The hospitality industry is a service-based sector that has always relied on innovative technologies to enhance the engagement of visitors and move ahead of the competition. Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality AR/VR technologies in the hospitality industry are modern-day technologies with immense possibilities to offer to this sector. Let’s explore these possibilities.
What is Augmented Reality?
One of the most popular technological trends today is augmented reality (AR), and as more cellphones and other devices that support AR become available globally, its popularity will only expand. With a virtual enhancement superimposed over it, augmented reality allowed us to see the surroundings directly in front of us, including children playing basketball, dogs running and jumping, and swaying park trees.
These examples aren’t all that distinct from what could currently be on your smartphone thanks to advancements in AR technology. Augmented reality is widely accessible and employed in a variety of applications, such as Snapchat lenses and apps that assist you in finding your car in a congested parking lot.
How to use AR in the Hospitality industry
Augmented reality (AR) has become a crucial promotional tool in the hospitality industry in recent decades, enabling companies to alter how people view their surroundings. Since resorts are attempting to sell a physical environment that may be improved by AR, the innovation is tremendously beneficial to the hospitality sector.
Let’s discover recent ways by which augmented reality is improving the hospitality sector, in this article.
Since Augmented Reality enables resorts and other related enterprises in the hospitality industry to improve the physical environment they are selling or increase the satisfaction of visitors by enhancing the immediate landscape, it has become a key idea in hospitality management in recent years.
The volume of data clients typically request both before and after their visit is another important factor in the emergence of AR in the hospitality industry. Customers may easily access a lot of this information at any moment of the day thanks to augmented reality technology, which will enhance their overall experience. Augmented Reality is the technology with the help of which any hospitality business can fill in the gaps in the services they offer.
Furthermore, with the change in the intended audience, technology’s significance within the hospitality business has grown. The largest customer generation today is the millennials, who are also more inclined than predecessors to use digital technology and purchase items like augmented reality and virtual reality headsets.
- Digital hotel rooms: Engaging components in hotel rooms are one way that hotel operators utilize augmented reality to improve their service. This is demonstrated by The Hub Hotel by Premier Inn in the UK, which has begun utilizing AR in combination with wall charts installed in its hotel rooms. The ability to view more details about nearby points of interest by aiming a mobile at the map enhances its usability and might make guests’ stays more convenient and pleasurable.
- Gamification: One of the first widely used instances of augmented reality in the game industry was Pokemon Go, but its popularity has caused more people to use the technology. A new trend in the hospitality sector is the use of augmented reality (AR) games to enhance the entire hospitality experience. Hotels are frequently capable of making their location a crucial component of an existing augmented reality game. Furthermore, there is also a chance for them to create their apps, which could improve the enjoyment of visiting the hotel or surrounding area.
- Hotels with Enhanced Environments: A lot of hotels are starting to realize the advantages of utilizing augmented reality to improve the guest experience. For instance, Holiday Inn developed augmented reality travel experiences that let visitors use their smartphones to view lifelike virtual representations of well-known celebrities throughout the property. Other hotels have utilised Ar applications to allow visitors to digitally renovate, while Best Western tried augmented reality with Disney superstars, allowing a child to view oneself with stars from Disney films.
- Contextual Technology: Finally, beacon technology, which utilises Bluetooth and is related to the idea of augmented reality, enables businesses to alert clients when they are in particular locations. For hotel owners, this technology has the potential to be priceless, and its usefulness is already being demonstrated. For example, Starwood Hotels employed the innovation to provide customers with a digital key that they could use to open their entrance from their smartphone. Others have sent maps and other data using beacons at strategic times.
What is VR
Digital technologies are used to build interactive virtual settings and sensational environments in the realm of Virtual Reality. The viewer has immersed in a three-dimensional sensation thanks to virtual reality. Users engage with 3D environments rather than seeing a display in front of themselves.
A computer becomes a portal into new realms when all five human senses are simulated. The availability of content and computational power are the only constraints for a fantastic VR experience.
How to use VR in the Hospitality industry
The use of virtual reality (VR) technology in the hospitality industry is expanding beyond the realm of recreation and is a crucial tool in several fields, including production, business, and learning. Let’s see how Virtual Reality is enhancing the experience of consumers in the hospitality industry.
- Experiences of traveling virtually: The development of virtual tourism experience utilising full 360-degree video technology has become one of the most popular applications of virtual reality in the hotel industry so far. Users can virtually relive various parts of vacation, including the journey, the arrival, and some of the most notable locations.
- Tours of hotels online: Virtual reality resort excursions are yet another frequently used application of virtual reality technology in the hospitality sector. These tours may be made accessible on web pages so that visitors or potential visitors can view their hotel accommodation or other hotel areas before making a reservation or arriving. While a VR headset is recommended for seeing these excursions, Facebook’s 360 immersive VR may allow for the possibility of making them accessible to individuals without such a device.
- Virtual Reservation Procedures: The development of virtual reality reservation systems has been one of the most intriguing contemporary applications of Virtual reality technology. Businesses like Amadeus have recently implemented this, enabling clients to search for airlines, analyze hotel rates, and make bookings with a virtual reality headgear. It is simple to understand how this VR reservation procedure might enable clients to effortlessly tour virtual rooms, see local views, and purchase a room, albeit the possibility for all of this has still not been completely examined.
- Easily accessible translation possibilities: One method hotels may overcome the language problem and sell to a larger range of customer segments is by offering several of these AR/VR solutions in several languages. It could influence a visitor’s decision to book if they can explore a hotel room or premises, examine neighboring landmarks and destinations, and play games in their native tongue.
Conclusion
The scope for AR VR technology in the service industry is enormous either through AR apps, AR games, VR apps or VR games. These technologies can significantly raise customers ’ confidence in business websites and/or smartphone apps.
Guest article written by: Hi, I’m Manisha Sharma and I love to read and write. Being engaged in the Digital Marketing Company for more than 3 years, I developed an excellent knowledge of it. As a way to contribute and help people learn new things about mobile app development, web development, software development, etc. I started writing. All the blog posts driven by me are full of information and will give you a true insight into the world.