Booking a chalet for an event, a family holiday or a group of friends is a big decision. Photographs show how attractive the property is, but a 3D virtual tour helps guests understand the layout and how the space actually works: where everyone will sleep, how the rooms connect and whether there is enough space to spend time together.
For a large chalet, that detail matters a lot. Bedrooms may be spread over several floors. There might be a separate apartment, a pool, a cinema room and terraces that are difficult to place from photographs alone. A Matterport tour brings those spaces together in an interactive view that guests can explore at their own pace.
GoCasa produces Matterport 3D tours for ski chalets, lodges, holiday lets, hotels and hospitality properties across the UK, France and Europe. We have been working with Matterport since 2017 and producing 3D tours since 2006, helping owners and operators show what makes their properties worth visiting. Here is an example 3D tour:
Help guests decide whether your chalet is right for them
The person organising a group holiday often has a long list of questions. Are the children’s bedrooms near the adults? Is there a separate room for grandparents? How far is the annex from the main living space? Can everyone sit together at dinner?
A virtual tour gives them a much clearer starting point. They can walk through the bedrooms, look around the dining area and share the link with the rest of their group. Where enabled, the dollhouse view also helps explain the overall layout and relationship between floors.
This can make enquiries more informed and reduce the back-and-forth needed to explain the property. It also helps set realistic expectations before arrival. For owners, the value is in showing the chalet clearly and helping suitable guests feel confident enough to take the next step.https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=bzVRSBS8RB4&brand=0&title=0&mls=2&play=0&wh=0Explore a chalet layout. Follow the connections between sleeping accommodation and shared living spaces.
Show the facilities that make the holiday
A pool, sauna or cinema may be one of the main reasons someone chooses your chalet. A tour lets them see these spaces in context, including their size, seating and relationship to the rest of the property.
The practical details deserve attention too. A generous ski room, drying area, guest laundry or convenient entrance can make a real difference to a group’s stay. These features are easy to mention in a list, but often easier to understand when guests can see them.
For summer bookings, the emphasis may shift towards terraces, outdoor dining and the garden. A carefully planned tour can support both seasons. We can also add information tags to explain features that are not obvious from the images, such as sleeping arrangements, pool facilities or catering options.
How we produce a chalet virtual tour
1. Agree what to include
We start with your website, approximate floor area and any available floor plans. Together, we identify the spaces guests need to see, the features you want to highlight and anything that should remain private.
For a large property, the main chalet, annex and outdoor areas can be itemised separately in the quote. We also discuss whether the annex is always included in a booking or offered separately, as this affects how it should be presented.
Plant rooms, private storage and staff-only spaces usually do not need to appear in a guest-facing tour. It is best to agree these exclusions before capture rather than rely on hiding them afterwards.
2. Prepare the property
The camera records the chalet as it looks on the day. Prepare it as you would for a professional photoshoot: make the beds, arrange furniture, tidy bathrooms and put away cleaning equipment, luggage and personal paperwork.
Set up each room to reflect what guests will actually receive. Prepare the poolside furniture, ski room and outdoor seating as carefully as the bedrooms. Check lighting throughout and let us know about any maintenance or refurbishment work.
An empty property is ideal. A gap between bookings normally makes the process easier, provided cleaning and preparation are complete before scanning starts.
3. Capture the rooms and connecting routes
We use a specialist Matterport camera on a tripod, controlled from a mobile device. It captures 360-degree imagery alongside depth measurements. With the Matterport Pro3, LiDAR records the geometry of the space while the camera captures the images.
We move the camera through the property in a series of overlapping positions. The capture software aligns these scans, and cloud processing turns the data into the interactive tour. Spacing varies with the layout: doorways, stairs and tight corners need particular care.
We scan the stairways to connect different floors. The place where we begin scanning does not have to be the opening view in the finished tour. We can choose that later, perhaps starting in the main living room or another welcoming space.
A large chalet takes longer than the individual camera rotations suggest. Moving equipment, checking alignment, preparing rooms and managing mirrors, windows and outdoor conditions are all part of the work. We agree the capture schedule once we have reviewed the layout and access arrangements.https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=evuRWR6NTDh&brand=0&title=0&mls=2&play=0&wh=0Explore at your own pace. Look around individual rooms and follow the route through the chalet.
Can the annex and garden be included?
Yes. We decide the best approach from the layout, distances and what you want guests to understand.
If the annex can be connected by a suitable scan route, it may be possible to include it within the same model. Alternatively, we can produce a separate tour and link between the two. A separate tour can be useful when the apartment is rented independently or has its own webpage.
Outside, the priority is usually to show the parts guests will use: the approach, terrace, outdoor kitchen, seating areas and views. A large garden does not necessarily need continuous coverage of every square metre.
The Pro3 supports outdoor scanning, so connected outdoor routes can be considered where conditions and access allow. For more distant viewpoints, standalone 360-degree images may be a better fit. These show the surroundings from a fixed position without forming part of a continuous walking route.
Weather and presentation matter. We plan outdoor capture around suitable conditions and discuss whether a summer or winter setting best supports your marketing.
Edit the tour around the guest experience
Once the model has processed, we organise it so visitors can find the important spaces easily. Depending on the agreed scope, this can include:
- An opening view that makes a welcoming first impression.
- A highlight reel with shortcuts to bedrooms, living spaces and key facilities.
- A guided sequence for visitors who prefer to sit back and look around.
- Information tags explaining facilities, room arrangements or services.
- Room and floor labels to help visitors understand the layout.
- Privacy edits for sensitive details accidentally captured.
We then share a draft for review. You can check the presentation, descriptions and room names before the tour goes onto your website.https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=avLXxYgr5ng&brand=0&title=0&mls=2&play=0&wh=0Make a larger property easier to understand. A tour can help explain accommodation arranged over several levels.
Use the tour wherever guests ask about the chalet
We provide an embed code so the tour can appear directly on your website, alongside your photographs, property details and booking enquiry button. Visitors can explore using a mouse or touchscreen and open the tour in full screen on supported devices.
You also receive a shareable link. Add it to enquiry replies, send it through WhatsApp or give it to booking agents. Links to particular views can help answer specific questions, such as where an extra bed is located or how the dining room is arranged.
A QR code can link to the tour from brochures, printed adverts or exhibition material. For social media, use a suitable still image or short preview to invite people to explore the full tour. An embedded interactive tour does not run inside every social platform or booking portal.
To assess its value, look at the enquiries it supports, the questions it answers and feedback from guests or agents. We can discuss the viewing statistics available for your hosted model. A tour supports your sales process; it does not guarantee a particular increase in bookings.
Common questions
How soon will the tour be ready?
Our usual aim is to deliver the completed tour within 48 hours of finishing capture. Larger or more complex projects can take longer, particularly where there are several models, extensive editing or additional review rounds. We confirm the timetable with your quote.
Are there ongoing fees?
Yes. Matterport tours require cloud hosting to remain available online. We explain the annual hosting charge and what is included before you book.
Can we update the tour after a refurbishment?
We can assess the options for returning and capturing changes. Whether a partial update is practical depends on the original model, the extent of the alterations and the available editing workflow. Larger changes may require a new capture, so we confirm the approach and cost first.
Can you provide photographs and floor plans?
These can be included in the scope. We can capture 2D images at the same time as producing the 3D tour and produce schematic floor plans. Dedicated photography is also worth discussing if you need carefully composed hero images.
Can we keep some rooms private?
Yes. We agree which rooms to exclude and keep their doors closed during capture wherever possible. Hiding a navigation point does not necessarily remove the area from the underlying model or other views, so privacy needs to be planned and checked properly.
What we need to provide a quote
You do not need a detailed technical brief. Send us:
- The chalet’s location and website.
- Approximate floor area, number of levels and any available floor plans.
- Which rooms, annexes and guest facilities you want included.
- Any outdoor areas you would like to show, ideally marked on a plan or photograph.
- Your preferred capture dates, access arrangements and launch deadline.
- Any extras, such as floor plans, photography, bilingual information tags or website assistance.
For a property with a separate apartment and extensive grounds, we can break the proposal down into the main chalet, annex and optional outdoor coverage. This makes it easier to choose the scope that gives guests the most useful view of the property.
Planning a 3D tour for your holiday chalet or lodge?
GoCasa works with chalet owners, holiday accommodation providers and hospitality businesses throughout the UK, France, and across Europe. Send us your approximate floor area and any plans you have. We will talk through the options and provide a quote for capture, editing and hosting.
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