Property Platform & Spark

The Towers of Waldorf Astoria opened the doors of its impressive sales suite this past March with Property Platform driving the multi-room sales narrative in partnership with Spark which powers the back-end sales team experience.

The Waldorf Astoria has been recognized as a beacon of timeless glamour and luxury for over a century. Cultural figures, political leaders, musicians, and royalty have all gathered in its grand spaces and entertained in its opulent suites.

Now, following a complete restoration, the landmark will offer the unique opportunity to own a private residence in one of New York’s most iconic buildings. With the iconic status of this project, came high expectations for the sales suite. It was imperative that all parties involved were aligned in striving to create a sales experience powered by technology yet rooted by experience.

THE SHOWROOM

Property Platform is featured across 6 screens on both levels of the Waldorf Astoria showroom and integrated with various systems throughout the space. Using Property Platform’s extensive inventory search, the sales team is able to light the to-scale tower model, as well as illuminate a cityscape model that highlights neighborhoods, restaurants, landmarks, and cultural institutions. Property Platform was also programmed to activate an interactive film dedicated to the history of the Waldorf – coming to life through picture frames on the wall. And, through an integration with Lutron, lights throughout the space automatically dim when films are played.

Should an appointment take place outside the sales gallery, Property Platform’s interactive virtual model of the Towers allows the sales team to highlight units and amenities directly in the application.

Property Platform also developed the ability to send a unique web link to each client with bespoke details from their visit, including a welcome note from their agent, favorite floor plans, corresponding views, neighborhood interests, and more. This crucial tool allows agents to heighten engagement and capture important client data.

HONORING HISTORY

Developer Dajia is credited with bringing the iconic Art Deco Waldorf Astoria back to life. In addition to fully renovated hotel rooms, The Towers of Waldorf Astoria will also be releasing 375 new residential condos to the public. Douglas Elliman is handling US sales while Knight Frank manages sales abroad.

The globally renowned landmark is entering the market at a particularly challenging time for luxury real estate. Despite this, the Waldorf team is confident that sales will prosper. Equipped with tools from Property Platform and Spark they are positioned to overcome the challenges of this current environment and lead with a competitive advantage.

“An icon needed an iconic sales experience”

CHALLENGE

The iconic sales experience at the Waldorf Astoria could not have been achieved without the use of technology. Early on, the Waldorf team began seeking out the right industry partners to power their complex visual presentation, manage sales, and execute targeted marketing initiatives.

Prior to Property Platform joining the project, The Towers of the Waldorf Astoria’s sales team chose Spark as the CRM system to manage this impressive project. The large inventory of units and the sales team’s high client volume made avoiding double-entry between Property Platform and Spark critical. Additionally, the team had a need for certain automated marketing strategies such as email tracking and campaigns. This functionality from Spark combined with Property Platform’s unique and customizable post-appointment e-brochure created the perfect personalized followup to each appointment.

THE SOLUTION

Property Platform integrated using Spark’s API so that the data entry process could be completed through Spark’s web-based CRM system and then instantaneously synced to Property Platform’s database. This simplifies the sales process as the team is able to register clients directly into Spark using their computers at reception or prior to the appointment at the back office. This information is then immediately available in Property Platform, allowing the sales team to simply grab an ipad and begin the presentation. Similarly, the team is now able to update apartment availability, pricing, and other important details directly within Spark without needing to separately update Property Platform’s system. This helps to ensure that the information provided during each presentation is up-to-date and accurate.

“The key to entirely digitizing a new development… is human experience”

A NEW DIGITAL ‘NORMAL’

While digital sales are far from new, the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic forced the real estate development industry to adapt quickly and develop a new standard for the luxury sales experience.

COVID-19 has created an unprecedented challenge in selling luxury real estate. Utilizing conferencing tools such as Zoom to replace in-person meetings, many sales teams now find themselves dealing with lost connections and delays, as well as compromised image and video quality.

Realizing the importance of showcasing these assets, Property Platform created a cutting edge solution to help the Waldorf team seamlessly transition to a purely digital experience – without any loss of quality. This brand new tool offers agents the ability to lead their clients through a virtual tour by generating a remotely-controlled unique link. This allows agents to maintain control of the narrative while presenting an array of diverse media.

Pulling each client’s data from Spark, agents can now take their clients on a guided tour using only a simple link – all while maintaining the level of quality seen in the showroom. Although this tool was conceived due to COVID-19, Property Platform is confident that Waldorf and others will continue to see its utility in the future, especially with international buyers.

BACKGROUND ON PROPERTY PLATFORM

Property Platform’s software enhances residential and commercial real estate sales and marketing teams’ ability to give best in class presentations to potential clients, by utilizing cutting-edge tools anywhere – both online and offline – and using a bold and compelling design to position the organization as technology savvy and at the forefront of real-estate.

BACKGROUND ON SPARK

Spark provides real estate developers and their sales and marketing teams with a comprehensive software platform that consolidates project data alongside various processes required during the pre marketing and sales stages of a new development project.

Spark’s platform has become an essential tool for successful project sell outs on over 1000 projects across North America and the world, and the platform continues to evolve as the needs of the market do.

Not only does Spark digitize the deal writing and signing process for high volume sales programs, it enables teams to generate brand and project awareness during early registration phases, and allows sales teams to move inventory more efficiently through the software’s industry tailored CRM, Inventory Management and post sale commission, deposit, document tracking features.