Having the Caribbean as your neighborhood for 30 plus years has been wonderful. Although I am based in the Dominican Republic, I have traveled to Mexico (Playa del Carmen), Florida, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas for my hospitality and travel photography work.
After studying hotel management for 4 years, I started working at once for the then Dominicus Beach hotel, now known as Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach. This was the beginning of my work as a hotel photographer which latter, after ten years, became my only kind of photography up until now.
Punta Cana is probably the most well known spot of the hospitality industry in the Caribbean. Most people are more prompt to travel to Punta Cana than any other destination in the Dominican Republic. Although Puerto Plata, Samaná and La Romana are also very hotel oriented spots, Punta Cana is by far the most visited because of its hotel infrastructure.
Hotels mostly need photos of rooms, pools, beachs, bars, lobbies and convention centers. These are the areas most guests use in a hotel or resort.
Room photos are probably what the guest sees first on the web when starting to look for after having the destination in mind. These photos have to show exactly how the rooms are upon arrival. The most I do when retouching a room is having the beds and pillows wrinkle free.
The pool and beach areas are usually photographed early in the morning when there are few guests and everything is nice and clean. The chaise lounge should be straighten and clean. Sometimes, depending on the brand’s photo guidelines, these should have towels.
The bars are shot just before opening. This is because it will be set up and ready for the photos. Beach and pool bars usually open at around 10 am. Important to have clean uniform if a bartender is to be photographed.
The lobby area is either shot early in the morning or at sunset when there should not be any guest arrivals. Pillows should be puffed, sofas straighten, all lamps with the same color temperature, little or no advertising material on the front dest, etc.
Convention centers are usually photographed in theater, boardroom and conference style. Since these are usually in a closed enviroment, they can be shot at any time they are not being used.
Below are some photos I have made for hotels and resorts in the Dominican Republic.
All images and article by Thiago da Cunha