Virtual and augmented reality can transform our stay in hotels into an immersive experience.
Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) offer creative solutions for multiple sectors, and the hospitality industry is no exception.
Thanks to these technologies, potential customers can enjoy a more immersive experience, which translates into results.
According to several studies, up to 67% of users rate hotels that allow them to preview their stays virtually positively.
Preview your room in 360º thanks to virtual reality.
It is common for hotel companies to display photographs of their different rooms on their website.
However, static images do not always convey the characteristics of the room faithfully.
This may result in rooms that do not meet the expectations of guests, which can lead to a negative experience.
Virtual reality offers the perfect solution to this problem.
Thanks to VR, users can “visit” their room and see it in 360 degrees.
This solution offers many more advantages than static image galleries.
On the one hand, the potential buyer can get a much more realistic idea of what their room will look like.
You can move through it and see its features in detail.
In addition, users tend to positively value the immersive and technological experiences offered by virtual reality.
The potential of VR to increase ROI has already been demonstrated in other industries.
On the other hand, these types of tools also improve the perception of the brand with users, since they conceive it as a modern, technological and innovative brand.
Therefore, the use of virtual reality in the hospitality industry increases user confidence, delivers immersive experiences and enhances brand perception.
Augmented reality in hotels. How to get the most out of a room.
Augmented reality also offers creative solutions for the hospitality industry.
While virtual reality has great potential for generating bookings, augmented reality excels at enhancing the guest experience once they are already in their room.
Using augmented reality, hotels can interact with in-room markers to generate audiovisual assets for a unique experience.
Similarly, hotels can use these augmented reality markers to offer tourist information to their guests, the services offered by the hotel, information about public transportation, etc.
This type of content is relatively simple and inexpensive to produce, enhances brand image and offers immersive experiences to users.
Marriott Hotels, an example of innovation
The Marriott Hotels chain is an example of innovation in the hotel industry.
Back in 2015, they launched VRoom Service for their hotels in New York and London.
Through this service, guests can order virtual reality glasses to their room.
With these glasses, users can interact with special postcards that generate immersive VR experiences.
The same hotel chain launched another virtual reality app called VPViewer in 2017.
This product, more focused on event management, was launched in Marriott hotels in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Thanks to this tool, users can visualize the event spaces in 360º, the event floor plans and the different notes and comments made by the event’s organizing team.
In early 2018 they released Marriott Marquis’ VTX.
This is a high-definition, 360º virtual tour of the Marriott Marquis hotel in Atlanta, United States.
The platform allows the user to visit the hotel in its entirety.
That is: see the rooms, walk through the corridors, visit the event rooms, travel by elevator…
Marriott Hotels’ commitment to new technologies is not limited to virtual reality.
In 2019 they launched an augmented reality campaign together with water brand Lifewtr.
For this campaign, they placed bottles with AR markers and QR codes in the rooms of Marriott hotels in the United States.
These markers launch an application in which the user can select artwork and “hang” it on the virtual walls of the room.
From TwoReality we continue to create the best content and applications for different devices. Tell us about your project.
