What is a virtual reality tour?
Virtual reality is for more than video games. We can recreate your space in the real world and show it to people in the digital world using the Internet. We use specialized equipment and techniques to photograph your space in 360 degrees and then use software to make it so the images can be viewed online. Our virtual reality tours can go on your website, on other websites, and work great on computers, tablets, and smartphones.
Below is a sample virtual reality tour we created of PlayhouseSquare. Click and drag your mouse on a computer, or drag your finger on a tablet or smartphone to look around. Also, click on the arrow buttons to move to different viewpoint.
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How can virtual reality help me promote my place?
Once your real-life place is turned into a virtual reality, it becomes a valuable tool to help people see your space from anywhere in the world, at any time they want. They help tourists to plan trips, select accommodations, and scope out attractions. Event planners use virtual tours to select wedding venues and plan company events. Spa and salon customers will see how comfortable and relaxing their surroundings will be.
Since most people now get their news and information online, virtual reality can really help to tell the story of your place—making it easy to remember, easy to share, and easy to explain. We can integrate virtual tours with booking and reservation engines, add informational guides, and even put video elements inside your tour.
Virtual reality also gets visitors to spend more time on your website. Some clients see a tripling or even quadrupling of the time spent on their website once they add a virtual tour! An added benefit of having users spend so much time on your website is that they spend less time looking at your competitor’s sites.
See more about how we’ve helped clients in an article about our virtual reality tours on here on Cleveland.com.
How does virtual reality help me save time?
Some places are so popular, they’re booked years in advance. Virtual reality helps by allowing potential customers to see the space without an appointment, without bothering staff, and without intruding on guests. Think about it—how often do your or your staff waste time on appointments that change their mind or arrive late? Virtual reality tours make it so much easier to separate serious prospects from the casual ones. Your prospective visitors will also be able to take as much time as they need to explore, since the experience is completely under their control.
Which organizations can benefit from virtual reality tours?
- Hotels
- Motels
- Restaurants
- Banquet Halls
- Party Rooms
- Spas
- Salons
- Country Clubs
- Golf Courses
- Amusement Parks
- Convention Centers
- Apartments and Houses For Rent or Sale
- Retailers
- Hospitals
- Doctors Offices
- Dentist Offices
- Retirement Homes
- Skilled Nursing Facilities
- Funeral Homes
- Tourist Attractions
- Neighborhoods
- Cities
- Regions
What are the uses for virtual reality tours?
- Tourists can plan their visit to museums, parks, and even whole neighborhoods, cities, and regions.
- Travelers can check out hotels, motels, hostels, and campgrounds for their trip.
- Couples can look at reception halls and plan wedding details.
- Companies can plan conventions, press events, travel, parties, and retreats.
- Ticket shoppers can check out the view from their seats in stadiums, arenas, concert halls, and playhouses before they buy.
- People can choose restaurants and entertainment options appropriate to their plans.
- Mobile apps can use virtual reality to help visitors with wayfinding.
- Create a record of a place before and after demolition, renovation, or remodeling.
What is the process to create my virtual reality tour?
- First, we work with you to understand what you want to accomplish with your virtual reality tour, and we send out a proposal showing how we will do that.
- Once you accept the proposal, we complete all the paperwork and set an appointment for your shoot.
- Indoor360 photographs your location. Depending on the size of the job and the conditions, this takes anywhere from under an hour to half a day for most jobs.
- We take care of all the processing at our offices, and within 2-4 weeks your virtual reality tour becomes available.
- We work with you, your marketing staff, and your webmaster, if necessary to add details to your tour and make sure it works with your website. This is a step that is so often missed by other virtual reality photographers! We will hold your hand as much or as little as necessary to make sure you get the maximum benefit from your virtual reality tour so that we can work together for many years to come as things change both online and in the real world.
Still curious? Ready to get started? Call us now or send us a message and we’ll be happy to help!
See us featured on Cleveland.com: Check out these 360-degree panoramas of Cleveland’s landmarks, streetscapes shot by Lee Hawkins