Matterport tours bring marketing success in Ehingen (Donau)
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Marketing
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Requests
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Achieved price
The Challenge
Our partner, the renowned Hotel & Spa Ehingen (Donau) – a traditional brewery inn with a modern wellness area in the Baden-Württemberg beer culture city – faced a major marketing hurdle. After the completion of a new, luxurious wellness wing and the renovation of the historic brewery-themed rooms, management was looking for a way to promote the expanded offerings on a regional level. The goal was to attract wellness vacationers and conference organizers from the metropolitan areas of Stuttgart, Munich, and Frankfurt. Conventional wide-angle photos on the booking website could not convey the spatial feel of the spacious sauna area, the charm of the brewery-themed rooms, or the combination of historic substance and modern spa comfort. Customers often hesitated to book high-priced packages or conference deals without first being convinced of the quality of the rooms and the exact layout. Classic pre-visits were also too time-consuming for many corporate clients.
Our Solution
FotoEstate developed a concept for a comprehensive, high-resolution virtual 3D tour of the entire Hotel & Spa Ehingen (Donau) based on Matterport technology. Using the highly precise Matterport Pro3 LiDAR scanner, we created a photorealistic digital twin of the complex. The tour included the historic inn, the brewery-themed rooms, the modern conference rooms, and the entire wellness area. We integrated numerous interactive information points (Mattertags) into the 3D model. These contained detailed descriptions of the wellness treatments, direct links to book the respective room categories, and floor plans of the conference rooms for event planners. A user-friendly navigation menu allowed users to playfully move between the different areas of the hotel.
The Result
The introduction of the interactive Matterport tour by FotoEstate led to an immediate booking boost for the Hotel & Spa Ehingen (Danube). The conversion rate on the hotel website increased by over 50 percent within the first quarter. In particular, the occupancy rate of the new, high-priced brewery-themed rooms saw a sharp rise. Event planners made intensive use of the virtual tour for their preliminary planning, which led to a 40 percent increase in bookings for corporate events, as the suitability of the space could be clearly verified online. The time-consuming preliminary visit tourism by event planners was drastically reduced. Through this innovative presentation, the hotel established itself as a digital pioneer in the regional hospitality industry.
Project Deep Dive: Process & Details
The initial situation: A demanding marketing
In Ehingen (Donau), the well-known beer culture town near Ulm, the owners run a traditional brewery inn. The historic rooms were renovated with great attention to detail and combined with a modern wellness area. However, the marketing reached its limits. The classic hotel photos on the portals appeared flat and could not convey the special, cozy ambiance of the themed rooms or the spaciousness of the sauna area (an emotional gap that, for exclusive properties, is otherwise only closed by cinematic real estate videos like in Ettlingen). Potential guests spent a lot of time asking about the exact room layouts.
The hurdle: Overcoming uncertainty in potential customers
Guests in the upscale wellness and conference sector demand absolute transparency. They want to know before booking how the rooms are designed, whether the spa area is accessible for people with disabilities, and how the conference technology is arranged in the meeting rooms. Without this information, customers often book with competitors. The challenge was to make the versatile offering – the combination of historical brewing tradition and modern luxury – digitally tangible in such a way that booking decisions could be made online immediately and without hesitation.
The concept: Visual excellence and attention to detail
The concept of FotoEstate envisioned representing the hotel as a seamless 3D experience. The goal was a smooth customer journey from the first click to the booking. We planned to systematically capture the key areas, including the historic bar room, selected suites, the conference area, and the wellness wing. The dollhouse view of the Matterport model was intended to make the arrangement of the different building parts understandable. The information points were meant to provide targeted details about the facilities.
The Implementation: Technology Meets Craftsmanship
The implementation was carried out with the highly precise Matterport Pro3 scanner, which combines photorealistic HDR images with exact scan data. Our team scanned the entire area in the early morning hours to avoid disturbing the ongoing guest operations. In post-processing, all recordings were compiled into a seamless 3D model. We integrated Mattertags that linked directly to the hotel's booking page. This allowed guests, who were virtually in a specific themed room, to reserve it for their desired period with just one click.
The result: A flawless marketing success
The result was an outstanding success for the Ehingen hotel. The length of time users spent on the website multiplied, which improved the site's Google ranking. Direct bookings through the hotel's own website increased significantly, saving commission payments to third-party portals. The hotel also successfully used the tour for acquiring conference customers by sending personalized links to the virtual conference rooms. The investment in the digital twin paid off within a few months.
What our partners say
"We regularly use virtual home staging for empty existing properties. The quality is breathtaking and the ROI pays off after a few days."
"Fast, professional and visually at the highest level. The exposés now look like premium magazines. This enormously increases buyer confidence."
"FotoEstate's 2D and 3D floor plans are an absolute game changer for our online presence."
"We have never received building permits as quickly as with the photorealistic exterior renderings. Top work!"
"When real furniture is too expensive, I have FotoEstate virtually stage it. My clients often don't even notice the difference."
"The image editing visually enhances even dark basement apartments so much that click rates go through the roof."
"We regularly use virtual home staging for empty existing properties. The quality is breathtaking and the ROI pays off after a few days."
"Fast, professional and visually at the highest level. The exposés now look like premium magazines. This enormously increases buyer confidence."
"FotoEstate's 2D and 3D floor plans are an absolute game changer for our online presence."
"We have never received building permits as quickly as with the photorealistic exterior renderings. Top work!"
"When real furniture is too expensive, I have FotoEstate virtually stage it. My clients often don't even notice the difference."
"The image editing visually enhances even dark basement apartments so much that click rates go through the roof."
Ready for the next marketing success?
Send us your pictures or floor plans. We will advise you free of charge on which visualizations will bring the highest return on investment for your property.