What architectural animation costs for a hotel or resort project

1. Why a per-minute rate says little about a hotel film

Published architectural animation prices are usually expressed per finished second or per finished minute, and the ranges vary widely from one studio to the next. They are useful market context, but they cannot be compared with a quote for your project, because they do not say how much modelling, design development, imagery and review work sits behind each second.

Two 60 second films can be very different productions. One shows a single suite from a supplied model; the other connects an arrival, a lobby, dining, a spa and two room types into one destination story developed from references. The duration is the same, and the work is not.

A hotel film quote should therefore be a list: the spaces and experiences covered, the length of the final edit, the number of still images, whether the design exists as a model, plans or references only, the review rounds and the usage rights. Once those items are written down, two bids become comparable.

2. The two published starting points

Predella publishes two starting points for hospitality work, so a project can be placed before a proposal is written.

• Focused pilot from €2,500: one short sequence and two matching stills for a single selected space or experience. It establishes a visual direction before a larger commitment.
• Vision film package from €7,500: a 60 to 180 second MP4, at least 20 finished images for the agreed spaces and experiences, and direct Blender render images or video sketches.
• If a pilot continues into a larger production on the same approved scope, reusable pilot work is credited toward that production.
• Plans and drawings help, but they are optional. Concepts, written briefs and references are accepted as a starting point.

The hotel vision film briefing checklist shows what to send so that a quote can be scoped on the first pass.

3. What moves the number

Once the deliverable list is fixed, most of the variation comes from how much has to be created rather than from how long the edit runs.

• Duration inside the package range: a 60 second edit and a 180 second edit do not need the same number of scenes, camera moves or renders.
• Number of spaces and experiences: one suite is a smaller production than an arrival, a lobby, dining, a spa and two room types connected into one destination story.
• Design maturity: starting prices assume suitable existing design material. Supplied plans, models or approved renders reduce modelling work, while a concept explored from references and atmosphere boards takes longer.
• Modelling and design development: extensive modelling or design development is quoted separately, because it is design work rather than visualization of a settled scheme.
• Design accuracy: where exact geometry matters, the scope needs controlled 3D output, sufficient architectural documents and validation of design-critical details by the client or architect. That is a different job from an illustrative concept.
• Image count: the full package includes at least 20 finished images for the agreed spaces and experiences, and further views are agreed as additional deliverables.
• Performances, music and licensing: complex performances and specialist licensing are quoted separately.
• Formats and versions: vertical edits, cutdowns and website loops are scoped separately from the main film.

4. Comparing two quotes on the same brief

The fastest way to compare bids is to send the same written brief to each studio and to ask for the same list of items back. A lower total often reflects a shorter deliverable list rather than a cheaper production.

• Which spaces and experiences are covered, and how much finished film does each one get?
• How many finished still images are included, at what resolution and aspect ratios?
• Is the design supplied as a model or plans, or is the form being developed from references?
• How many consolidated feedback rounds are included, and what happens after them?
• Which files are handed over, and what usage rights come with them?
• Are taxes, music licensing, additional edits and format adaptations included or separate?
• What are the review dates, and who approves each stage?

5. What the starting price assumes, and what it excludes

The agreed production scope can be delivered in five working days once the brief, inputs, deliverables and direction are confirmed and the first payment has been received. Client review time is additional, and delayed feedback or a changed scope moves the delivery date.

Two consolidated feedback rounds are included. A new direction after approval, or additional rounds, are scoped separately, so ask every studio how many rounds its price assumes and what happens after them.

A starting price covers the package deliverables and the agreed production stages. Several items are commonly separate, and a proposal names them before work begins.

• Applicable taxes.
• Extensive modelling, design development and complex performances.
• Specialist licensing, such as commercial music or third-party assets.
• Additional deliverables, vertical edits, cutdowns and website loops outside the agreed list.
• A complete investor deck, editable presentation files, editable Blender scenes or source models, unless the proposal includes them.

6. How to budget a first step

Imagery produced from a concept is illustrative: it supports a discussion about a proposed destination, and it does not validate dimensions, capacity, cost or investment returns. The proposal keeps conceptual elements separate from supplied or approved design, so that everyone knows which is which.

If the design is still moving, a pilot from €2,500 is usually the lower-cost way to test the visual direction: one space, a short sequence and two stills, credited if the project continues on the same approved scope.

If the presentation already has to connect several spaces into one destination story, the full package from €7,500 is the appropriate scope, with a 60 to 180 second film and at least 20 images.

Send the meeting date, the audience, the spaces that matter and whatever design material exists. The format itself changes both the brief and the price, so agree it before the quote.

Compare the formats in the guide to concept films, walkthroughs and stills before fixing the scope.