Hotel and guesthouse UGC works because guests book what they can picture themselves doing: waking up to the view, having breakfast on the terrace, walking to the village square. Guesthouses are among the categories in highest demand for UGC with us, and we have made UGC for hotels and guesthouses that performed well. Each video is best filmed at your property, on the creator’s phone, then captioned and cleared for ads, starting from $140 per video, depending on the creator.
Key takeaways
- Travellers book from short video. In a US survey, 32% of TikTok users said they had booked a stay at a new hotel or resort they saw on TikTok.
- Guest-style beats brochure-style for social: a real stay, told by a person.
- Use the right tool for the job: UGC for ads and social, a professional shoot for your listing photos.
- Plan a series, so your property stays in people’s feeds through the season.
Our 25 UGC creators deliver over 80 videos a month, and guesthouses are among the categories in highest demand, along with beauty and health products and clothing. This guide covers what to film, how to plan the shoot, when to choose UGC and when a professional shoot, and what it costs. To get started, brief our UGC creators.
Finding 1: Travellers decide on short video
Travel inspiration has moved to the feed. A survey by the marketing agency MGH of 1,139 US TikTok users found that:
- 35% had travelled to a new destination after seeing it in a TikTok video;
- 45% of millennials (aged 25 to 44) had done the same;
- 32% had booked a stay at a new resort or hotel they saw on TikTok.
It’s a US sample from 2022, not a Lebanese one. The point carries: people now see a place before they search for it.
Practical translation: your listing photos answer “what does the room look like?”. UGC answers “what would my weekend be like?”.
Finding 2: Eight video ideas for a stay
| Idea | What happens on camera |
|---|---|
| 1. The arrival | Pulling up, the first view, the welcome |
| 2. Room tour | The room as a guest sees it, in under 30 seconds |
| 3. What’s included | Breakfast, parking, Wi-Fi, the pool, each shown in one shot |
| 4. Wake up here | The view from the bed or the balcony, first thing in the morning |
| 5. Breakfast | The table, the local dishes, who made them |
| 6. Around the property | A walk to the village, the beach, the trail or a winery nearby |
| 7. Golden hour | The terrace or the view at sunset |
| 8. Three reasons to book | Three quick reasons, one per cut, ending on how to book |
“Wake up here” and “three reasons to book” are strong first choices: one sells the feeling, the other sells the decision.
Practical translation: ask for one feeling video and one decision video from the same stay.
Finding 3: Plan the shoot at your property
Hotel and guesthouse UGC is best filmed at your property, on the creator’s phone. A good shoot is mostly planning:
- Choose the season and the weather. Your best month, on a clear day.
- Pick the room. The one you most want to sell, ready and dressed.
- Time the light. Morning for the room and breakfast, evening for the terrace and the view.
- Line up the extras. Breakfast served at a set time, the pool open, the host available for a short hello if you want one.
- Say what to leave out. Rooms under renovation, other guests’ faces, anything you don’t offer every day.
Practical translation: don’t show anything a guest won’t actually get. UGC works because it’s believable; a promise the stay can’t keep turns into a bad review.
Finding 4: UGC, The Stay Report or a professional shoot?
Hosts often ask which to choose. They do different jobs:
| Option | What it is | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| UGC | A creator films a guest-style video on their phone, posted on their TikTok and Instagram story, with paid-ads rights for you | Ads, social, quick tests |
| The Stay Report | Our guesthouse marketing service: mostly UGC-style content, made as a series | Hosts who want ongoing content and marketing |
| A professional property shoot | Photos and video by our team, with proper equipment | Booking.com and Airbnb listings, your website |
Whether to choose UGC on its own or The Stay Report is the host’s call. Many properties use a professional shoot for their listing photos and UGC for social and ads. Our guide to real estate video tours covers the professional side.
Practical translation: if your listing photos are weak, fix those first. UGC brings people to your page; the photos close the booking.
Finding 5: What the price includes
UGC starts from $140 per video, depending on the creator. Each video includes:
- A creator matched to your guests by audience, age and look: for example, a creator who fits a couples’ getaway or a friends’ trip.
- Your guideline, with our help on the final script.
- A captioned edit, with one round of revisions. Arabic videos are captioned in Arabic script.
- Paid-ads usage rights, generally for life.
- A post on the creator’s TikTok and an Instagram story, as a paid partnership with your property tagged.
- Delivery within 3 days of the brief.
You pay upfront, and the creator is paid only once the work is fully delivered.
Practical translation: the creator’s own post is a bonus. The video you run from your own account is what keeps working all season.
Choose the language for your guests
Who books your property decides the language:
- Visitors from abroad and the diaspora: English, and French for French-speaking travellers.
- Weekenders from Beirut and around Lebanon: Lebanese Arabic, often mixed with English.
- Both: two videos from the same stay, one in each language.
Our creators film in Lebanese Arabic, English and French. Our guide to Arabic UGC videos covers the choice in more detail.
Practical translation: look at where last season’s bookings came from, and brief in that language first.
Three myths about hotel UGC
Myth 1: “Only luxury hotels need video.” Small guesthouses benefit most. A real stay, told by a person, competes with big hotels on feeling, not budget.
Myth 2: “Guest-style videos look unprofessional.” They look real, which is the point. Your listing photos already do the polished job.
Myth 3: “A big influencer stay is the only option.” A big influencer brings reach for a day. UGC gives you videos you can run as ads for the whole season, and follower count matters less than people think.
What to do this week
- Write down who books you: couples, families, friends, visitors from abroad.
- Pick your best room and your best month.
- Choose two ideas: one feeling, one decision.
- List what’s included and what to leave out of the shot.
- Check your listing photos. If they’re weak, see our real estate photography first.
- Send your brief. Read what UGC costs in Lebanon to plan the budget.
Hotel and guesthouse UGC: questions
Have you made UGC for hotels and guesthouses?
Yes, and it was successful. Guesthouses are among the categories in highest demand for UGC with us.
What should a guesthouse UGC video show?
The stay, as a guest lives it: the arrival, the room, the view in the morning, breakfast and what’s around. End with a clear reason to book.
Is UGC better than a professional property shoot?
They do different jobs. UGC works for social and ads; a professional shoot gives you the listing photos and website visuals that close the booking.
What is The Stay Report?
Our guesthouse marketing service, made mostly of UGC-style content as a series. Whether to choose it or individual UGC videos is the host’s call.
How much does hotel UGC cost in Lebanon?
Starting from $140 per video, depending on the creator, with a captioned edit, paid-ads rights and delivery within 3 days.
Will the creator post the video?
Yes. Each video goes out on the creator’s TikTok as a paid partnership with your property tagged, and as an Instagram story.
Which language should guesthouse UGC be in?
The language your guests book in. English, and French for French-speaking travellers, for visitors from abroad; Lebanese Arabic for weekenders from around Lebanon. If you host both, order two videos from the same stay, one in each language.
Can the creator stay overnight?
If you can offer one, say so in the brief and we’ll check it with the creator. A night’s stay gives the evening and morning light, and the most natural “wake up here” shots.
Written by the StudioLebanon team: a photo, video and UGC studio in Zouk Mosbeh, Lebanon, working with 25 UGC creators and delivering over 80 UGC videos a month.