Post by khatunrita309 on Mar 11, 2024 14:53:27 GMT 5.5
There are so many hotels that ask us if and how they can have the Google Virtual Tour . For this reason, two years after its launch, we are back to talking about Google Business View , the service for creating virtual tours created by Google. To understand how things are, we had a chat with a certified photographer and we have collected some valuable information for you on how to proceed . We had already talked about this topic in the article Google Business Photos for hotels: a real case history , containing an interview with one of the first structures to use the service. For those who don't know, the Google Maps Business View is the "virtual tour" integrated into the hotel's Google my Business card created with specific professional photos: in practice it is the virtual tour that can be accessed when you view the wording "View inside". Once clicked, you will practically find yourself inside the hotel and will be able to view different environments, from the hall to the various room types. (hover over the image to enlarge) The photographer must be certified We are not surprised that, in this somewhat critical period also for tourism.
hoteliers first ask us how much the service costs. The cost can vary depending on various factors (size, number of rooms, etc.) but should be between a few hundred and a thousand euros . Beyond the cost however, the first step to creating the virtual tour is to rely on photographers who are not only professional, but also certified. If someone has offered you this service, to verify that they can do it best, just check the Google page Industry Email List with the list of officially certified photographers and agencies. To better understand how the service is carried out, we asked Fabio Casati of Apri le Porte , a certified photographer for Florence and all of Italy, who was responsible for carrying out the work for several of our hotel clients. “ The service carried out by the Certified Photographer includes photographs for the virtual tour and also 10 professional wide-angle or detail photographs, defined as POIs, i.e. points of interest, relating to the company . – explains Casati – The owner of the business also acquires the copyright for the POI images. Obviously, for privacy reasons, faces and license plates are blurred, as on Street View. Google Quality.
Control verifies that virtual tours and POI photography comply with these rules and comply with quality standards. Since this is a business service, the virtual tour cannot be created in an amateur way. The photographic service carried out by the Certified Photographer has a cost based on how many panoramic shots are taken and is "one-off" and therefore has no annual fees. In practice, the business pays for the photo shoot and no fees to Google. Only if the company asks to create a new virtual tour will it bear the photographic costs again, as happens for any photographic service .” Why might it be worth making this investment? We are not aware that the Business View in itself improves positioning on Google or on Maps , although it cannot be excluded that enriching the local profile of the structure on G+ also with the virtual tour in the future could become one of the many "signals" that determine the ranking. In fact, however, the Business View must first and foremost be an additional service for the user , because it allows him to get a clearer idea of what he is about to book. But when and why can the Business View constitute a competitive advantage for the hotel? It is especially suitable for hotels that focus a lot on the aesthetics of the rooms and the location : luxury hotels, design.
hoteliers first ask us how much the service costs. The cost can vary depending on various factors (size, number of rooms, etc.) but should be between a few hundred and a thousand euros . Beyond the cost however, the first step to creating the virtual tour is to rely on photographers who are not only professional, but also certified. If someone has offered you this service, to verify that they can do it best, just check the Google page Industry Email List with the list of officially certified photographers and agencies. To better understand how the service is carried out, we asked Fabio Casati of Apri le Porte , a certified photographer for Florence and all of Italy, who was responsible for carrying out the work for several of our hotel clients. “ The service carried out by the Certified Photographer includes photographs for the virtual tour and also 10 professional wide-angle or detail photographs, defined as POIs, i.e. points of interest, relating to the company . – explains Casati – The owner of the business also acquires the copyright for the POI images. Obviously, for privacy reasons, faces and license plates are blurred, as on Street View. Google Quality.
Control verifies that virtual tours and POI photography comply with these rules and comply with quality standards. Since this is a business service, the virtual tour cannot be created in an amateur way. The photographic service carried out by the Certified Photographer has a cost based on how many panoramic shots are taken and is "one-off" and therefore has no annual fees. In practice, the business pays for the photo shoot and no fees to Google. Only if the company asks to create a new virtual tour will it bear the photographic costs again, as happens for any photographic service .” Why might it be worth making this investment? We are not aware that the Business View in itself improves positioning on Google or on Maps , although it cannot be excluded that enriching the local profile of the structure on G+ also with the virtual tour in the future could become one of the many "signals" that determine the ranking. In fact, however, the Business View must first and foremost be an additional service for the user , because it allows him to get a clearer idea of what he is about to book. But when and why can the Business View constitute a competitive advantage for the hotel? It is especially suitable for hotels that focus a lot on the aesthetics of the rooms and the location : luxury hotels, design.