VR Tour of a Luxury BC Resort

The Goal

Halcyon Hot Springs Resort operates a gorgeous resort and spa nestled above Nakusp, British Columbia, and features a combination of natural beauty, relaxing hot springs, and luxurious cabin accommodations. As the resort started a new chapter under new ownership with a total rebrand and refresh of the facilities, they saw the value in showcasing their offering online with a VR experience created by Viscape 360.

The Process

This project was broken into 2 stages over 2 seasons.

Our full fledged, top to bottom production at the resort occurred in Summer 2022, and included immersive 360 photos capturing the hot springs, accommodations (of all types), the Alcédo restaurant and bar, private dining areas, event spaces, the wedding chapel, and a gorgeous trail walk along the water (featuring mountain views and paddle boarding at the dock). To ensure maximum impact for the final experience, we also completed a series of drone flights to capture 360 aerial images, drone photos, and drone videos, and captured over 150 standard still photos.

Production occurred over 3 days, allowing our team to capture the resort in all types of weather and lighting (from sunrise to the starry night sky). In development, impactful Call-to-Action (CTA) buttons were placed throughout, prompting viewers to take the next step in booking their activity.

In January of 2023, we returned to the resort to capture updated winter exterior views (including an immersive snowy hot spring experience) as well as lifestyle imagery to be featured in Destination BC.

The Result

The proof is in the pudding. To date, the tour - featured front and centre on the resort's website - has had 100,000+ views, an average session of >3 minutes, and a total conversion on CTAs of 20% (people clicking an embedded link to book directly or get in touch with the resort), or 1 in 5 users. Take a look at the metrics below, showcasing the tour's performance in October 2023 alone:

With thousands of hours of total viewership, that's plenty of time to learn about the resort, and equates to increased engagement, understanding, and bookings.

The drone and still photos from the shoot have appeared in multiple publications since then, including National Geographic and the Calgary Herald, as well as on Halcyon Hot Springs Resort's social media, website, and marketing materials.

Here's what the Marketing Manager of Halcyon Hot Springs Resort had to say about the project:

"Viscape 360 did an amazing job on our resort photography and 360 virtual tour! Phoenix was professional, easy to work with and provided us with guidance throughout the shoot.  His drone skills are unmatched, and his creativity made for some breathtaking videos and photos. We were so pleased with the end result, that we have already booked a second shoot with Phoenix."

Check out the resort in immersive VR here.