Hotel Polaris U.S. Air Force Academy Leverages CGI to Launch as Colorado Springs’ Premier Full-Service Property

The brand new Hotel Polaris at the U.S. Air Force Academy, located in beautiful Colorado Springs, just opened in November 2024. It offers 375 stylish guest rooms and suites with advanced amenities, as well as 36,000 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor meeting space—the second-largest venue space in the area. Inspired by the Academy’s legacy, it connects travelers to new adventures and bold experiences.

Kevin Barosso, Director of Sales and Marketing, revealed that while construction took roughly two and a half years, this project had been in the works for much longer. Its origins trace back to the aftermath of 9/11, with the primary goal of restoring accessibility to the Air Force Academy’s Visitor Center and chapel.

Following 9/11, access restrictions to the base reduced traffic to the area, prompting plans to relocate the visitor center outside the Academy’s North Gates. Over time, the project expanded into True North Commons, a development featuring a visitor center, hotel, retail spaces, and offices designed to serve the community and ensure accessibility regardless of security limitations.

It’s very exciting to be a part of this project and to really be a part of what the Academy means to the Colorado Springs community, to the Pikes Peak region, to our nation, and really, to serve the people who serve us. It’s quite amazing!

Situation

With a current mix of business projected to serve 60-65% of group bookings and events and the remainder of 35-40% of leisure/business transient guests, the hotel welcomes all travelers visiting the Pikes Peak region.

One of Kevin’s biggest challenges currently is building name recognition—letting people know who they are, where they’re located, and, most importantly, that you don’t need any connection to the Air Force or military to stay at the hotel.

Also, their hotel market is highly competitive, with a mix of properties ranging from luxury resorts to limited-service hotels. According to Kevin, Hotel Polaris is positioned as complementary to the market as one of a few full-service properties in the area. It stands out with resort-style amenities and the ability to host larger meetings since it has the second-largest meeting space in the comp set, offering a unique alternative to other local options.

Process

According to Kevin, the pre-sale for the property began around June 2023, as the CoralTree Global Sales Team initiated efforts to promote it. Kevin joined the company in December 2023, followed by the first salesperson in January 2024. The plan focused on securing bookings for large groups and events starting January 2025, ensuring construction would be fully completed by then. However, a soft opening for smaller groups and transient guests was scheduled for November/December 2024.

Sales gained significant momentum in March 2024, with Visiting Media’s platform playing a pivotal role in driving success by creating highly realistic computer-generated imagery (CGI), which included 360-degree virtual tours and renderings of the hotel’s spaces.

The Visiting Media’s team incorporated intricate furniture and design details based on the original project plans, offering potential customers an immersive way to visualize the property before construction was complete. Impressively, the finished spaces closely mirrored the original renderings, showcasing both the skill of Visiting Media’s team and the precision of the construction crew.

In terms of what the product looks like consistency wise from the two versions [CGI and real space], it is pretty seamless.

Results

The hotel now has five direct sales representatives on-site who use Visiting Media’s platform extensively in their sales efforts, embedding links in electronic proposals and communications to showcase meeting spaces, guest rooms, and amenities. These immersive experiences help customers visualize the property and have been instrumental in driving interest, especially before the hotel’s opening.

The tours also attracted significant website traffic, especially before opening, as people wanted to preview the space. This played a key role in boosting sales and showcasing the quality and interior of the hotel.

Website gets a lot of traffic to the tours, particularly before we opened because people wanted to see what the space was going to look like. It  helped us tremendously in the sales effort and just having people understand what the quality of the product was going to be and what the hotel itself was going to look like inside.

With construction now complete, Visiting Media’s team seamlessly transitioned from CGI renderings to actual footage, having already captured most of the spaces. This smooth shift has further elevated the property’s appeal, allowing potential clients to fully visualize the hotel’s offerings.

Summary

Hotel Polaris in Colorado Springs has set a new standard for hotel launches by using advanced tools and immersive pre-opening campaigns to build anticipation and secure bookings before its grand opening.

Positioned as a key destination near the U.S. Air Force Academy and Pikes Peak, the hotel combines modern design, state-of-the-art amenities, and strategic marketing to appeal to leisure travelers, business groups, and event organizers, ensuring its place in a competitive market.

Pier Sixty-Six Quick Overlook

• Management Group: CoralTree Hospitality
• Segment: Full Service
• Space: 375 rooms | 36,000 sq. ft. meeting space
• TrueTour Facts: new guests are impressed by the accuracy of CGI set ups, compared to real finalized project