Seeking Help Booking Affiliates: How do you (legally) get hotel photos?

[AMX75]

I have a travel site which earns some money from links to Booking (.com) and other hotel booking platforms. But booking (.com) is the biggest earner.

I would like to up my game and focus more on hotels, but I will need decent hotel photos. Unfortunately, booking (.com) prohibits any contacts between the affiliate and the hotels. All communication should go through booking .com.

However, I have seen quite a few sites that are their affiliates and do have professional hotel photos (I don't think they stayed in all of them). Do they ignore the ban or have found some loophole? If an affiliate asks booking (.com) for photos, can they make some arrangement with the hotel and provide photos upon request?

I have read somewhere that Agoda can provide hotel photos, but I could not verify this information and at the moment they have paused accepting new affiliates due to some technical upgrades. Agoda also doesn't allow contacts between affiliates and hotels.

Do you have a travel website and use hotel photos not taken by you? I am not interested in stealing/grabbing the photos from the internet. I want to do it the legal way.

Greetings.

 

[Graybeard]

As an affiliate request permission to use the same images that booking . com uses for promotion on their website for your promotion of booking services by them ... Generally this is allowed. You could also request images directly from the hotels that you want to promote ...

As long as you get permission in writing (email or even in an IM) you have a limited copyright license ...

 

[AMX75]

As an affiliate request permission to use the same images that booking . com uses for promotion on their website for your promotion of booking services by them ... Generally this is allowed. You could also request images directly from the hotels that you want to promote ...

As long as you get permission in writing (email or even in an IM) you have a limited copyright license ...

Well, asking the hotels would be the obvious thing, but unfortunately booking. com doesn't allow it.
Have you got experience with asking booking. com for some kind of license/permission?

I guess most hotels would not mind it, but booking. com would need some kind of sublicensing agreement with them.

The thing is, booking. com views the hotels not only as "suppliers" but also as competitors. And they don't want the affiliates to make deals with hotels and send the traffic there. So, they prohibit any communication between the affiliate and the hotels.

 

[T J Tutor]

they don't want the affiliates to make deals with hotels and send the traffic there

Exactly! Here is the thing, it is a struggle to get between two competitors with one of them being the final benefactor. This has been a thing since the beginning of what we do. I remember Kelly Felix telling his story on stage at a Frank Kern/Andy Jenkins/John Reese/John Carlton event around '02. He made it clear that at some point with his niches he had no choice but to go direct eventually. Until you get to that point in your career, you will need to learn to get things like images without contacting them directly. Not contacting directly does not prohibit you from going to one of their sites that has the information and media readily available to the public. For example, I do a lot of referral business with Hilton. I can get some of the materials I need from them by just going to their Media Kit Page. Most big firms in the travel and destination industry's have these types of offerings.

 

[Graybeard]

Then use the 'authorized promotional images' I guess
Unless you are a whale affiliate your request may be trivial to booking IDK

Just ask if you can use the images published on their (booking's) website to promote the hotels they book for.

The thing is, booking. com views the hotels not only as "suppliers" but also as competitors.

Looks more like booking fears their affiliates as potential competitors

Sure, a hotel has the right to book their own facilities

 

[Graybeard]

I can get some of the materials I need from them by just going to their Media Kit Page

No harm no foul

 

[MarkTwels]

Navigating the world of booking affiliates can indeed present challenges when it comes to obtaining quality hotel photos. While Booking.com prohibits direct communication between affiliates and hotels, some affiliates may have found creative ways to acquire professional hotel photos. It's possible they've established arrangements or found loopholes within the system.
For more travel-related content, including pet-friendly accommodations in Savannah, you can always visit . Keep up the great work with your travel site, and don't hesitate to reach out if you need further assistance or advice!

 

[FridaBridges]

I would like to thank you for not planning to just steal the photo, as many would do.

 

[NyasiaTrujillo]

Hey everyone! Booking affiliates, let's talk legalities of snagging those captivating hotel photos! Personally, I believe transparency and ethical practices are the backbone of successful affiliate partnerships. It's like they say, "Honesty is the best policy!" Now, I recently came across this eco-luxe gem, and their breathtaking visuals had me hooked! But hey, let's dive deeper together! What's your take on navigating the legal maze for hotel images? Drop your thoughts below!

 

[T J Tutor]

One option is to see if the hotel has a media or press kit on their website. These usually have promotional images that affiliates might be able to use, but you’d want to get their okay first to avoid any issues.

Exactly, I do this often!