Caribbean hotel brand Blue Diamond Resorts announced that it has mapped its entire portfolio with immersive 3D scenarios that take each resort into the metaverse and make it easy for travelers and travel professionals to experience 360° virtual tours of all on-property details through an easy-to-use interface.
Blue Diamond Resorts, it says, is the first brand to fully map its entire portfolio. Anticipated to be available for virtual touring before the end of April 2024, this initiative demonstrates Blue Diamond Resorts’ commitment to innovation and leadership in providing immersive experiences for its guests.
The functionality opens a virtual door for travelers of all types — business professionals focused on Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE) and travel advisors — to experience on-property features in precise detail, enabling each to pick and choose the resort product that meets their individual desires or the needs of companies or clientele. For example, at Royalton Bavaro, An Autograph Collection All-Inclusive Resort & Casino, travelers can virtually drift along a 1,200-foot-long lazy river, master the waves a FlowRider surf simulator and relish cuisine with hassle-free, reservation-free dining options.
“We’ve witnessed the growing significance of all-inclusive hospitality for global travelers, and at Blue Diamond Resorts, we firmly believe that the guest experience should commence even before the booking stage. By placing all our resorts in the virtual realm and showcasing every detail, we aim to extend our robust all-inclusive offerings to our valued guests and travel partners,” said Jurgen Stutz, senior vice president, sales, marketing and distribution for Blue Diamond Resorts. “The challenge is not just about conveying the concept of all-inclusive to those unfamiliar; it’s about navigating the unique attributes of each of our brands, catering to distinct customer preferences. Our presence in the virtual reality universe isn’t arbitrary; it’s a testament to our deep understanding of our diverse customer base.”
The dedicated team numbers more than 30, including eight skilled photographers and a dozen marketing and branding professionals who work together mapping individual Blue Diamond Resorts, all of which have remained open during the project.
The metaverse experience is just one of several tech-forward hospitality innovations that Blue Diamond Resorts has offered guests of late, including first-person-view drone tours of individual properties, known as “Above and Beyond”; radio frequency identification technology bracelets for guests to wear onsite to enter their guest rooms and various AI-driven tools that are enhancing the company’s booking engines, website experiences and email journeys, smoothing the path from reservations to onsite enjoyment.
In the meantime, Blue Diamond Resorts has seen the 3D renderings prove quite attractive to users. When initially introduced for two resorts in fall 2023, visitors spent an average of 30 minutes experiencing on-property details virtually. Now, the visits can last anywhere from 15 minutes to more than an hour for, say, a MICE professional sizing up a meeting space for a client. The innovation also propels the conversion rate to surpass $1.4 million USD in business opportunities, solidifying its position in the all-inclusive segment.
