In an age defined by technology and connectivity, the modern traveller is more reliant on interactive, mobile solutions than ever before. So the fact that we are seeing virtual reality (VR) rapidly entering the world of travel will come as little surprise.
The travel industry has been exploring how this new technology can help their customers discover and explore destinations for over a year now, and many have created some incredible, game changing experiences. And the reason is simple: VR is the most powerful sales tool available today. By transporting and immersing customers to the places they want to visit, and making the decision to book a lot easier.
Planning a trip today (choosing where to stay, what to visit, where to eat) with VR is as close to the real thing as you can get, and is massively disrupting traditional ways travel brands and agents engage their audiences. Simply going to a website and seeing beautiful but static images, or even HD video is fast becoming out-dated. Customers nowadays are widely exposed to immersive marketing content, and are demanding no less from all the brands they choose. To stay relevant and one-step ahead of the competition, brands have to adapt to this new level of expectation.
Through VR, hotels and resorts can promote their destination portfolios by showcasing the entire experience cycle: arrival, surroundings, amenities, rooms, beaches and more. A 360º VR tour of any destination is a significant influencer on decision-making. The same applies to travel agencies when promoting trip packages to new destinations. Tourism authorities can also benefit from this technology promoting interactive tours around a city.
In many ways, VR is shaping the future of the industry, following the trend started by augmented reality (AR) a few years ago. By overlaying digital content on to real world surroundings, there are several ways AR can be used by the hospitality sector to engage and assist guests.
After check-in for example, an AR-enabled app can help guests navigate the new surroundings of their resort. Using flat markers, beacons and GPS coordinates as triggers, useful content such as text information, photos or videos can be over-laid on the devices camera view, at precise locations and on specific objects around their room, or resort amenities. Interactive buttons can then allow guest to book spa treatments, room service or water-sports.
AR is a powerful storytelling tool, as well. Traditional printed materials can be brought to life with 3D content or video, whether that’s an informative brochure about the hotel spa, a flyer on a specific tour or back-story about the artwork piece exhibited in the main lobby.
Both AR and VR can also be used as effective tools for training purposes, to help enhance skills in hospitality professionals. Trainees wearing a set of AR-enabled glasses can match their table settings perfectly with the designated table layout, overlaid in their field of vision. Or follow a set of instructions for guest registration in a virtual reality situation.
Hotel developers can also benefit from these technologies in the early stage of construction. Using VR applications, architects can visualise the hotel building in a 3D model on a construction site, or on a printed specification map, and allows them to adjust the project, virtually travel through the proposed space or visualise the layout of the facilities for design and decoration purposes.
Virtual and augmented reality are no longer future technologies, they are very much here and now, and quickly becoming ubiquitous. VR- and AR-based apps are taking experiential consumer engagement in the hospitality industry to new levels; helping hotels, travel agencies and restaurant differentiate themselves and deliver powerfully emotional experience across very stage of the guest life cycle.
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