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Jordan Hollander
CEO @ HotelTechReport
Jordan is the co-founder of Hotel Tech Report, the hotel industry's app store where millions of professionals discover tech tools to transform their businesses. He was previously on the Global Partnerships team at Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Prior to his work with SPG, Jordan was Director of Business Development at MWT Hospitality and an equity analyst at Wells Capital Management. Jordan received his MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management where he was a Zell Global Entrepreneurship Scholar and a Pritzker Group Venture Fellow.
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Still relying on static photos to sell your hotel online? In a world where travelers expect immersive, on-demand experiences, traditional image galleries just don’t cut it. Virtual tour software helps hoteliers bring their property to life with 360° walkthroughs that boost direct bookings, reduce pre-stay questions, and build guest trust before arrival. Whether you're looking to stand out on your website, OTA listings, or in sales proposals, virtual tours are one of the most powerful tools to showcase your space authentically. In this guide, you’ll explore leading providers, key features to look for, and tips for using virtual tours to drive conversions and wow potential guests.
3D tour software enables hotels to create immersive, interactive virtual walkthroughs of their properties—giving guests the ability to explore rooms, amenities, and event spaces from anywhere in the world. These visually rich tours offer a realistic, self-guided experience that brings the property to life and builds trust with potential guests. Here’s how hotels are using it to drive real value:
1. Boost direct bookings. By showcasing rooms and amenities in vivid detail, virtual tours build confidence and reduce uncertainty—helping guests feel more comfortable booking directly through the hotel’s website.
2. Accelerate group sales and event bookings. Sales teams use 3D tours to give planners a clear sense of meeting rooms, banquet setups, and event flow without requiring an in-person site visit—streamlining the decision-making process for weddings, conferences, and corporate events.
3. Enhance upsell opportunities. Hotels can spotlight premium room types, upgraded amenities, or add-on experiences like spa services or rooftop lounges directly within the tour, encouraging guests to upgrade or add extras to their stay.
4. Improve global reach and accessibility. Virtual tours let international travelers, travel agents, and corporate clients experience the property remotely—breaking down barriers of time zones, distance, and availability.
5. Reduce reliance on static images and brochures. Replace outdated marketing collateral with dynamic, immersive content that gives guests a genuine feel for the property—leading to higher engagement and better conversion rates.
6. Differentiate from competitors. Offering a virtual tour positions your hotel as modern, transparent, and guest-focused—qualities that resonate with today’s digital-first travelers who want to know exactly what they’re getting before they book.
Choosing the right 3D Virtual Tours for your hotel depends on several variables some of which come down to personal preference but most of which come down to the characteristics of your property. Is your hotel a small property with limited budget? Or is your property a luxury resort with lots of outlets and high ADR? Below are HTR’s defined key personas based on common property characteristics that typically indicate similar product choices.
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Leveraging 3D virtual tours and digital twins in the hospitality industry offers several significant benefits that can enhance the guest experience, improve operational efficiency, and provide strategic advantages to hoteliers. Here’s a detailed look at some of these benefits:
Enhanced Guest Experience: Pre-arrival Familiarity: Guests can explore accommodations and facilities beforehand, which helps set expectations and increases satisfaction. Customization: Potential guests can choose specific rooms or amenities they prefer based on their virtual experience, leading to a more personalized stay.
Increased Bookings: Marketing Tool: By showcasing the hotel through immersive virtual tours, hotels can attract more bookings. A realistic, detailed view of the property can be more persuasive than photos and descriptions alone. Global Reach: Virtual tours are accessible to a global audience, enabling hotels to market to international travelers more effectively.
Operational Efficiency: Remote Monitoring and Management: Digital twins (virtual replicas of hotel properties) allow managers to monitor and manage hotel operations remotely. They can oversee maintenance, energy management, and other operational aspects without needing to be on-site. Training Tool: New staff can be trained virtually, reducing the learning curve and improving service quality. They can familiarize themselves with the layout and operational protocols before physically starting work.
Data-Driven Insights: Occupancy Optimization: Digital twins can help optimize the use of space and resources based on data collected about guest behavior and preferences. Energy Management: They can also be used to better understand energy consumption patterns, leading to more effective energy management and reduced operational costs.
Risk Reduction: Event Planning: Virtual tours can be invaluable for event planners, allowing them to visualize spaces and layout configurations for events without on-site visits. Maintenance and Safety: With a digital twin, potential issues can be identified and addressed before they become actual problems, enhancing safety and reducing maintenance costs.
Competitive Advantage: Innovation Leader: By adopting these technologies, hotels position themselves as innovative leaders in the hospitality industry, which can be a strong differentiating factor. Customer Engagement: Interactive and engaging digital experiences can increase brand loyalty and customer engagement, as guests appreciate innovative and convenient planning tools.
Sustainability: Reduced Carbon Footprint: By facilitating virtual visits, hotels can reduce the need for physical travel, contributing to lower carbon emissions associated with guest pre-visits, especially for events and conferences.
Overall, 3D virtual tours and digital twins represent a forward-thinking approach to managing hotel operations and marketing, providing a comprehensive set of tools for improving guest experiences, optimizing operations, and enhancing the overall profitability and sustainability of hospitality enterprises.
Virtual tour software typically includes a range of features designed to create immersive, interactive experiences that showcase properties or locations in detail. Here are some of the main features commonly found in such software:
360-Degree Panoramic Views: Users can view full 360-degree panoramas of rooms, facilities, and outdoor areas, giving them a comprehensive look as if they are physically present.
Interactive Hotspots: Clickable areas within the tour can open up additional information, such as text descriptions, videos, or images, providing more details about specific features or amenities.
Integration with Mapping Platforms: Tours can be integrated with floor plans or mapping interfaces, allowing users to understand the layout of the space and navigate between different areas or floors easily.
Virtual Reality (VR) Compatibility: Some software supports VR headsets, offering a fully immersive experience where the user feels like they are actually walking through the virtual space.
Multimedia Integration: Embedding multimedia elements like background music, voice narrations, and videos can enhance the emotional appeal and informativeness of the tour.
Custom Branding: The ability to customize the interface and tour elements with the company’s branding, such as logos, colors, and themes, to maintain brand consistency and recognition.
Social Media and Website Integration: Tours can be easily shared on social media or embedded in websites, making them accessible to a wider audience and easy to incorporate into digital marketing strategies.
Analytics and Reporting: Advanced analytics tools to track user engagement and behavior during the tour, which can provide valuable insights into what potential customers are most interested in.
Mobile Compatibility: Ensuring the virtual tours are accessible on various devices, including smartphones and tablets, is crucial for reaching users on-the-go.
Lead Generation Tools: Features like forms, direct booking links, or contact information prompts can be integrated to facilitate direct actions from potential customers, turning viewers into leads.
These features help businesses in the hospitality sector, among others, to provide potential clients with a detailed, engaging, and accessible view of their offerings, ultimately aiding in marketing and sales efforts.
Pricing for hotel virtual tour software can vary based on factors like the size of the property, the level of customization, and whether you're hiring a provider for on-site capture or using a self-service platform. Here’s an overview of common pricing models and what to expect:
Pay-per-tour (one-time fee)
Many providers charge a flat fee for creating a single virtual tour. This includes the 360° photo shoot, editing, and tour setup.
• Typical range: $500 – $5,000+ depending on property size and complexity.
• Best for: Independent hotels or those just starting with virtual tours.
Subscription-based (software-as-a-service)
Some platforms offer monthly or annual plans that include access to a self-service tour builder, hosting, analytics, and support.
• Typical range: $50 – $300/month.
• Best for: Hotel groups, marketing teams that want ongoing control, or those frequently updating content.
Custom enterprise pricing
Larger properties, resorts, or hotel groups may negotiate custom packages that include multiple tours, integrations, priority support, and white-labeling.
• Typical range: $5,000 – $20,000+ annually.
• Best for: Brands looking for scalability, multi-property rollout, or tight integration with other digital tools.
Add-on services
Additional costs may apply for drone footage, interactive overlays, voiceovers, embedded booking links, or integration with booking engines and CRMs.
When evaluating providers, consider not just the upfront cost but also ongoing hosting fees, content update flexibility, and integration capabilities with your marketing stack.
Launching a hotel virtual tour involves a mix of creative production and tech setup—but with the right provider, the process is streamlined and fits neatly into existing marketing and sales workflows.
Here’s how it typically works:
Property assessment: Identify which spaces to showcase (e.g. room types, lobby, pool, meeting rooms).
Shot list creation: Work with your provider to outline key scenes, angles, and hotspots.
Scheduling: Coordinate timing for on-site capture to avoid guest disruption and ensure spaces are photo-ready.
A professional photographer or technician visits your property to capture high-resolution 360° imagery, drone footage (if needed), and video/audio components.
Larger resorts or multi-property shoots may take longer, but individual hotels can often be shot in a single day.
Imagery is stitched together into a seamless, interactive tour.
Interactive features (e.g. hotspots, info panels, videos, booking buttons) are added.
You’ll receive a draft version for review and feedback before final delivery.
Embed on website: Your tour is typically hosted in the cloud and embedded directly into your hotel’s website, landing pages, or booking engine.
Integrate with marketing tools: Add to email campaigns, social media posts, and digital ads to maximize visibility.
Train staff: Sales and reservations teams are briefed on how to use the tour in outreach and proposal materials.
Once live, your virtual tour becomes a high-impact asset that integrates into your hotel’s full funnel—boosting SEO, driving direct bookings, enhancing email campaigns, and accelerating group and event sales.
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