Envision yourself sitting on your couch in Florida and entering your hotel room in Japan online. A scene from a science fiction film, right? Let’s see what else the Metaverse Opportunities has in store for us. The term “Metaverse” is the buzzword, as it has created new opportunities for business and investment globally.
In Snow Crash’s science fiction novel, Neal Stephenson coined the term “metaverse” to describe a future where humans will exist only as digital avatars interacting in a fully realized 3D virtual world. In the metaverse, people don’t just appear as virtual observers but actively participate in the virtual world. Cutting-edge technologies will allow people to work together, have fun, meet new people, visit places, and buy things online.
The hotel business, which was hugely impacted by the pandemic, is quickly adapting to the latest trend of immersing guests in the futuristic digital world of the metaverse. The Metaverse Opportunities has introduced numerous opportunities for the hospitality industry, from attracting guests to enhancing their overall stay.
Companies in every sector are rushing to determine how to profit from this revolutionary idea. Everyone is curious about the implications of the Metaverse Opportunities for the future of technology.
This article will answer some of your questions and focus on how the Metaverse development affects the hospitality business.
What is the Hospitality Industry?
The World’s Most Comprehensive Resource for the Hospitality Business, “the hospitality industry” encompasses a wide range of businesses and services that aims to make customers happy through amusement and relaxation.
In its broadest sense, hospitality makes guests feel at ease and entertained during their stay. The hospitality industry is a subset of the service sector that includes the provision of lodging, catering, event planning, amusement parks, tourism, and transportation. Groups dedicated to promoting tourism, dining establishments, and watering holes are included.
Current Scenario
Here are just a few examples of companies that have started using ideas from the Metaverse:
- The Dubai Hotel Atlantis, The Palm, provides guests with a virtual reality (VR) experience that allows them to take insights without leaving their rooms. The hotel highlights its best qualities. Visitors can tour the hotel’s largest suite, the Royal Bridge, unique underwater suites, the famous Nobu restaurant, pool, aquarium, waterpark, and beautiful gardens.
- The TUI Hotel Group is investigating the potential of the virtual world as a training tool.
- Disney has patented a new Metaverse Opportunities technology allowing guests to project their 3D personalized images throughout the parks. The theme park is also looking into ways to implement an augmented reality-like environment for visitors who prefer not to use headsets. The company was awarded a patent for its “virtual-world simulator.” This technology allows projecting three-dimensional images and other exciting virtual effects into real-world settings.
- Hotels like Marriott, Atlantis, Movenpick, and Anantara are among the brands creating digital clones in the Metaverse. They’re getting assistance from the Metaverse Opportunities platform RendezVerse.
These hotels can offer the following:
- Internet-based meeting spaces for business conventions, seminars, and conventions.
- Clubs where you can listen to music, dance, and meet new people, but everything is done online. If hotels let guests customize their avatars and listen to new music, they can charge for the privilege.
- The same infrastructure can also be used to run casinos, providing customers with an authentic simulation of the gaming experience.
- Virtual concerts in the Metaverse Opportunities will transport attendees to an accurate simulation of a concert hall or arena within a digital game.
Potential Of The Metaverse Opportunities For The Hospitality Industry;
1. AR in Hospitality
One real-world use case for the Metaverse in the hospitality industry is the ability to rapidly roll out digital, immersive overlays of information, new services, marketing, and guest experience enhancements at hotel, resort, or restaurant locations. Guests can learn about the attractions, restaurants, and transportation options within walking distance of their hotel through location-based augmented reality (AR) activations.
2. Digital Twins and Meta-Communities
Importantly, this application can also facilitate digital twin experiences of a property or destination before and after a guest’s arrival. Inns that cater to vacationers should know that virtual reality is meant to complement the real world, not replace it. To get guests excited about their stay in advance, hotels could provide them with a virtual tour. And a virtual experience to “entice” them to book another trip after their current one ends. The Metaverse Opportunities could also boost practicality, interest, and commitment.
3. Native Advertising
Using metaverse avatars for in-room advertising is another use for the Metaverse Opportunities in the hospitality industry. Tommy Hilfiger, for instance, collaborated with Ready Player Me (the avatar company that enables Metaversians to use the same avatar in various worlds, such as Spatial.io, VRChat, or Somnium Space) to distribute free-to-mint avatar clothing that promoted the company’s products in a variety of metaverse environments. To make it possible for people to dress like their avatars in real life, they also released a line of clothing replicating what was available online.
What the Metaverse Opportunities Can Do for the Hotel Business? ;
1. Window Shopping:
A 3D virtual tour of the hotel’s rooms, lobby, and more can greatly improve the satisfaction of potential guests. Think about a time in the future when you can go on a virtual tour of the hotel you want to stay at, from your room through the hotel (including the hallways, dining room, lobby, garden, etc.). You can hop into a digital setting, look around, get closer to the amenities, or even try them out yourself.
2. Saving on Labor Costs:
As reported by Harvard Business Review, the Metaverse will play a crucial role in automating tasks previously performed manually, resulting in significant savings on labor costs. As a result, this is a great opportunity for the hospitality sector. Automating the booking process and shifting from the standard booking model to an online or digital one would help the hotel save money on labor.
3. Providing Virtual Environments:
The hotel can successfully provide components of the trip experience without requiring customers to travel physically by offering services that allow guests to meet and interact in a virtual environment. The hospitality industry is poised to undergo a major transformation brought on by the rise of virtual environments and virtual reality.
4. NFTs Collectibles:
To provide a better experience for their guests, many hotels and resorts are incorporating the advantages of the Metaverse and NFTs into their hotel and customer service strategies. For instance, SLS South Beach is pioneering hotel-exclusive NFTs by partnering with NFT BAZL.
Is Metaverse A Friend Or Foe For The Hospitality Industry?
The concept of hospitality in the Metaverse is relatively new. These technologies, which seem fantastical and unbelievable at the moment, will affect the expectations of future generations.
In the near future, the hotel industry may benefit from and be remodeled by the digital realm known as the Metaverse. This is excellent news for the hotel industry. However, creating an alternate reality world is challenging, so businesses looking to break into the Metaverse should assess their resources thoroughly. Concerns have also been raised about the viability of the hotel and tourism industries as alternatives to virtual reality travel in the Metaverse. It will be interesting to see how the Metaverse Opportunities aids the hotel industry and how the lines between the real and virtual worlds continue to blur in the upcoming years.
An alternate reality could be made using the Metaverse. It will be interesting to see how much the Metaverse Opportunities stimulates the hospitality industry, but this will require strong cooperation between technology businesses, inventors, and legislators.
In the future of the Metaverse Opportunities, people can interact in different ways. While many traditional jobs can be easily adapted for use in the Metaverse, users must still educate themselves on the system’s intricacies before earning a living in this virtual world.
