How SalesHub Supports Independent Resort Sales at Pacific Palms Resort

Nestled in the rolling hills of Los Angeles and spanning 650 acres, Pacific Palms Resort has established itself as a premier destination for both business and leisure. Known for its luxurious amenities, the resort offers a diverse array of attractions on-site, including golf courses, a full-service spa, exceptional dining experiences, and 45,000 square feet of versatile meeting space tailored for events of all sizes.

With 292 guest rooms and 28 meeting rooms, the independent resort is the perfect blend of sophistication and convenience, attracting a wide mix of corporate gatherings, social events, and association meetings.

Julio Arias, the National Sales Director, has been at the property for the last 18 months, and mainly focuses on SMERF (Social, Military, Educational, Religious, and Fraternal), associations, and non-profit business. With a balanced mix of transient travelers and group business, the sales team uses SalesHub to strategically position Pacific Palms Resort as a hospitality leader, competing with excellence against branded hotels in its comp set.

Situation

Standing out against branded hotels is a constant challenge as an independent property. Also, as a resort with an extensive variety of rooms, meeting spaces, and amenities, it’s often hard to showcase all the property’s offerings properly.

Branded hotels don’t have to do as much to build their brand as we do, as an independent property. SalesHub puts us on their same level. We look more advanced and extravagant, allowing me to compete with those brands.

Before working with Visiting Media, they showcased the property with static, color-coded maps, which didn’t provide the dynamic and detailed experience that customers often needed. The partnership with Visiting Media began in 2020 with the implementation of TrueTour.

The platform provided an immediate boost by giving the team interactive, visual tools to showcase the property’s offerings. With many years of experience working in real estate and hospitality, Julio quickly recognized the platform’s potential and utilized it to its fullest extent. TrueTour allowed him to display rooms, layouts, and critical details like dimensions and configurations in a way that resonated deeply with his audience, setting the independent property on par with branded competitors.

By the end of 2024, the property transitioned from TrueTour to SalesHub Pro, acknowledging its growing need for more advanced features.

SalesHub provides more customization, versus the TrueTour, with one single link for the full property visualization. With TrueTour, I would send the link, and it was like ‘go explore.’ I had to be on Zooms to walk them around the resort consistently. Now with SalesHub, I customize the link to their order, specifically to the room they’re going to be in, and then use the voice over to give them details of what that room would be set up with. It makes them feel like they are in the room.

Process

Julio quickly realized SalesHub’s potential for transforming his sales strategies. Through tailored email follow-ups and detailed customer communication, SalesHub simplified outreach and elevated customer connection. A few practical examples of the impact of SalesHub on his sales approach:

Using SalesHub at Events

Julio’s innovation shone at trade shows, where he leveraged SalesHub’s 3D visualization tools and virtual reality capabilities. Prospects could tour the property without leaving the booth⸺walking through ballrooms, guestrooms, and event layouts in real time using VR glasses. This immersive experience captivated visitors’ attention, significantly increasing booth traffic. Julio said this strategy breathed new life into his trade show presence, creating a buzz that set his booth apart and sparked meaningful conversations with potential customers.

My trade show interactions have gone through the roof! I don’t have a boring expo ever.

Integrating SalesHub with Cvent Campaigns

Integrating SalesHub with Cvent’s Planner Navigator allowed Julio to maximize new lead opportunities. With his innovative approach, he customizes email campaigns to target planners sourcing specific regions or event spaces. Including property visuals and interactive links in these communications increased open rates and helped secure customer interest. Regularly reaching 100–200 planners daily, Julio noted that SalesHub enabled him to stay on top of shifting lead opportunities efficiently, leading to higher conversion rates.

I’m using Planner Navigator to the fullest extent. Nowadays, who’s answering their phones at the office? Nobody. So, emailing is my quickest and easiest way to at least get in front of them. I send emails to new planners daily. Planner Navigator breaks it down into three groups: new planners, planners with new organizations, and organizations planning an event in our resort need dates. I tailor an email per group with a link to show them what they need.

Results

After using SalesHub for six months, Julio has seen significant improvements in his sales strategy. Here’s a closer look at the results he achieved:

Personalized and High-Touch Communication

SalesHub gave Julio the tools to create highly customized proposals tailored to each prospect, enabling him to curate content specific to a customer’s needs, complemented by personalized voice memos for an added human touch. This approach resonated with his prospects and elevated the quality of his interactions.

Actionable Follow-ups with Analytics

Julio leveraged SalesHub’s app notifications to follow up at the perfect moment, when prospects actively engaged with his proposals. The platform’s analytics also helped him identify the most frequently viewed content, allowing him to prioritize resources where they mattered most. This data-driven approach made his follow-ups more relevant and impactful.

When I get the email or a notification, I instantly take that opportunity to do a follow-up. It’s letting me know that they’re thinking about me, and I’m thinking about them at that same moment. And those coincidental times make the connection happen.

Boosted Email Open Rates

By creating visually captivating and personalized email campaigns showcasing property visuals and interactive tours, Julio achieved email open rates between 50–80%. This far exceeded the industry average of 20%, showcasing the power of personalized and engaging content.

Memorable First Impressions

SalesHub’s helped Julio make an unforgettable impact from the initial interaction. Many prospects responded with gratitude, praising the attention to detail and professionalism of the customized virtual tours. Even when deals didn’t close, these positive exchanges planted the seeds for potential future opportunities, fostering strong, lasting relationships.

Higher-Quality Leads

Thanks to SalesHub, prospects received comprehensive and tailored preliminary information. This enabled site visits to focus on fine-tuning details and closing deals, eliminating time wasted on unqualified leads. Julio even noted a decrease in on-site visits—customers felt confident making decisions based on the customized virtual tours he provided.

Improved Conversion Rates

With tailored presentations and immersive 3D tours, Julio successfully positioned his properties for shortlist consideration and increased conversion rates. Even in cases where external factors hindered the deal, engagement levels and customer relationships remained strong.

Julio summarized his experience best: “It exceeds expectations and anticipates needs. SalesHub gives prospects the kind of experience where they feel truly valued. It’s proof that even as an independent property, we can compete with the industry’s biggest names.”

Ultimately, SalesHub has transformed Julio’s sales efforts, enabling him to outperform industry benchmarks and deliver superior customer experiences.

Big Win

Julio recalls his first hotel sellout using Visiting Media’s platform: despite receiving a group inquiry on short notice, Julio quickly responded with a compelling, customized proposal including a Visiting Media link. This personalized approach captivated the customer immediately—resulting in his largest contracted event to date.

My first sellout of the hotel was with a group that was pretty short notice. I quickly captivated their eyes with what I had available to them in my first email. That was the craziest thing! The initial email came into my inbox, I replied, and in a matter of a week, I was on a Zoom call with them. It was like a huge deal to close in two and a half weeks, since this is a deal that normally takes a year or two years.

Julio’s second deal highlighted SalesHub’s ability to support long-term opportunities. He worked diligently for six months, building rapport and maintaining consistent communication with a potential customer. Though their initial deal for the following year didn’t close, Julio’s expertise and trust built throughout the process led the customer to secure a contract with the hotel for 2028.

It’s all about the quality of the experience I’m having and they’re having with me. I like that my biggest, my smallest, and everything in between are getting the same experience and having that experience with the system.

Summary

The implementation of SalesHub brought personalization and advanced engagement tools to Pacific Palms Resort, allowing Julio and the team to exceed customer expectations and thrive as an independent property in a competitive market.

Pacific Palms Resort Quick Overlook

• Segment: Independent Hotel, Resort
• Space: 292 rooms | 45,000 sq. ft. meeting space
• Facts: Email open rates of 50-80% and Hotel sellout with a deal closed in two and a half weeks