Top 11 ways for Travel and Hospitality to use Virtual & Augmented Reality
By the end of 2019, there will be over 2 billion smartphones enabled with powerful augmented reality (AR) capabilities.
By 2025, virtual, augmented & mixed reality (XR) will create over $1 trillion in value globally impacting every business in the world. Massive transformations in the way we train our staff, design our products and sell our services. With 5G technology about to create a hyper-acceleration in computing power, we will look back at these tiny boxes we carry around in our pockets with their 5” rectangle screens and laugh as if they were the brick phone of the 90’s.
Spatial computing is coming and fast. This means that every real person, place and thing will have a digital duplicate. Every person will have an avatar for virtual worlds. Every place on Earth and places not here will be represented in a digital copy that is indistinguishable from reality.
Imagine you want to chill out on the balcony of the resort you stayed at and just relax and enjoy the view of the sunset, but your vacation was months ago and you can barely remember what it was like. Luckily, the resort has stunning 360° video of sunsets from every location on the resort to choose from so you can enjoy a mini vacation any time.
Or how about donning your glasses, selecting the ‘Explorers’ adventure. 5 doors appear around you and each one is a portal instantly transporting people into the Costa Rican jungle or the Australian Outback to learn more about the incredible activities the adventure company offers.
What about pulling out your phone, scanning your coffee table and seeing a fully 3D scale model of the golf course in augmented reality that you are about to play next week so you can plan your shots in advance. Internet of things (IoT) sensors in the cup allow for a real-time view of the pin location and you can see the ideal shot arc based on your actual swing that you analyzed using an app on your phone. One click and you are standing at the first tee looking at your shot in a full 360° view, all from your living room.
This is the power of virtual, augmented and mixed reality (XR) and this is what you need to start building for now, before the next wave of human computing blows past you. Your customers will soon be expecting to virtually pre-experience their travel and hospitality potential selections in the same immersive and seamless way as they are/soon will do with everyday CPG to big-ticket purchases and their entertainment.” Said Michael Cohen, Strategic Advisor at UGO Virtual. “The tools and abilities for guests and consumers to share their travel and hospitality travels and stays “post-experience” in an immersive virtual manner will be key” he finally said.
11 reasons why you need to start using XR immediately:
- Drive more sales leads
- Inspire booking confidence
- Ensure that expectations meet reality by offering a virtual experience that feels real
- Expedites booking decisions
- Bolsters consumer confidence by allowing guests to preview your property
- Create deeper connections with your customers
- Reach previously untapped audiences
- Increase the level of engagement between your brand and your customers
- Create new revenue opportunities for digital content (ie. filming VR for customers)
- Access to extensive data and analytics
- Remove language barriers and reach broader audiences.