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hotel, marketing, restaurant, virtual realitySeptember 2, 2019

Best Uses of Virtual Reality in the Hospitality Industry

Many operators in the hospitality industry take the virtual reality that seriously. They all found out the benefits and applications of the tool to be far-reaching. Today the hospitality industry is looking past the novelty value of VR and AR or augmented reality. They are thoroughly trying to weigh all the benefits of immersive technology towards the owners, customers, and all the employees.

IHG

There are several uses of VR in various hotels. At IHG, the VR solution is used primarily for the design development process. It helps them save time and money and enhances their relationships with the hotel owners. The group used to have physical pilot rooms for testing design schemes. It cost the company €100,000. Now with the use of virtual reality, they were able to come up with virtual concept hotel. This enables to look around the hotel and its design regardless of their position and even when they are under the bed.

They produced one single 3D model that makes use of a virtualization system which is called Unreal Engine. This means that a single design change can update all the other related design production assets such as images, 360 virtual tours, and VR. The greatest benefit that IHG gained from the program is engagement with all the current and prospective owners. It has also helped in validating the results of current and future guest research wherein VR is a primary instrument which reduced the requirement for expensive physical piloting programs.

Hilton

Hilton, on the other hand, has a different VR approach. It makes use of creating immersive environments for the corporate staff to understand fully what everyday life is for all the employees. Through the use of the Oculus Rift goggles which are linked with a laptop for high-end gaming. Customers can go around the hotel and its different departments and at the same time users are also asked to join in three operational tasks: creating a room service tray, cleaning a guest room, and checking the rewards program list found at the front desk. The result of the pilot program is positive with 87 percent of the participants saying that they now appreciate and have better empathy for team members who work in the hotel and 78 percent of them anticipating that this will have an effect on the work they do within the office. The program is set to be applied globally.

Hard Rock Hotel Ibiza

Hard Rock Hotel Ibiza is the real example of a customer-facing VR where dinner is served at €1,500 per head and guests are offered multisensory 14-course extravaganza. This includes a simulation of what a party would be like in 2050. Certain technologies are used. One is e-spoon which offers a 3D animation of a snack giving the diners more nutritional information about the food they are eating. Another technology is the leap motion technology which enables the guests to lift the snack using virtual hands and tasting it in a completely virtual environment. There are also guest-facing VR that can be found nationwide. This enables guests to see the arrival in real-time in different areas of the hotel.

Tree By Naked

In Japan, food connoisseurs can now dine at the Tree By Naked, a virtual reality restaurant. Here you can find a fusion of multiple Japanese dishes from Ryotaro Muramatsu, the creator of Naked Inc. Experience dining in a building with a facade filled with elaborate projection displays and adorned with many 3D elements.

With all the options for technology, the first question that a hotelier has to ask is if it has to be a VR. You have to think if you are solving a problem or you are in fact creating a problem that does not exist. It is also important to consider first and foremost the quality of output. It’s not enough that you are first to use a particular technology. It doesn’t matter anymore these days. It is also crucial to consider the budget since you are not only spending for the virtual reality product but also for the equipment needed for the guests, employees, and owners to experience the virtual product.

Hotel owners and managers and key players in the hospitality industry can create their own virtual tour with ease and minimal cost through the software Virtual Tour Easy. The software has many free features, and it’s user-friendly. Check the site for more information.

marketing, virtual realityAugust 19, 2019

The Importance of Using Voice-Over and Background Music to Your Virtual Tour

Most marketers have underestimated the impact of sound design on the virtual tour creation process. There are those who intend to make their VR tours as real-life like as possible, but most often it is better to supplement the creative visuals with voice-over and music in the background.

Defining the Voice-Over

Voice-over enables viewers to listen to a human voice while viewing a video in a 360-degree environment. The voice is particularly helpful in educating the user, guiding him or her to view a particular scene or area, and also to enhance the virtual tour’s entertainment value. What is required here is an MP3 file.

A voice-over can make the entire tour experience more humane. This can also make the virtual tour experience more personal and genuine. Virtual tours with voice-over are specifically useful in several cases such as in education, tourism, training, real estate, and travel.

On Background Music

It is also possible to add music to a certain scene in a virtual tour. This will render a certain feeling or ambiance to the scene. Music can enliven the whole virtual tour experience. It can also make it more engaging. Same with the voice-over, an MP3 file is required for background music. Virtual tours with background music can be used for entertainment, travel, and tourism.

Adding Background Music in Virtual Tour through Virtual Tour Easy

In Virtual Tour Easy, the user can freely add background music in every virtual tour. There are two ways to add background music in your virtual tour . You can add music to the entire virtual tour itself which can help build an overall theme for it, and the other is to add background music or a voice-over to a particular scene.

· Adding Music to the Entire Virtual Tour

Log in to the site. Look for the pencil icon which is part of the Tour Builder. Within the Tour Builder, look for the filter icon. Once you find the Tour Settings popup, click on the Audio tab. Then click the Upload button and choose your preferred music. After this, click on the “Upload” button. Wait for the Success Notification popup to appear.

· Adding Music or Voice-Over to a Specific Scene in a Virtual Tour

Find the Click the Pencil icon once you have logged in to the Virtual Tour Easy site. Once in the Virtual Tour Builder page, click the specific scene then click the Edit button. Once you see the popup, click the Audio tab and the Upload button to look for your preferred music. A Success Notification popup will show up once the music is added.

It is not difficult to add warmth to your virtual tour. It only takes a few steps. For more information, you may visit the site: VirtualTourEasy.com.

marketing, virtual realityAugust 12, 2019

Most Effective Techniques to Increase Marketing ROI Using Virtual Tours

The use of virtual tours is one of the priorities in the list of marketing techniques. The impact of virtual tours in marketing range from repurposing the content for different goals, leveraging the chat messaging function for customer satisfaction, and the benefits that it provides to analytics. There are several components that compose a 360-degree virtual tour. These are the following: audio, 360-degree videos, photos, lead generation forms, and other forms of content that can be embedded in a 360-degree virtual tour. The final output of a virtual tour can be used across different devices such as tablets, smartphones, desktop, and VR headsets.

Make Your Content Useful Across Multiple Channels

Content can be created to serve different goals. Create a virtual tour that presents information that can last for a prolonged period and can be accessed across various channels. The trick is to reuse your existing and branded content within the virtual tour making them hotspots which can help reduce cost. It is also easier to update the hotspot compared to reshooting and editing a series of full videos.

Videos Are Now Live and They Are More Personal

It is significant to connect with potential clients authentically and to make a community of like-minded individuals. This can be done simply by embedding a vlog or video blog in a virtual tour for prospects to keep coming back for more. A live broadcast within a 360-degree virtual tour enables everyone watching it in one location. It is also as easy as featuring news or events on the virtual tour. You can create streams of income on the 360-degree virtual tour by adding native advertising, product ads, and some sponsorships. A virtual campaign allows for engagement with prospects and current customers and presents a pipeline for multichannel distribution of content.

Virtual Tours Increase Bookings by 85 Percent

A 360 degree virtual tour is more engaging, and it offers you more time to laugh, freak out, cry, and create an emotion that can be associated with your particular offer. Emotions often stimulate thoughts and decisions. Being able to view a physical location has a profound psychological effect on any buyer. VIP tours behind the scenes are also considered to be largely helpful for businesses that are non-public facing in nature.

Photographer: Lucrezia Carnelos | Source: Unsplash

Optimizing the Message of Virtual Tours

The message conveyed and the creativity involved in the delivery of the message can have a huge impact on marketing. Being able to deliver the right message to the people can increase business ROI. Marketers must optimize the right message and send it at the right time to a targeted audience. Optimizing a 360-degree virtual tour may only require changing a voice over audio clip or perhaps integrating a lead generation form. Heat maps and several other data points collected from virtual tours may also enable channel optimization.

Bright Future for Virtual Reality Market

It’s the right time to start the use of virtual tour as a stepping-stone toward more virtual reality engagement. Every marketer uses video as content delivery method. To rise above the din produced by video production, a marketer can take refuge from an interactive 360-degree virtual tour. The application of a 360-degree virtual tour will serve as a roadmap for the increasing use of virtual reality in the marketing methods of the business.

For you to find out more about the benefits and the methods of creating virtual tours, visit Virtual Tour Easy now.

marketing, virtual realityAugust 5, 2019

Virtual Tours Can Maximize Lead Generation and Conversions | Here’s Why!

It is possible to create leads through virtual tours. It is a great way to capture the attention of users by offering them a good experience on the site. One way to ensure this is to focus on the creation and on stimulating interaction with the site visitors. Let the users explore the business through the virtual tour and allow them to directly purchase an item or pay for a service on your virtual tour.

Make sure that you use several call-to-action buttons; these depend on your type of business and your specific conversion goals. Such call-to-action buttons include links to online shops, sign-up forms for newsletters, restaurant and hotel reservations, and requests for real estate property deals.

You can also provide access to webshop links and enable direct bookings on the virtual tour itself. You can allow your visitors to experience visiting your business and for them to capture the moment by letting them make a reservation straight from the virtual tour. You may also redirect them to your own booking page. Hotel managers must make sure that their guests can book the exact room type that they have visited through a virtual tour. All you have to do is put a Book Now button on the page.

Virtual tours can also be integrated with different platforms. Platforms like these These platforms can ensure seamless and easy booking online. For businesses that have their own web shops, deep links can be used to lead visitors to online shops where they can complete their orders. You can highlight particular brands and let visitors find out more about the products or services offered by the company.

Photographer: Hammer & Tusk | Source: Unsplash

It is easier to track conversions and performance through the virtual tour. It is crucial to monitor and keep track of the ROI that the tour provides for the company. An analytics backend can be placed within the virtual tour that can help in monitoring the clicks of visitors on a specific call to action buttons in the virtual tour.

Without difficulty, you can see the number of time users spend on the virtual tour and which particular hotspots are considered the most popular; and also you will be able to track those leads that are generated by each of all the call-to-action buttons such as Book Now, Contact Us, and Request Quote.

If you want to know more about how to leverage your virtual tour for your marketing, try creating your virtual tour with Virtual Tour Easy. Create your free account today!

marketing

Best Uses of Virtual Reality in the Hospitality Industry