Gay Nagle Myers
Well-known Caribbean hotelier Alistair Forrest, whose hospitality career has spanned 35 years with several luxury brands, switched gears recently, and he could not be happier.
"I love the hotel business and the hotels I've been with, but I decided it was time to do something other than work 12 to 15 hours a day at a hotel," Forrest said.
Those in the Caribbean might know Forrest from GM posts at Blue Waters Resort and Spa or Carlisle Bay in Antigua, Nisbet Plantation in Nevis, Cobblers Cove in Barbados or Sunsail in Antigua -- as well as at resorts in his native Scotland, the Seychelles, the Maldives and the U.K. (Count the Banyan Tree, Campbell Gray Hotels and Six Senses brands among the hotels he's helped manage.) He's also a past chairman of the Antigua Hotels & Tourist Association and the Nevis Tourism Authority.
He's based in Antigua, where he most recently served as the GM of Blue Waters.
But Forrest's world is now one of videos and virtual reality (VR). At least his working hours are, as director of Caribbean sales for VIP Worldwide, a video production company that uses state-of-the-art digital storytelling and imagery to bring luxury hotel and resort websites to life.
The company was formed in 2010 and currently has more than 250 clients worldwide for which it provides one or more of its core services, including VR, video, social media marketing and public relations. In the Caribbean, VR clients include Cobblers Cove and Sandy Lane in Barbados, Jumby Bay in Antigua, Nisbet Plantation and Calabash in Grenada.
The 360-degree videos, shot by a VIP Worldwide team in high-definition, run five to six minutes long and enable guests to tour rooms, restaurants and, of course, beaches.
A Virtual Reality Tour of Sandy Lane, Barbados.
"Basically, I'm helping bring hotel websites to life," he said. "A lot of hotels have videos on their websites. A VR, interactive, 360 video brings the hotel into a whole new perspective for the viewer, and VIP Worldwide has jumped on that."
The purpose behind all of this, of course, is to draw business to the hotel website, drum up interest in the property and ultimately to increase revenues by increasing bookings. The virtual-tour videos link directly to the hotel booking section, enabling agents or clients to place a reservation.
"A lot of hotels have big marketing budgets, so a VR interactive video can run between $25,000 and $30,000 because it is so much more complicated than a regular video. This is a must-do to stay ahead of the competition," Forrest said.