UgcBoard lets a hotel, inn or short term rental owner hire US creators to film honest stay videos: a room tour, a check in to check out day, a rooftop breakfast, a "what $210 a night gets you" clip. You post a brief for free, creators apply with their rate, you fund the campaign into escrow and pay only for videos you approve. There is no monthly plan, so a property that needs two videos for a spring season pays for two videos.
A traveler judges a hotel by photos that the hotel chose, so they look for proof from someone who stayed. A creator video of the actual room, the actual view and the actual lobby at 7 am answers the questions a listing does not: how big the room feels, how loud the street is, whether breakfast is worth it. On UgcBoard you brief the stay, set the payout, state where the video may run (Instagram, TikTok, your booking page, Meta ads) and get the file with a written license. The stay itself is your cost, so brief tightly and pick creators whose audience matches the guest you want.
The creator walks in, films the entrance, the bed, the bathroom and the window, and says what they notice. The brief lists the three things you want shown and the claims that must not be made, such as "quiet" if the room faces a bar.
A 30 to 45 second cut from morning to night shows the pool, the breakfast, the lobby and the neighborhood. This is the clip that works on your direct booking page and as a Meta ad for the same weekend.
A creator who spends the weekend and films three places within walking distance gives a guest a reason to book you instead of the chain two blocks away.
A creator who posts a stay on their own feed has not licensed you to advertise with it. Say in the brief that you want paid use on Meta or TikTok and for how long. See UGC contract and usage rights for what each right adds to the price.
You choose the payout per video, with the typical US range shown in the campaign builder, instead of accepting a travel agency package price. The UGC rates page shows how rights change the number.
Name the room type, the nights, the three things to show, the claims allowed and the ad rights. The UGC brief guide has a structure creators can film from. State clearly that the stay is complimentary so the creator can disclose it.
Pick a payout per video and fund the campaign into escrow. The money is held until you approve a video.
Creators apply with a portfolio and a rate. Look for travel, lifestyle or weekend trip accounts with stable footage, clear audio and an audience in the markets you draw guests from.
Confirm the dates, let the creator stay and film, then review the video. Ask for up to two revision rounds. On approval the payout goes out, your license starts and you can post or run the clip.
Say you want two videos, one room tour and one day at the property, at a $200 payout each, with paid use on Instagram and Meta ads for three months. Planning the rights at +40% of the base, the campaign budget is $560.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Production, 2 x $200 | $400 |
| Paid use 3 months, +40% | $160 |
| Total funded into escrow | $560 |
| Platform fee inside the budget, 15% | $84 |
| Creator payouts, 85% | $476 |
Each creator receives $238, and no fee is added on top of the $560. The cost you carry yourself is the room. If each creator stays two nights at an average rate of $180 (an assumption, use your own), the comped nights are $720 at rack rate, though the real cost to you is the cleaning and the amenities on rooms that might have stayed empty. If the clips drive five direct bookings of two nights each, that is $1,800 in revenue without a booking site commission. The figures are an example, not a quote or a prediction.
Prices of other options come from public pages in October and November 2026 and change often, so confirm before you buy.
| UgcBoard | Direct message deal with a travel influencer | Agency retainer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly plan | None | None | Monthly fee |
| Who sets creator pay | You, per brief | Negotiated by message | The agency |
| Payment protection | Escrow until approval | Usually none | Contract terms |
| Ad rights | Written per brief | Often unclear | Check the contract |
| Best for | 2 to 6 videos around a season | One creator you already know | Ongoing multi property management |
See the best UGC platforms roundup and the UGC agency alternative page for the longer comparison. For a payment flow that does not rely on trust, read UGC invoice and escrow for paying creators.
One property, one season, a few hundred dollars. You get a handful of videos without a retainer or a travel agency package.
Brief a creator to film the unit, the neighborhood and the check in process. A clear video reduces questions from guests and supports a direct booking page.
A refreshed lobby or a new suite needs fresh proof quickly. Brief two creators with different audiences and keep the hook that earns the most saves.
Post a campaign on UgcBoard with the room type, the nights, what to show, the payout and the ad rights. US creators apply with a portfolio and a rate. You choose, host the stay, review the video and approve it. The file and a written license are yours.
You set the payout per video and pay one flat 15% platform fee inside the budget. Paid ad rights add to the base fee, and the complimentary stay is your own cost. A two video campaign with three months of paid use is $560 in the example above. The UGC rates page has a worked budget.
Yes. The FTC says a material connection, including a free stay, must be disclosed clearly. Put a disclosure line in the brief and ask for it in the caption or the video. See the FTC endorsement guidance.
Yes if the brief and agreement say so. Choose a paid ads term and, if you want to run the ad from the creator's handle, ask for that authorization in the brief.
No. There are no subscriptions, packs or seat charges.
Post the brief, fund it when you are ready, and pay creators exactly what the campaign card says.
Post a paid UGC campaign or apply to one.