Case Study: Carneros Inn

The Problem: How to differentiate Carneros Inn from its competition

In the competitive Napa Valley hospitality market, The Carneros Inn faces immense rivalry from long-established venues and properties. Boasting some of the most tranquil and unique accommodation options in the Valley – 86 individual cottages, including 10 suites, 17 luxury Napa Valley fractional home cottages, three full-service restaurants and a luxury spa – The Carneros Inn sought an innovative online tool to help them break through to new and returning consumers across the world, and out of the pack of numerous Napa Valley resorts. Brian Gipson, director of sales and marketing for The Carneros Inn, realized that 2-D flat images and a traditional website weren’t enough. He turned to EveryScape to develop a one-of-a-kind interactive and photorealistic WebScape to differentiate the Inn from its competition.

The Solution: Online Experience of Carneros Inn

As a cost-effective website marketing tool with worldwide reach, EveryScape’s digital experience of The Carneros Inn captured the property’s true essence by allowing people to explore the entire resort online as if they were there in-person. Moving beyond one-dimensional photographs, the Inn used the visual experience to engage guests and fully showcase the resort’s wood-burning fireplaces with polished concrete hearths, Brazilian cherry wood floors, French doors leading to private patios and gardens, teak patio furniture, stone kitchen counters, professional grade appliances, private outdoor showers, rooftop sun decks, as well as living rooms with 16-foot ceilings.

The online “walking experience” of The Carneros Inn offers guests the truest possible experience with fine detail that cannot translate over the phone or through a traditional website. Guests can be assured of booking the exact room, cottage or suite that they want without misleading images or information. The Inn’s reservation agents and sales managers can use the WebScape to upsell potential visitors and meeting planners by showcasing upscale amenities and the “flow” of meeting space. The visual experience showcases all facets of The Carneros Inn to people around the world, thus increasing customer retention, word-of-mouth and revenue.

The Results

• $120,000 in direct revenue from the tour pages since March 2008 implementation of WebScape
• Increased online group and wedding bookings (minimum of $12,000) by 38% over prior year
• Web bookings have grown by 43% over prior year
• ADR increase YTD of $120.00 over prior year, up 23%
• Homes bookings increased by 87% over prior year
• Conversion rate up by 1.6% over prior year
• Group conversion increased by 17% with guided tours
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