HOW HOTELS, VENUES + COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES CAN ATTRACT PRODUCTIONS

Hotels, event venues, restaurants, offices, retail spaces and other commercial properties can be excellent locations for film and photography productions.

And in a market like Nashville, productions aren't only looking for the obvious landmarks.

They may need:

  • Hotel rooms

  • Lobbies

  • Restaurants

  • Bars

  • Rooftops

  • Ballrooms

  • Conference rooms

  • Offices

  • Retail stores

  • Parking garages

  • Warehouses

  • Industrial spaces

  • Commercial kitchens

  • Patios

  • Pools

  • Event spaces

If your property is visually interesting and logistically workable, film and photo shoots can create an additional revenue stream while introducing the property to location scouts, producers, photographers and production companies.

The key is making your property easy to discover, easy to evaluate and easy to book.

THINK BEYOND YOUR PROPERTY'S NORMAL USE

A location scout isn't necessarily interested in your property for the same reason your customers are.

A hotel ballroom might play as:

  • Corporate conference

  • Wedding

  • Awards ceremony

  • Fundraiser

  • Political event

  • Banquet

  • Generic event venue

A restaurant might play as:

  • Upscale dining room

  • Neighborhood bar

  • Date-night restaurant

  • Café

  • Private club

  • Hotel restaurant

An empty office might play as:

  • Law firm

  • Tech company

  • Corporate headquarters

  • Doctor's office

  • Government office

Think about what your property can portray on camera, not simply what the business actually is.

IDENTIFY YOUR MOST FILMABLE SPACES

Walk through the property from a production perspective.

Look for spaces with:

  • Strong architecture

  • Interesting textures

  • Large windows

  • Distinctive lighting

  • Period details

  • Long sightlines

  • High ceilings

  • Unique furniture

  • Flexible layouts

  • Interesting exteriors

  • Strong views

Then look at the less glamorous spaces.

Productions also need ordinary environments.

Your service hallway, dated conference room, commercial kitchen, loading dock or parking garage may be just as useful as your rooftop bar.

GET GOOD LOCATION PHOTOGRAPHS

If you want location professionals to consider the property, give them photographs they can actually use.

Marketing photography alone is rarely enough.

In addition to polished hero images, photograph:

  • Wide room angles

  • Opposite sides of rooms

  • Connecting spaces

  • Hallways

  • Entrances

  • Exteriors

  • Parking

  • Loading areas

  • Elevators

  • Production support spaces

A scout needs to understand the property—not just admire it.

See How to Catalog + Photograph Properties for Film Productions for a more detailed guide.

SHOW MORE THAN THE PRETTY ROOMS

This is particularly important for hotels and venues.

Don't show only:

Lobby + Rooftop + Presidential Suite.

Also document:

  • Standard guest rooms

  • Corridors

  • Elevators

  • Stairwells

  • Meeting rooms

  • Ballrooms

  • Restrooms

  • Restaurant

  • Bar

  • Kitchen

  • Pool

  • Gym

  • Back-of-house spaces

  • Loading dock

  • Parking garage

  • Exterior entrances

A production may contact you because of a space your marketing department has never thought to photograph.

CREATE A FILM LOCATION INFORMATION PACKET

Make it easy for scouts and producers to evaluate the property remotely.

A simple film-location packet can include:

  • Property overview

  • Current photographs

  • Available spaces

  • Approximate dimensions

  • Parking

  • Loading

  • Freight access

  • Production support spaces

  • Basic restrictions

  • Contact information

Keep it concise and visual.

See How to Create a Film Location Information Packet.

MAKE FILMING INFORMATION EASY TO FIND ONLINE

If your property actively welcomes productions, say so.

Consider creating a page on your website using straightforward language such as:

Film + Photography Locations

or

Commercial Filming + Photography

Include natural search terms relevant to your property and market.

For a Nashville hotel, that might include phrases such as:

  • Nashville hotel filming location

  • Nashville commercial photography location

  • Nashville film location

  • Hotel location for photo shoots

  • Nashville production location

Don't stuff dozens of keywords into the page.

Clearly explain what you offer and where you're located.

Search engines—and location scouts—both benefit from clarity.

USE ACCURATE IMAGE DESCRIPTIONS

Your website's image names and alt text can also help search engines understand what you're showing.

Instead of:

IMG_8472.jpg

use something descriptive, such as:

Nashville-hotel-rooftop-film-location.jpg

When appropriate, alt text should describe what is actually visible in the image.

This is useful for accessibility first, and it also gives search engines better context.

CREATE A DEDICATED PRODUCTION CONTACT

If a scout finds your property at 4:00 PM on a Tuesday, they may need an answer by Wednesday morning.

Don't make them submit a generic event inquiry and wait for it to move through a sales department that doesn't know what a location scout is.

Designate someone who can handle:

  • Film inquiries

  • Scout scheduling

  • Rates

  • Availability

  • Insurance

  • Agreements

  • Production logistics

Speed matters.

Productions often scout several competing locations at once.

The easiest property to communicate with has an advantage.

RESPOND TO SCOUTS WITH USEFUL INFORMATION

When someone reaches out, don't simply reply:

"Our rental rate is $X."

Ask what they need.

Useful questions include:

  • What is the project?

  • Who is the client?

  • What spaces are you considering?

  • What are the dates?

  • What are the hours?

  • How many people?

  • How many vehicles?

  • Do you need prep or wrap?

  • Will furniture be moved?

  • Do you need holding?

  • Do you need parking?

See What Information Should You Collect From a Production? for a complete checklist.

UNDERSTAND YOUR PRODUCTION LOGISTICS

A beautiful location isn't enough.

Productions also evaluate:

  • Parking

  • Load-in

  • Elevators

  • Power

  • Restrooms

  • Crew holding

  • Hair and makeup

  • Wardrobe

  • Catering

  • Client space

  • Noise

  • Operating hours

Know these answers before you begin actively marketing the property.

PARKING IS A MAJOR SELLING POINT IN NASHVILLE

A Nashville commercial property with substantial private parking can be especially useful to production.

If you have:

  • Large parking lots

  • Parking garages

  • Truck access

  • Loading areas

  • Space for motorhomes

  • A potential unit base

document it.

If parking is limited, don't hide that.

Identify nearby alternatives and determine what can realistically be accommodated.

See How to Handle Production Parking for Nashville-specific considerations.

MAKE SCOUTING EASY

Location scouts usually need to photograph the property before production makes a decision.

Create a simple process for arranging scouts.

Whenever possible:

  • Provide reasonable access

  • Identify restricted areas

  • Have someone knowledgeable available

  • Allow the scout to photograph practical spaces

  • Show parking and loading

  • Answer operational questions

Don't stage the entire property as if you're preparing for a wedding tour.

Scouts generally want to see what the location actually looks like.

DON'T REQUIRE A FULL CONTRACT JUST TO SCOUT

An initial scout is usually an evaluation—not a confirmed booking.

For most straightforward commercial properties, the scouting process should be relatively simple.

If security, privacy or sensitive operations require additional paperwork, that's understandable.

Otherwise, avoid making the first visit unnecessarily difficult.

Productions may be evaluating many options in a short period.

ESTABLISH COMMERCIAL FILMING RATES

Before actively marketing the property, determine how you'll price production use.

Consider:

  • Shoot-day rate

  • Included hours

  • Prep

  • Wrap

  • Overtime

  • Parking

  • Security

  • Site representative

  • Cleaning

  • Additional staffing

  • Exclusive use

Don't assume your wedding, meeting or event rate should automatically become your filming rate.

See How to Establish Commercial Filming Rates.

BE FLEXIBLE WHEN THE PRODUCTION IS SMALL

Not every production is a national commercial.

A photographer with six people and a few cases of equipment may have minimal impact on your property.

If your rate structure only works for large-budget productions, you may unnecessarily turn away smaller opportunities that would be easy to accommodate.

Evaluate the scope.

MAKE AFTER-HOURS FILMING POSSIBLE WHEN PRACTICAL

For active businesses, filming during normal hours may be difficult.

After-hours or closed-day filming can make the property considerably more production-friendly.

A restaurant may be able to accommodate production before opening.

An office may work on weekends.

A retail space may work overnight.

A hotel may have certain meeting rooms available during lower-demand periods.

Identify these opportunities before an inquiry arrives.

UNDERSTAND YOUR QUIETEST PERIODS

Productions can sometimes generate revenue from spaces that would otherwise be underutilized.

For hotels and venues, consider:

  • Seasonal slow periods

  • Weekdays

  • Unbooked meeting rooms

  • Empty event spaces

  • Lower-occupancy periods

For restaurants and retail:

  • Closed days

  • Early mornings

  • Overnight periods

  • Off-hours

Film production shouldn't interfere with more valuable core business when it doesn't need to.

HAVE A FILM + PHOTOGRAPHY POLICY

Once you begin welcoming productions, create basic rules.

Address:

  • Approval process

  • Rates

  • Insurance

  • Agreements

  • Parking

  • Property protection

  • Alterations

  • Restricted areas

  • Branding

  • Cancellation

  • Damage

See How to Create a Film + Photography Policy.

GET YOUR PROPERTY IN FRONT OF LOCATION PROFESSIONALS

Once your materials are ready, make sure the right people know the property exists.

Potential avenues include:

  • Local location scouts

  • Location managers

  • Production companies

  • Producers

  • Photographers

  • Film commissions

  • Location libraries

  • Production directories

  • Location-rental platforms

Platforms such as Giggster and Peerspace can provide another way for certain properties to appear in location searches.

For Nashville-specific industry resources, the Tennessee Entertainment Commission and Metro Nashville Film Office are useful starting points.

DON'T SPAM LOCATION SCOUTS

There's a difference between introducing a genuinely useful property and repeatedly emailing every scout you can find.

A concise introduction with:

  • A few strong photographs

  • Location type

  • Nashville area

  • Key production features

  • Link to a complete gallery

  • Contact information

is much more useful than a giant marketing email.

If the property fits a future brief, they'll know where to find it.

KEEP YOUR MATERIALS CURRENT

Nothing kills confidence faster than a scout presenting a property to a client and then discovering it was completely renovated three years ago.

Update your location materials when:

  • Furniture changes

  • Rooms are renovated

  • Exterior changes

  • Landscaping changes significantly

  • Parking changes

  • Ownership changes

  • Production rules change

Date your photography internally so you know when it's time for an update.

BE EASY TO WORK WITH

Properties develop reputations within production communities.

A film-friendly property isn't one that says yes to everything.

It's one that:

  • Responds promptly

  • Communicates clearly

  • Provides accurate information

  • Establishes reasonable rules

  • Understands production logistics

  • Honors agreed terms

  • Solves problems professionally

A positive experience can lead to repeat productions and referrals from scouts, producers and location managers.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Attracting film and photography productions isn't simply about having a beautiful Nashville property.

The strongest production locations combine visual interest with practical logistics and professional management.

Photograph the property properly. Document parking and access. Create clear rates and policies. Make your filming information easy to find online. Respond quickly when scouts reach out.

Most importantly, make it easy for production to answer two questions:

Does this property look right?

and

Can we actually shoot here?

When the answer to both is yes, your hotel, venue or commercial property becomes considerably more attractive to Nashville's film, television, commercial and photography productions.

Nashville Location Company provides film location consulting, location photography and production-readiness consulting for hotels, venues, restaurants and commercial properties throughout Nashville and Middle Tennessee.