A CGI virtual tour helps a premium health club sell what it is, not just what it costs. Used on a Live Guided call, it lets a membership consultant walk a prospect through the spa retreat, the studios and the indoor pool before the club exists, and talk about the right membership rather than the cheapest one.
Imagineer has worked with David Lloyd Clubs for five years, building that approach into a virtual tour programme that now covers more than 120 tours, each with the same CGI format and Live Guided option. This article sets out what that consistency gives a premium operator, how a CGI tour of an unbuilt club is made, and what the evidence does and does not support.
In brief
- A Live Guided CGI tour lets a consultant show an unbuilt club and talk about membership, not monthly fees.
- Imagineer has built more than 120 David Lloyd tours over five years, all in one consistent format.
- Tours are built from the architect’s drawings, typically in two to four weeks, and delivered remotely.
- We are clear about what the figures show, and what they cannot prove.
Why does a premium club need more than a brochure before it opens?
A premium club sells a feeling of arrival: the indoor pool, the spa retreat, the studios, the club room. Before opening, none of it can be walked through. Sales teams work from floor plans, brochures and a handful of images, and the conversation drifts towards price and joining offers because there is little else to show.
That matters most for a premium operator. David Lloyd Clubs’ decision to hold its positioning against a price-led market has been the subject of an IPA Effectiveness Awards 2024 case study, “A tale of taking the high road”. Holding a premium position depends on prospects understanding what they are paying for, and a floor plan does not convey ceiling height, daylight or how the gym relates to the club room.
What does a CGI Live Guided tour add?
A self-guided tour sits on the website and answers “what will this be like?” at any hour. A Live Guided tour puts a membership consultant on a video call with the prospect, moving through the same CGI environment together. The consultant sets the pace, shows the spaces that matter to that person (the indoor pool, the studios, the spa retreat) and can steer towards the membership that suits them.
The useful point for a premium brand is what the conversation is about.
When a prospect can see the spa retreat and the studio, the discussion is about how they would use the club.
That is a different starting point from a comparison of monthly fees.
What has the David Lloyd programme shown?
5
Years with David Lloyd Clubs
120+
3DVista virtual tours
500k+
Tour visits
150+
Countries
Imagineer’s own project figures, not industry benchmarks.
Over five years Imagineer has produced more than 120 David Lloyd 3DVista virtual tours, with Live Guided viewing built into the programme rather than offered as an occasional extra. Those tours have recorded over half a million visits from visitors in more than 150 countries.
Consistency is the part worth noting. Because every club gets the same type of tour and the same Live Guided option, sales teams use one familiar format whether the club is in Shawfair or Southend, and a consultant does not need to learn a new tool for each opening.
Case in point: David Lloyd Shawfair
48
Live Guided viewings on the first day of presales
42
New memberships recorded that day
It is one club on one day, with a strong brand and an experienced sales team behind it. We use it as an example of Live Guided viewing operating at volume on a presale launch, not as proof of a conversion rate.
Earlier projectDavid Lloyd club fly-through video and virtual tour case study→
What can’t the data prove?
We do not have customer-level attribution linking each membership to a viewing, and a tour cannot be separated from the brand, the joining offer or the sales team around it. Nor do these figures show that Live Guided tours moved members into higher tiers. That would need joiner-level data by membership type, compared with clubs that opened without a tour.
What we can say is narrower and still useful: a CGI Live Guided tour gives a premium club a consistent way to show its product to prospects who cannot yet visit, and gives consultants a better conversation to have.
What should a premium health club virtual tour include?
- Reception
- Gym and studios
- Indoor and outdoor pool
- Spa retreat and spa garden
- Racquet or padel courts, where they exist
- Club room and terraces
- Family lounge
- DL Kids activity
For a premium club, put the spaces that justify the tier first.
The testCould a consultant use the tour to answer the five questions prospects ask most often?
Because the tour is built in CGI, it shows the club as designed, including finishes, layouts and lighting. It is only as accurate as the design information supplied, and changes made on site need to be fed back.
How is a CGI virtual tour of an unbuilt club made?
We work from the operator’s and architect’s drawings, in three stages.
- Drawings inCAD, Revit, SketchUp or PDF plans, plus interior schedules and reference imagery.
- Photoreal modelWe build a photoreal 3D model and render 360-degree views of each key space.
- Interactive tourWe assemble the views into an interactive 3DVista tour with hotspots, floor plans and information points.
- 2 to 4 weeks from suitable drawings
- Remote delivery
- Browser or iPad online or offline in a sales suite
Lead time is typically two to four weeks after receipt of suitable drawings, depending on size and complexity. Delivery is remote, and the tour can run in a browser or offline on an iPad in a sales suite.
Frequently asked questions
Do virtual tours increase gym membership sales?
They can support them, particularly on Live Guided calls. The David Lloyd Shawfair presale figures show viewings and new memberships happening together on the same day, not that one caused the other.
Can you make a virtual tour of a gym that isn’t built yet?
Yes. We build it in CGI from architectural drawings, typically in two to four weeks from receiving suitable information.
Why use a Live Guided tour rather than a self-guided one?
A self-guided tour helps people decide whether to enquire. A Live Guided tour lets a consultant respond to what the prospect cares about and discuss the right membership. Most clubs benefit from both.
Can an operator elsewhere in the UK commission this remotely?
Yes. A club operator in the Midlands or the North West can commission a tour without a site visit, because the work is built from drawings and delivered online.
Planning a new club?
Discuss your club’s presale
If you are planning a new club, a refurbishment or a presale campaign, we can show you a Live Guided tour and how a sales team would use it.
Book a 15-minute demonstration
See also our work in architectural CGI and FPV drone filming.
