3D Tours, Photos, Video & Aerial Media for Hotels & Resorts in Central & Eastern Virginia
Updated: Oct 31
Hotel photography can make a property look attractive, but it does not always show guests, meeting planners, wedding clients, or relocation travelers how the property actually fits together.
I create Matterport 3D tours, photography, video, 360° imagery, Google Maps 360° experiences, and aerial media that can help people understand guestrooms, amenities, restaurants, meeting spaces, and the surrounding destination before they arrive.
Hotels can approve only the spaces and media types they are comfortable with. Google Maps publication, aerial media, separately operated businesses, hosting, and branding can all be handled independently.
On This Page
Hotel Photography & Salamander Middleburg
Top-Ranked Hotels Using Virtual Tours
Meeting Planners, Events & Cvent
Google Maps & Street View Visibility
Connected Hotel Tours & Nearby Attractions
Hotel Restaurants & Independent Amenities
Guestrooms, Pools & Other Hotel Spaces
Photography, Video & Aerial Media
Preparation, Privacy & Permissions
3D Tour Hosting Options & Annual Fees
Hotel Media Reuse & Licensing
Why I Create Hotel Media as a Realtor
Discuss a Hotel or Resort Media Project
See One of My Hotel 3D Tours: Yorktown Beach Hotel
I created the underlying Matterport Pro3 tour of Yorktown Beach Hotel in Historic Yorktown, Virginia and now present it through an enhanced MPSkin interface.
This example is currently unbranded, meaning it does not display my Adam Garrett / Garrett Realty Partners promotional attribution.
Complimentary hosted tours I provide will typically retain my attribution unless we agree to another arrangement (options below).
What Does MPSkin Add?
MPSkin builds on the underlying Matterport model with additional presentation and navigation options such as:
customized menus and submenus;
easier navigation between different parts of a property;
links between separate Matterport tours;
aerial and ground-level 360° panoramas;
photographs;
video;
PDFs;
informational pop-ups;
external links;
additional branding controls; and
other presentation enhancements.
That can be especially useful for hotels with multiple buildings, restaurants, meeting areas, pools, spas, golf, marinas, or other distinct spaces.
Learn more: https://www.abgre.com/3d-tour-hosting-options
3D Tour Hosting & Annual Fees
Matterport and enhanced MPSkin experiences require active hosting.
That differs from simply delivering a photograph or finished video file.
Hotels can choose among branded, unbranded, complimentary, or customized hosting arrangements depending on the project.
3D Tour Hosting Options & Annual Fees
Annual Hosting Prices Per Tour
Hosting Option | Up to 200 Scans | 201–500 Scans | 501–1,000 Scans* |
Complimentary Branded Matterport and/or MPSkin | Free* | Free* | Free* |
Branded Matterport | $45/year | $90/year | $135/year |
Branded MPSkin | $60/year | $110/year | $160/year |
Unbranded Matterport | $100/year | $200/year | $300/year |
Unbranded MPSkin | $150/year | $250/year | $350/year |
Partnership Hosting | By agreement | By agreement | By agreement |
Standalone 360° panorama hosting: $10/year per 360° image.
What Does “Branded” Mean?
Branded hosting can include attribution such as:
Presented by Adam Garrett – Garrett Realty Partners
The lower rates reflect the promotional value I receive from retaining that attribution.
Unbranded hosting removes my personal and Garrett Realty Partners promotional branding from the presentation. The underlying technology provider may still display its own branding.
The Yorktown Beach Hotel tour above is an unbranded MPSkin example.
What About Complimentary Hosting?
I may provide complimentary branded Matterport and/or MPSkin hosting when a project has sufficient public, promotional, educational, real-estate, community, or other value.
Complimentary hosting is offered at my discretion and does not guarantee a particular hosting period unless we agree to one in advance.
Hotels that want a guaranteed 12-month hosting commitment can choose an applicable paid annual option or discuss a customized partnership arrangement.
What About Very Large Hotels or Resorts?
*Projects exceeding 500 scans may remain as one larger Matterport tour or be divided into several interconnected tours depending on the property's layout, usability, loading performance, and project goals.
A large property could potentially use separate tours for:
the primary hotel;
representative guestrooms;
restaurants;
meeting and event spaces;
spa or recreation facilities; and
additional buildings or major amenities.
When multiple separately hosted Matterport models are used, hosting is generally based on the applicable rate for each tour.
What About Restaurants?
A hotel restaurant can either be incorporated into the hotel's main Matterport model or, where useful, have its own Matterport/MPSkin experience.
A separately hosted restaurant tour would have its own applicable hosting cost.
Alternatively, approved connected 360° imagery can potentially be published separately to Google Maps without requiring ongoing Matterport or MPSkin hosting for that Google Maps version.
Google controls continued publication and presentation of contributed imagery.
Partnership Hosting
For selected hotels and resorts, I may also consider customized partnership arrangements instead of conventional annual payment.
Potential arrangements can involve meaningful discounts, accommodations, experiences, memberships, or other mutually agreed benefits that provide substantial value to my real-estate clients and, depending on the arrangement, to me personally.
Partnership terms are negotiated individually.
Complete hosting details:https://www.abgre.com/3d-tour-hosting-options
Hotel & Resort Photography
3D is only one part of a hotel media package.
Conventional photography and video remain useful for:
hotel websites;
booking pages;
Google;
social media;
meeting sales;
press;
room-type pages; and
other marketing.
The purpose of showing these photographs is not to suggest that I created a Matterport tour for every hotel pictured.
They demonstrate my experience photographing hospitality and resort environments in addition to creating immersive 3D and 360° media.
Salamander Middleburg: One of Virginia's Highest-Ranked Hotels Also Uses Virtual Tours
Salamander Middleburg is one of Virginia's most highly recognized luxury resorts.
In U.S. News & World Report's 2026 rankings, it placed:
As you can see above, I have personally photographed the resort, including its grounds and outdoor amenities. The photographs above were captured during my own visits rather than as part of a commissioned media project for Salamander.
The resort also provides interactive virtual tours of its facilities, demonstrating that even nationally recognized luxury hotels use immersive media to help guests and event planners understand their properties remotely.
Explore Salamander Middleburg's Interactive Virtual Tours
Salamander Middleburg offers interactive virtual tours through its official website, including selected meeting and event facilities.
Examples include the Equestrian Center, Middleburg Ballroom, and other indoor and outdoor gathering spaces.
These presentations can help prospective clients understand the size, atmosphere, and layout of venues before arranging an in-person visit.
Salamander Middleburg on Google Maps
Salamander Middleburg also provides an example of 360° imagery available through Google Maps.
Google Maps and a hotel's separately hosted virtual tours serve different purposes.
Google Maps imagery allows travelers to explore available panoramic viewpoints through Google's mapping environment. A dedicated hotel virtual-tour platform can provide additional features, navigation, or information designed specifically for guests and event planners.
Both can complement conventional hotel photography.
Salamander Middleburg demonstrates that immersive media is used alongside traditional photography by highly recognized luxury resorts.
Major Hotels Already Use 3D
Immersive hotel tours are already being used across the hospitality industry.
Major hotel brands and prominent individual properties have used Matterport or similar immersive presentation for guestrooms, suites, meeting facilities, event spaces, and other hospitality environments.
Hotels do not have to be large luxury properties to benefit from 3D, but the technology is well established beyond small independent hotels.
Some of America's Highest-Ranked Hotels Already Use Immersive Virtual Tours
Several of the ten highest-ranked hotels in U.S. News & World Report's 2026 Best Hotels in the USA rankings have documented interactive virtual-tour experiences.
Some use virtual tours to present guestrooms and suites. Others focus on ballrooms, wedding venues, meeting facilities, or more extensive interactive property experiences.
The technologies vary. Not every virtual tour is a Matterport digital twin, and some hospitality platforms combine Matterport with 360° photography, video, floor plans, or other media.
Explore 6 of America's Top-10-Ranked Hotels Using Virtual Tours
#2 — Four Seasons Resort Lanai, Hawaii
Four Seasons offers interactive virtual tours of selected guestrooms and suites through Visiting Media.
Explore Four Seasons Resort Lanai's Virtual Tour
#3 — The Langham, Chicago
The hotel's official website links to a Visiting Media TrueTour experience that allows prospective visitors to explore the property remotely.
Explore The Langham Chicago Virtual Tour
#4 — Mandarin Oriental, New York
The hotel's official website offers virtual tours of selected event spaces, including its Mandarin Ballroom and Asiate.
Explore Mandarin Oriental New York's Event Spaces
#8 — Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa, California
Rancho Valencia uses StepInside, an enhanced hospitality-media presentation platform.
The project's producer has documented Matterport 3D capture at the resort, while StepInside offers a system for organizing virtual tours, aerial 360° imagery, photography, video, and other property information.
This is an especially relevant example of combining several media formats into one organized hotel experience.
Explore StepInside's Hospitality Platform and Rancho Valencia Example
#9 — Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club, Florida
Four Seasons provides interactive virtual tours for selected accommodations through Visiting Media.
Explore Four Seasons at The Surf Club's Suite Virtual Tour
#10 — Montage Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina
Montage includes virtual-tour links directly alongside information about numerous meeting and event spaces, including ballrooms, chapels, and outdoor venues.
This shows how a luxury resort can use multiple individual tours to help clients evaluate specific event locations.
These examples demonstrate that immersive media is already used by some of America's most highly recognized hotels and resorts.
For some properties, the primary value may be helping a guest understand a room. For others, it may be helping a meeting planner compare event spaces or helping a prospective visitor explore a complex resort before arriving.
3D Can Help With More Than Leisure Bookings
Hotels frequently serve several audiences:
overnight guests;
relocation travelers;
wedding clients;
meeting planners;
corporate groups;
conference organizers;
families;
extended-stay guests; and
event attendees.
A strong 3D experience can help several of those audiences evaluate a property before an in-person visit.
Meeting & Event Planners Can Encounter 3D During Venue Sourcing
For hotels with meaningful meeting, conference, wedding, banquet, or group business, 3D can be especially useful.
Cvent supports immersive 3D walkthroughs for qualifying hotel and venue profiles within the Cvent Supplier Network, where planners research and compare properties.
That means 3D can become part of the venue-sourcing process rather than simply a feature someone discovers later on the hotel's own website.
Potentially useful spaces include:
ballrooms;
pre-function areas;
boardrooms;
breakout rooms;
registration spaces;
wedding lawns;
terraces;
reception spaces; and
outdoor event venues.
A planner can remotely understand:
Lobby → Pre-Function Area → Ballroom → Breakout Rooms → Outdoor Event Space
in a way isolated photographs may not communicate as clearly.
Can Meeting Planners Filter for Hotels With 3D Tours?
Yes.
In a May 2026 product update, Cvent specifically identified 3D as a search filter available within Cvent Supplier Network.
That means eligible venues with qualifying 3D capabilities can potentially be identified by planners during the venue-search process.
This is different from simply displaying a virtual-tour link somewhere on a hotel's own website.
For properties with significant meeting and event business, the distinction can be important because 3D may become part of the initial venue-selection process.
Does Having a Matterport Tour Automatically Qualify a Hotel for Cvent?
No.
Having a Matterport tour does not automatically mean a hotel's listing will appear when a planner filters for 3D-enabled venues.
Cvent has specific platform and integration requirements for its products.
For example, Cvent's integrated 3D Walkthrough offering combines Matterport scans through Visiting Media with Cvent's Photo-Realistic 3D and event-diagramming technology.
Eligibility for that particular integration requires more than simply possessing a publicly hosted Matterport tour.
Hotels interested in Cvent distribution should verify the current requirements with Cvent or their applicable technology provider.
Google Maps Can Give the Property Another Audience
A hotel's immersive media does not necessarily need to live only on the hotel's own website.
Selected approved 360° imagery can potentially be published through Google Maps / Street View, giving travelers another way to explore the property while they are already researching it.
Matterport / MPSkin vs. Google Maps 360°
These are related but different experiences.
Matterport / MPSkin
Better suited for a richer property experience, potentially including:
spatial navigation;
dollhouse views;
floor-plan perspectives;
custom menus;
Mattertags;
photos;
video;
informational links;
aerial panoramas;
multiple connected tours; and
customized presentation.
Google Maps / Street View
Better suited for:
public visibility;
location-based discovery;
connected panoramic viewpoints;
exploration through Google's ecosystem; and
allowing someone to investigate selected spaces without first reaching the hotel's own website.
A full Matterport digital twin is not reproduced inside Google Maps.
The platforms can complement one another.
Why Google Maps Visibility Can Matter
Travelers may already be researching a hotel through:
Google Search;
Google Maps;
reviews;
nearby restaurants;
attractions;
directions;
Street View;
the hotel's Google Business Profile; or
the surrounding neighborhood.
Approved 360° imagery provides another opportunity for those people to explore the property.
Potential areas might include:
entrance;
lobby;
restaurant;
breakfast area;
meeting facilities;
pool;
fitness space;
grounds; and
other approved guest-facing spaces.
I would not promise that adding 360° imagery improves the hotel's search ranking.
The clearer benefit is additional visual visibility in an environment where travelers may already be researching the hotel.
Google Maps 360° Can Outlive the Hosted Matterport Tour
Google Maps publication is separate from my Matterport or MPSkin hosting.
Approved connected 360° imagery that has been published through Google Maps may remain publicly accessible even if I later archive the underlying Matterport model or discontinue an MPSkin presentation.
That means Google Maps can potentially provide a longer-lasting public-facing version without requiring the hotel to maintain a separate Matterport hosting subscription for that Google version.
Google ultimately controls whether contributed imagery remains available and how it is displayed, so permanent availability cannot be guaranteed.
What About the Area Around the Hotel?
Most hotel virtual tours focus primarily on the property itself—guestrooms, suites, lobbies, pools, restaurants, meeting spaces, and other hotel amenities.
For some hotels, however, the surrounding area is part of the reason someone chooses the property.
Where appropriate, I may create a broader experience that helps visitors understand not only the hotel itself, but also how it relates to nearby destinations.
That can be particularly useful for:
beachfront and waterfront hotels;
resorts;
hotels in walkable historic districts;
properties near marinas;
downtown hotels;
hotels surrounded by restaurants or shopping;
golf properties;
hotels near major attractions;
conference hotels near event destinations; and
properties where location is a major part of the guest experience.
What Could Be Included?
Depending on permissions, location, safety, and the media being used, a broader hotel experience could potentially incorporate:
surrounding streets and pedestrian routes;
waterfront or beach areas;
nearby parks;
marinas and docks;
restaurants;
shops;
historic areas;
attractions;
trails or boardwalks;
conference or event destinations;
aerial 360° views;
Google Maps 360° imagery;
photographs and video; and
links or hotspots connecting viewers to nearby destinations.
Those surrounding locations do not all need to be part of the hotel's Matterport model.
They can instead be connected through:
MPSkin menus;
separate Matterport tours;
standalone 360° panoramas;
aerial 360° imagery;
Google Maps;
photography;
video;
maps; or
external links.
This Is Less Common Than a Property-Only Hotel Tour
Most hotel 3D experiences concentrate primarily on the hotel itself.
Some more sophisticated hospitality tours go farther by incorporating the destination around the property.
For example, a W Toronto virtual-tour project used multiple Matterport spaces together with a drone panorama specifically to place the hotel in context and highlight nearby attractions.
The Conrad Singapore Marina Bay virtual tour provides another example. Its experience uses an aerial 360° to place the hotel within the surrounding Marina Bay area and incorporates interactive nearby landmarks, walking information, directions, and other destination context.
So this broader approach is not unique, but it appears considerably less common than a conventional hotel tour focused only on guestrooms and on-property amenities.
For the right property, that distinction can matter:
A traditional hotel tour answers:“What is the hotel like?”
A destination-oriented experience can also answer:“What is it like to stay here?”
That can be particularly valuable when the hotel's location is one of its strongest selling points.
Separate Permissions Still Apply
The hotel cannot necessarily authorize photography, video, or 3D capture inside surrounding businesses or independently controlled properties.
If a nearby:
restaurant;
attraction;
marina;
museum;
club;
retail business; or
other organization
would be valuable to document more extensively, I can seek permission from that organization separately.
The final experience should also distinguish clearly between:
hotel-owned or controlled amenities;
separately operated businesses or attractions; and
surrounding public or contextual locations.
Including a nearby destination should not imply that the hotel owns, operates, endorses, or guarantees access to it.
One Hotel Can Have Several Connected Virtual Experiences
A large hotel or resort does not necessarily need to be forced into one enormous Matterport model.
Separate experiences can sometimes be easier to navigate and can serve different audiences more effectively. Multiple Matterport tours can be combined into one using 3rd party programs like MPSkin.
Why Separate Tours Can Sometimes Work Better
Separate tours can be useful when a property has:
several buildings;
extensive meeting facilities;
independently operated restaurants;
a spa;
golf;
a marina;
multiple room categories;
geographically separated amenities;
surrounding destinations worth connecting; or
substantial recreation areas.
For example:
Main Hotel Tour
Lobby, major public spaces, representative rooms, and primary amenities.
Meetings & Events Tour
Ballrooms, pre-function areas, conference rooms, breakout spaces, and outdoor event areas.
Restaurant Tour
A dedicated experience for a significant restaurant or bar.
Spa / Recreation Tour
Spa, pool, fitness, golf, marina, or similar facilities.
Surrounding Area
Nearby attractions, waterfront, restaurants, public spaces, walkable destinations, or other context connected through 360s, maps, links, photography, video, or separate tours.
Aerial 360° Views
Additional elevated context linked through MPSkin.
MPSkin can help organize these into a more unified visitor experience even when the underlying spaces are not all part of one Matterport model.
Hotel Restaurants & Other Publicly Accessible Spaces Can Have Their Own 3D Presence
A significant hotel restaurant or other public space does not necessarily have to be treated as just another room inside the main hotel tour.
It can be:
integrated into the hotel tour;
given its own Matterport tour;
given its own MPSkin presentation;
published separately through Google Maps 360°;
or represented through several of those options at once.
Option 1 — Include the Restaurant or other Public Space in the Main Hotel Tour
This can work well when the restaurant is clearly part of the overall hotel experience.
A visitor could move naturally through:
Lobby → Restaurant → Bar → Patio → Meeting Space → Guestrooms
This is often the simplest option when the restaurant is controlled by the hotel and primarily functions as part of the property.
Option 2 — Give the Restaurant Its Own Matterport / MPSkin Tour
A dedicated restaurant tour can make sense when the restaurant:
has its own identity or brand;
attracts substantial non-hotel traffic;
has private dining or event space;
has a separate entrance;
has its own Google listing;
operates somewhat independently; or
deserves more attention than it would receive inside a very large hotel tour.
The dedicated restaurant experience can still be linked from the broader hotel presentation.
If the restaurant is independently operated, separate authorization from the appropriate operator may be needed.
Option 3 — Publish the Restaurant to Google Maps Without a Separate Hosted Matterport Tour
A restaurant can potentially have approved connected 360° imagery published through Google Maps without requiring a separately hosted Matterport or MPSkin experience.
That could allow the restaurant to have:
Google Maps 360° imagery;
photography;
video;
links from the main hotel experience; and
location-based visibility through Google
without requiring ongoing Matterport hosting for that Google Maps version.
Google controls continued publication and presentation of contributed imagery.
Option 4 — Use Both
A significant restaurant may benefit from combining:
Matterport / MPSkin for the richer interactive experience;
Google Maps 360° for public discovery;
Photography for websites, Google, social media, and marketing;
Video for atmosphere and storytelling;
Aerial Media where the restaurant's setting makes it useful.
These options are not mutually exclusive.
What Parts of a Hotel Could Be Captured?
The hotel determines the approved scope.
Guest Rooms & Suites
Representative room categories are generally more useful than documenting every room number.
Examples can include:
standard king;
two queens;
accessible room;
studio;
one-bedroom suite;
premium suite;
balcony room;
waterfront room;
kitchenette;
extended-stay configuration; and
other meaningfully different layouts.
Rooms should ideally be:
vacant;
fully cleaned;
staged normally;
free of guest possessions;
free of housekeeping equipment; and
representative of what guests should expect.
A guest-room bathroom can naturally be part of understanding the room.
That differs from public locker rooms, changing rooms, or similar privacy-sensitive spaces.
Lobby & Arrival Areas
Potential subjects include:
main entrance;
reception;
lobby seating;
concierge;
bell area;
lounge;
elevators;
staircases;
architectural details; and
connections to other amenities.
Matterport can be particularly useful when the lobby functions as the central hub of the property.
Breakfast Areas
Breakfast can be worth documenting when it is an important part of the guest offering.
Potential subjects include:
buffet;
seating;
coffee service;
hot-food area;
cold-food area;
grab-and-go section; and
overall layout.
A strong capture window may be after breakfast has been fully set but before substantial guest traffic begins.
That can show the actual offering without making guests the focus of the media.
Pools, Hot Tubs & Recreation
Potential subjects include:
indoor pool;
outdoor pool;
resort pool;
hot tub;
cabanas;
pool deck;
beach access;
lawn games;
firepits;
golf;
marina; and
other recreation areas.
Whenever practical, I prefer to document these during lower-traffic periods.
The goal is to show the amenity rather than make guests—especially children—the subjects.
Fitness, Spa & Wellness
Possible spaces include:
fitness center;
yoga area;
spa reception;
relaxation rooms;
treatment facilities;
salon;
sauna;
wellness areas; and
spa pools.
Locker rooms, changing rooms, showers, and similar spaces may be excluded or require separate approval.
Meetings, Weddings & Events
Potential spaces include:
ballrooms;
conference rooms;
boardrooms;
breakout rooms;
pre-function areas;
registration areas;
ceremony spaces;
wedding lawns;
terraces;
cocktail areas; and
reception spaces.
3D can be particularly useful here because it shows how the spaces connect rather than presenting every room as an isolated image.
Photography, Video & Aerial Media Can Complement 3D
Matterport should not replace strong photography or video.
Different media solve different problems.
Photography
Still images are useful for:
booking pages;
hotel websites;
Google;
social media;
press;
brochures;
event proposals;
room-type pages; and
sales presentations.
Video
Video can add:
movement;
atmosphere;
narration;
music;
water;
activity;
aerial motion;
sunrise or sunset;
transitions between spaces; and
guided storytelling.
Aerial Photography & Video
Aerial media can be especially useful for:
waterfront hotels;
beachfront properties;
resorts;
golf hotels;
marina properties;
large conference hotels;
extensive grounds;
urban properties near major landmarks; and
hotels beside major attractions.
It can show:
water;
pools;
golf;
resort layout;
parking;
rooftops;
outdoor event areas;
nearby attractions; and
surrounding context.
I have held an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate since 2020. I fly a DJI Air3S with a large set of filters.
Aerial 360° Panoramas
Aerial 360° imagery allows viewers to look in every direction from an elevated viewpoint.
It can be particularly useful for:
coastline;
waterfront;
golf;
marina;
skyline;
nearby attractions;
surrounding restaurants;
resort grounds; and
broader destination context.
Compatible aerial 360° panoramas can potentially be linked into an enhanced MPSkin experience even when they are separate from the underlying Matterport model.
Image above by Adam shot from his DJI Air3S
Can the Hotel Use the Finished Media?
Yes. Hotels can use the finished media created for their projects. The specific terms, permitted uses, deliverables, and licensing arrangements vary by agreement.
Depending on those terms, the media can be used for:
The hotel's website
Social media
Guest communications
Meeting-planner outreach
Wedding and event proposals
Sales presentations
Promotional and marketing materials
Other agreed purposes
Media Sharing, Attribution & Usage Rights
Different media formats have different delivery and hosting considerations.
Photography and Video: Finished files can be provided for use under the agreed terms without requiring an active Matterport subscription.
Matterport 3D Tours: Hotels can use and share their tours under the agreed arrangement. However, continued availability depends on active hosting, which may involve ongoing costs.
Google Maps 360° Imagery: Hotels can share links to their published imagery, subject to Google's publication policies and continued availability.
Branded Media: When branded media is provided, the agreed branding and attribution should remain intact.
Expanded Usage Rights: Requests for unbranded media, raw files, additional commercial licensing, franchise-wide distribution, third-party booking-platform use, ownership transfers, or specialized editing can be addressed through the agreement.
The goal is to ensure that the hotel can benefit from the finished media while establishing clear expectations concerning usage rights, attribution, hosting, and any additional costs.
Prepare the Property Before Capture
A 3D tour is more difficult to “Photoshop afterward” than an ordinary photograph.
Good preparation usually produces a cleaner finished result.
Detailed checklist: https://www.abgre.com/before-your-matterport-or-other-3d-tour-goes-public-a-privacy-security-approval-checklist
What Should Be Checked Before Capture?
Examples include:
housekeeping carts;
paperwork;
guest information;
Wi-Fi passwords;
access codes;
computer screens;
clutter;
temporary signage;
staff materials;
keys;
security equipment;
mirrors;
reflective surfaces;
doors to excluded spaces; and
anything that should not remain visible in a public-facing tour.
Where practical, removing or correcting something before capture generally produces a better result than relying on blur afterward.
Guest Privacy Comes First
Hotels are temporary homes for their guests.
The project should document the property, not the people staying there.
Guest Privacy
Whenever practical, I prefer:
lower-traffic periods;
vacant guestrooms;
quieter pool times;
cleared event rooms;
dining capture outside peak service;
lightly used fitness areas; and
camera positions that minimize identifiable guests.
A hotel generally does not need to shut down for a media project.
Planning around normal operations is usually more practical.
Occupied Guest Rooms Should be Excluded
Occupied guestrooms should generally be excluded from public-facing hotel media.
Vacant representative rooms can communicate the room type without exposing:
luggage;
documents;
medication;
children's belongings;
electronics;
identifying information; or
other private material.
Back-of-House & Security Areas
A guest-facing tour normally does not need to include:
security offices;
staff rooms;
key-control areas;
housekeeping storage;
mechanical areas;
IT infrastructure;
cash-handling areas;
loading areas;
maintenance rooms; or
other sensitive operational spaces.
A separate facilities-documentation project could have legitimate reasons to capture some of these spaces.
That is different from a public-facing marketing tour.
Privacy Blurring Helps, but Prevention Is Better
Matterport allows sensitive details to be blurred, but a blur remains visibly altered.
Removing sensitive material before capture usually produces a cleaner result.
Adding Blurs vs. Rescans and Blur Removal
In my Matterport workflow:
Adding a new privacy blur to existing imagery does not require rebuilding the model.
However:
adding new scans;
replacing scans;
rescanning part of the property; or
removing an already-applied blur
requires the Matterport data to be uploaded and processed as a new Matterport model.
Prior Matterport edits then have to be recreated, and connected MPSkin links or integrations may also need to be updated.
That is another reason careful preparation and pre-publication review matter.
Brand, Owner & Operator Approval
Hotels can involve several different organizations.
One Approval May Not Cover Everything
Depending on the property, relevant parties can include:
building owner;
hotel operator;
management company;
franchisee;
hotel brand;
restaurant operator;
spa operator;
golf operator;
marina operator; and
retail tenants.
The hotel can determine what internal approvals it needs.
A separately operated restaurant, spa, golf course, marina, or other facility may require separate authorization.
I do not need the hotel to grant authority it does not actually have.
Capture Permission and Publication Permission Can Be Different
A hotel can approve one part of a project without approving everything.
Separate Decisions Can Include
Permission to enter.
Permission to capture media.
Permission to publish publicly.
Permission to publish to Google Maps.
Permission to use aerial media.
Permission to use MPSkin.
Permission for the hotel to reuse the media.
Permission for a separately operated business to use it.
Permission for meeting/event sales use.
Permission for placement on other third-party platforms.
Those answers do not need to be identical.
For example, a hotel could approve a Matterport/MPSkin presentation while declining Google Maps publication.
A restaurant inside the same hotel could make a different decision.
Multiple Capture Windows Can Produce Better Results
Different parts of a hotel may look their best at different times.
In the below example, with the James River Country Club, I captured 3D imagery in the Summer around the peak bloom for crepe myrtles in the summer and in the fall with the fall colors showing around sunset. I also captured some still images in the spring with peak cherry blossom blooms.
Why Multiple Visits May Help
Examples include:
breakfast may require early-morning capture;
guestrooms may become available after checkout;
a ballroom may need to be staged before an event;
the pool may look better later in the day;
rooftop areas may benefit from sunset;
exterior photography may depend on weather; and
aerial operations may need a different window.
Where useful, the property can be documented over several mutually convenient capture windows rather than compromising every area to complete the entire project at once.
Why I Create Hotel Media as a Realtor
Hotels intersect with real estate more often than may initially be obvious.
Clients may need accommodations because they are:
relocating;
house hunting;
waiting for closing;
between homes;
renovating;
hosting visiting family;
moving for work or military service; or
considering an extended stay before buying.
Hotels also matter to the broader local area and destination resources I create.
That does not mean a participating hotel endorses me or Garrett Realty Partners.
What This Does and Does Not Mean
My documenting a property does not constitute an endorsement of:
pricing;
service;
availability;
management;
brand standards;
future condition; or
every aspect of the guest experience.
Likewise, a hotel granting me access does not imply that it endorses me, Garrett Realty Partners, or my real-estate services.
Interested in Discussing a Hotel or Resort?
Useful starting information includes:
property name and location;
appropriate management, marketing, or sales contact;
representative room categories;
major amenities;
restaurants and bars;
meeting and event facilities;
surrounding destinations that may be worth incorporating;
independently operated businesses;
areas that should be excluded;
preferred low-traffic capture periods;
aerial policies;
interest in Google Maps 360° publication;
interest in separate restaurant tours;
preferred hosting or branding structure;
hotel media-reuse needs; and
any brand, privacy, security, ownership, or management requirements.
From there, we can determine whether a project makes sense and what combination of media would actually be useful.
About Adam Garrett
I am a third-generation REALTOR® with Garrett Realty Partners.
My media capabilities include Matterport Pro3 3D capture, Ricoh Theta Z1 camera, photography, video, 360° imagery, aerial photography, aerial video, and aerial 360° imagery where authorized and appropriate. Examples of some of my equipment include a DJI Air3S, DJI Flip, a 24' Manfrotto Tripod, 3 Osmo Mobile 7 Ps, Samsung Galaxy Ultras, additional tripods, and 3 DJI Mic Mini sets with 2 microphones each.
I have created Matterport tours since 2020 and have held an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate since 2020.
My objective is not simply to create another collection of hotel images.
It is to help people understand the property and, where useful, its surrounding destination while respecting guests, hotel operations, privacy, security, ownership, branding, and the limits established for each project.
AI Disclosure
I use AI tools to assist with portions of my research, organization, editing, and content-development process.
I review and revise the resulting material and combine it with my own experience in real estate, Matterport capture, photography, video, drone operations, travel, and community media.
for more details, see How I Use AI in Real Estate
Related Resources
3D Tour Hosting Optionshttps://www.abgre.com/3d-tour-hosting-options
Privacy, Security & Preparation Checklisthttps://www.abgre.com/before-your-matterport-or-other-3d-tour-goes-public-a-privacy-security-approval-checklist
3D Documentation for Significant Spaceshttps://www.abgre.com/3d-documentation-significant-spaces
Restaurant 3D Tours & Google Maps Mediahttps://www.abgre.com/restaurant-3d-tours-google-maps-media
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