just how intricate their decision-making journey is.
Your website is similar to your digital business card—it’s the first impression. Travellers often browse your site and then book elsewhere. To turn those browsers into bookers:
Just as Airbnb boosted online property listings by prioritizing visuals, your hotel website can adopt a similar strategy. With AI technology, you can craft immersive photo tours that resonate with potential guests. Remember, authenticity always wins—showcase not just what’s picture-perfect but what genuinely reflects the guest experience.
Let’s talk about Airbnb’s new AI-powered photo tour. As a host, you can showcase your property and help your guests explore its facilities with an AI-powered photo tour. Your guests can virtually walk through your listing with an organized and stunning visual experience, making it easier for them to fall in love with your space.
Airbnb’s AI photo tour categorizes bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, living rooms, and more. In total, it’s 16 categories of wow-factor organization! Why does this matter? Your guests will no longer have to scroll aimlessly through photos to determine if your cozy corner is part of the bedroom or a reading nook in the living room. The AI takes care of that by clearly depicting your space.
You are probably thinking, “But what about my unique room layouts or dim lighting?” That’s precisely where AI shines. It tackles those tricky details like a pro.
Airbnb also tested several models (like ConvNext2 and MaxVit), but the Vision Transformer of Airbnb (ViT) stole the show. It’s brilliant at identifying room types with jaw-dropping accuracy—even when analyzing millions of images.
We know training an AI takes a ton of data, which can be expensive. So, how did Airbnb pull this off? They got clever with their resources.
Source: www.news.airbnb.com
Imagine your website showing dreamy sunsets over beaches, cozy mountain lodges draped in snow, or chic, newly imagined room designs. AI-generated images make this possible by creating visuals straight from your imagination. Want to market a unique dining experience? AI can visualize delectable, Instagram-worthy dishes that captivate foodie guests. Thinking of refreshing your resort’s vibe? AI in hospitality industry can generate entirely new room styles or jaw-dropping landscapes to inspire bookings. It’s like having a creative genius in your back pocket.
Here’s where it gets personal—literally. AI image optimization for hotels can tailor every image to your guests’ preferences and create visuals that speak directly to them. Based on individual tastes, it can generate room previews with specific decor styles, like modern, minimalist, or rustic. For dining experiences, AI can design menus that cater to dietary preferences, such as vegan, gluten-free, or gourmet options. AI can create images of nearby attractions or photogenic spots tailored to your guests' interests, whether seeking outdoor adventures, cultural experiences, or food destinations.
Why spend a fortune on photo shoots or seasonal renovations when AI offers a more brilliant, cost-effective alternative? With AI in the hospitality industry, you can refresh your visuals effortlessly and give your marketing materials a fresh look without breaking the bank. You can showcase your property with festive Christmas decor or summery vibes. Were you planning renovations? AI-generated images can give you realistic previews of redesigned spaces and help you visualize new looks before committing to costly transformations. That’s not it. You can create multiple variations of menus, brochures, or promotional offers.
Captivating visuals is the foundation of effective engagement, and AI helps you create them effortlessly. You can share breathtaking AI-crafted images of your property’s highlights, like 360-degree hotel photo tours or interactive AI virtual hotel tours, to spark buzz on social media and boost interactions. Apart from room views, you can bring guest testimonials to life by visualizing their experiences or showcasing guests enjoying your amenities. You can even provide personalized hotel photo tours of potential future trips for departing guests to create excitement among them and help them plan their return.
AI can act as your personal storyteller. It analyzes your photos, determining which ones showcase your property in the best light and arranging them into an engaging narrative. Whether it’s your luxurious suites, cozy lounges, or breathtaking rooftop views, AI ensures everything flows seamlessly, just like a well-edited movie trailer.
AI photo tours for hotels are optimized for different user devices and platforms. The photo tour adjusts beautifully if a potential guest is browsing on their smartphone, tablet, or desktop. This means no awkwardly cropped images or poorly scaled visuals—just a smooth, immersive experience that keeps your viewers hooked.
Here’s the cherry on top: intelligent cropping and AI image optimization for hotels. AI doesn’t randomly select and arrange photos; it also fine-tunes them. Blurry backgrounds? Adjusted. Uneven lighting? Fixed. Distracting elements? Cropped out. Every image is polished to perfection, ensuring your property looks its absolute best.
AI is the powerhouse of enhanced photo tours. It works behind the scenes to analyze and process images, ensuring they look stunning and professional. AI can automatically adjust lighting, correct colours, and remove unwanted objects from pictures. It also facilitates personalized hotel photo tours by understanding user behavior and tailoring the experience to their preferences. For instance, if most viewers spend time looking at the pool area, AI can highlight this feature first in future tours, making the experience more relevant and engaging.
Computer vision is what gives AI "eyes" to understand your space. It identifies objects, layouts, and textures in your property images, ensuring the virtual tour is accurate and immersive. For example, it can recognize furniture placement, calculate room dimensions, and create a realistic 3D space model. Computer vision creates seamless transitions between rooms and provides viewers with a lifelike experience of navigating your property.
360-degree hotel photo tours are the backbone of creating immersive, panoramic views. Using specialized cameras or software, 360-degree imaging captures every angle of your space in one shot. The result is a virtual experience where users can look up, down, or all around as if standing in the room. It’s perfect for showcasing the ambience and scale of spaces like lobbies, dining areas, or suites. It makes your potential guests feel like they’re already there, at the place.
Augmented reality overlays digital elements onto real-world views, enhancing AI virtual hotel tours with interactive features. For instance, guests can click on a dining table to view your restaurant’s menu or see furniture color options in a customizable room. AR brings a layer of interactivity that informs and delights viewers, turning your tour into an engaging experience.
Machine learning makes your photo tours smarter over time. It learns from user interactions—like what spaces they explore most or how long they spend on specific features—and uses this data to improve future tours. ML can also predict what potential guests might find appealing based on their preferences, helping you prioritize what to highlight in your property.
Studies show that properties with virtual tours can reduce the number of wasted viewings by 40%, as guests feel more confident in what they’re paying for. AI takes this further by automatically highlighting key features, making your property irresistible.
AI-powered photo tours offer a truly immersive experience. You’re engaging users for longer, sometimes doubling their time spent on your listing. This builds trust because guests can explore every detail, reducing the fear of “what if it’s not as advertised?”
Consistency is vital in a world where guests browse on everything from smartphones to tablets to desktops. AI-enhanced visual tours ensure your property shines on any device, whether your potential guest is scrolling on their phone or exploring on a widescreen monitor.
When it comes to booking a stay, speed matters. AI-enhanced visual tours provide a crystal-clear picture of what guests can expect, cutting down the time they spend deliberating. Travelers can visually explore features and amenities and compare them to other options.
The future of AI-enhanced visual tours is something you, as a hospitality business owner, should definitely be paying attention to. Just think about it—what if you could offer potential guests a fully immersive preview of your hotel or resort without them ever stepping through the door? That’s the kind of experience virtual tours are set to bring to the table. This whole "try-before-you-buy" model will become the norm, and it’s a game-changer for your business. See how AI can take your photo tours to the next level:
AI in the hospitality industry is now making it possible to improve your property photos instantly. Think of it like having a professional photographer at your disposal 24/7. AI tools can automatically adjust exposure, colour balance and sharpness, making your photos look consistent across any platform. The best part? These tools can remove distracting elements, like a stray object or a shadow, and give your photos a clean and well-polished look.
Beyond simple enhancements, AI allows for creative possibilities with style transfer and artistic rendering. Imagine showcasing your hotel’s architecture or local surroundings with images that have the artistic flair of famous painters or photographers. This ability to apply different visual styles to your images lets you create a distinctive, eye-catching aesthetic for your property—something that can set your business apart from competitors and leave a lasting impression on potential guests.
For your photo tours, AI tools can analyze images in real-time and suggest improving composition or framing to make them more captivating. Whether you’re showcasing a suite, a stunning view, or a particular spa or dining area feature, these tools ensure that every shot aligns perfectly with your narrative. AI can even help with post-production by allowing adjustments like moving elements or re-cropping photos, allowing you to fine-tune images to match your exact vision.
AI in hospitality industry lets you present your property beautifully, attract more guests, and create engaging, visually stunning content that aligns with your brand.
Just like Airbnb, you can set benchmarks for improving guest experiences. However, in a competitive industry like travel and hospitality, it’s harder than ever to capture the attention of potential guests. With short attention spans, many choices, and the need for instant trust, traditional methods often fall short. With the help of AI and a talented team, you can easily outshine your competition.
At Webelight Solutions Pvt. Ltd., we understand the pressure to stand out—and that’s where our AI/ML development team steps in. We can convert your property’s visuals into a personalized, immersive experience that grabs attention and converts it into bookings. Our AI/ML solutions can help you always showcase your property in its best light. Let us take your hotel’s online presence to the next level.
AI-driven photo tours capture guests' attention by showcasing properties in visually compelling ways. They provide an immersive experience, allowing potential guests to explore rooms, amenities, and surroundings virtually. This builds trust and helps guests make faster, more confident booking decisions.