Lately, AR (Augmented Reality) has emerged as a crucial marketing tool enabling businesses to alter the way customers perceive the environment they are in. This technology is quite valuable in the hospitality industry as hotels have been selling a physical environment, essentially, which can be boosted through AR. They are diving into AR to increase their bottom line and customer satisfaction as well. Nowadays, people have become very travel conscious, and they plan and book everything in advance. Immersive technologies like Augmented Reality Services have spurred people to explore hotel rooms and locations in their space. Now let’s dig into what AR is and how it is changing the hospitality industry for the better.

Augmented Reality

AR serves to change the perception of the physical surroundings of a person with the use of computer technology. In real-time, AR enhances real-world environments. This technology can be deployed in various ways, like headsets, tablets, or smartphones. AR essentially introduces digital components into Reality instead of replacing Reality. This occurs by replacing the overlaying information of a physical environment with a live picture. Thereby, AR can be used for adding physical graphics to one environment when seen through a device, changing the look of the environment and making it more interactive.

Why has Augmented Reality Become a Vital Element in the Hospitality Industry?

In recent years, augmented reality services have emerged as a vital concept in hospitality management. This is because it enables hotels and related businesses to boost the physical environment they are selling, which includes hotels and their rooms. AR enhances the experience of discovering the surrounding area.

Another key explanation behind the rise of Augmented Reality in the hospitality industry is the quantity of information guests have a tendency to ask for before and during their stay. AR technology is capable of making lots of information available readily to customers every time all day long, enhancing their overall experience.

Also, the shift toward target demographics has increased the importance of technology in the hospitality sector. Now, millennials are the leading consumer generation, and they are more likely to use digital technology and purchase things like AR and VR devices.

According to statistics,

• The booming $570 billion hospitality industry has been augmenting itself by integrating AR into the hotel industry with $31 Billion AR industry.
• By 2025, the $30 Billion VR industry has been projected to value more than $110 Billion and hospitability is going to be a major shareholder.
• More than 70% of travel agencies and more than 60% of hotels have been adopting AI in their entire magnificence.
• By 2027, the retail automation market value in the hospitality industry is expected to touch $5.73 billion USD.

How to use Augmented Reality in the hospitality industry?

Interactive Hotel Rooms

A way by which hotel owners may use AR to boost their offering is via the use of interactive elements within the hotel rooms. You can see an example of this in UK’s The Hub Hotel. They have started to use AR in conjunction with the wall maps that are placed in the rooms. When you point a smartphone at that map, you can use the map itself and make your stay more enjoyable and comfortable.

Gamification

The foremost mainstream example of AR that hit the gaming world is Pokemon Go, and its success has led to an increase in the usage of this technology. Now, the hospital industry is using AR games to enhance the overall experience of the guests staying in the hotel. Often hotels can make their locations a vital part of a recognized AR game. Also, there is a potential to develop their own apps that can make exploring the local area or hotel more enjoyable.

Beacon Technology

Beacon Technology is connected to the idea of AR and works through Bluetooth. This enables marketers to send information to their customers residing in a particular location. For hotel owners, this technology is potentially invaluable. For instance, Starwood Hotels used Beacon Technology to send one virtual key to their guests, permitting them to unlock the doors of the rooms via their phones. Beacons have been used by others to send maps and other vital information at opportune moments.

Augmented Hotel Environments

Various hotels are viewing the advantages of using AR in making the hotel environment more enjoyable, where guests love to spend more time. Holiday Inn, for example, has created an AR hotel experience enabling guests to use their own smartphones to view realistic visual depictions of some famous celebrities residing in the hotel. Best Western, meanwhile, experimented with Disney Starts and AR, enabling children to view themselves along with the characters from Disney films. Other hotels used AR apps to enable guests to redecorate virtually.

AR-based Staff Training

An interesting application of AR is to create one visual interaction and educate the staff on their surroundings and tasks. Innovative AR training assists employees in capturing the required skills for the work with ease.

Immersive Visual Experience

AR can be used for experimental marketing to offer an augmented experience to customers. This includes showcasing various facilities and amenities, nearly locations to potential clients, and viewing an augmented menu; AR is a visual treat for customers.

Benefits of AR Applications for the hospitality Workers

Employees in a hotel can deliver a satisfactory customer experience only when they work efficiently. Hoteliers should keep the operations of the back office intact to effectively maintain the property and keep the operating cost less.

AR helps facility managers to enhance the productivity of the engineers and decrease costs in order to keep them safe. Incorporation of AR mobile apps into CMMS and EAM solutions can help them to do their job more efficiently.

CMMS provides service and maintenance staff with one automated tool that is capable of preventive maintenance, retrieval of recorded data, managing inventory, work orders, and scheduling inspections.

Using AR headsets, companies are able to showcase information to employees and managers in real-time. Also, newbies can get a detailed knowledge of the assets of the hotels. Also, the addition of AR algorithms into the existing CMMS systems help the managers to efficiently monitor assets that reduce maintenance cost.

Wrapping Up

The hospitality industry is continuously embracing newer technologies and transforming each day. The upcoming step of transformation is through the metaverse. With the use of immersive technologies like augmented reality services, customers are able to enter the virtual environment and also explore the facilities, bookings, and amenities businesses in this sector have to offer.