Copywriting

Your brochure should follow most of the rules that have already been covered in Chapters 5 and 6. Look at most hotel brochures and you will find that they follow very few of them.

• Grab attention with headings and headlines.
• Make sure you concentrate the copy on benefits to the customer.
• Try to get across your philosophy and your vision.
• Don’t fill every available space with words or pictures; leave some white space.
• Keep sentences and words short and write as you would talk.
• Use bullets for easy readability.
• Include quotes from satisfied guests but ask their permission first.
• Show the copy draft to a stranger, or at least someone unconnected to you.
• Don’t include any information that is likely to change, such as room rates.
• Check all spellings, particularly of place names, and contact details.

 

With brochures that are aimed at weekend visitors or corporate users the copy is not as important as the visual impression, and should be kept to a minimum. The colour, design, photographs and paper should all combine to give the correct impression of your hotel. It is very nice to have a 12-page brochure with tissue paper interleaves but can you, or do you want to, live up to the expectation that this produces?

Be careful about making exaggerated claims. Holiday brochures that cleverly omit any mention of the road that separates the hotel from the beach have caught many of us out. Ensure that you can substantiate each of your claims. You may think that one exercise bike is plenty for you but you can’t really describe it as a gymnasium.

Photography

Photographic style is subject to fashion and there has definitely been a move a way from staged photos that portray the whole bedroom or restaurant. Not that I would endorse promoting style over substance but the images that work well are exactly that – an image.

If you commission a professional photographer you have to consider the issue of copyright. Copyright on the images actually belongs to the photographer but you will have an implied licence to use them for the purpose they were commissioned, such as a brochure. If you need to use the images for other purposes such as for postcards or your internet site as well, you will need to obtain an assignment. This needs to be in writing and signed by the photographer.

Production

It is possible to do everything yourself including arranging the printing of brochures. This though is probably not the best use of your time. Design or marketing agencies are likely to be able to negotiate more favourable prices, which can compensate for the cost of their input.