Is augmented reality the next big trend in hospitality?

The topic is already gaining attention, and technology experts are pushing forward highlighting the numerous advantages hotels can gain by using AR technology, which is more affordable than Virtual Reality and easier to adopt. But hospitality is an industry that catches up with new technologies at its pace because it is easier for big chains and brands to make the extra investment in AR and smart technologies to come close to the “hotel of the future” than it is for boutique hotels. Even so, experts believe that by 2060 hotels will embrace “augmented reality, artificial intelligence, morphing beds, robotics, touchscreen interface, hyper-connectivity and more,” according to The Financial Express.

Netherlands-based hotel chain citizenM is already offering guests automated check-in with room numbers sent directly to their smartphones, which also become the “keys” to open the doors. Most room features are controlled with a smart tablet: lights, TV, blinds, and so on. A similar in-room experience is offered at Olive Green Hotel in Heraklion, Crete. In fact, this is the only hotel in Greece that embraced smart technology that goes beyond room controls. QR-coded wallpapers featuring images of Cretan landscapes offer guests additional information about their destination, with distances to points of interest and other relevant details. 

hub by Premier Inn incorporate AR to enhance the guest experience: each room features a stylized map of the neighborhood. Guests can use their smartphones to scan the map and then see information about points of interest nearby. 

But Augmented Reality is not a mainstream phenomenon in hotels, although there are indications that it should be. Millions of people are using smartphones around the world, so the logical first step for hospitality businesses is to adopt mobile AR. Chinese search giant Baidu is already taking advantage of mobile AR to serve AR-based ads to consumers, but also to recreate historical sites in Beijing. The potential for tourism is remarkable and Baidu will continue integrating AR with other industries too.

Baidu is not the only Chinese company that uses AR. Alibaba and Tencent launched AR-based smartphone games. In hospitality, the pioneers are PAI Hotels by China's Plateno Group. PAI Hotels launched in Europe at Expo Real in Munich, where the company demonstrated its creative use of Augmented Reality. The company offers a downloadable app PAI AR PARK that allows guest to see every AR element in a PAI hotel. By collecting 7 different chips hidden in AR elements, guests can win awards.

"Visitors to Plateno Collection 2017 showed great curiosity at our PAI HOTELS' booth,” said PAI CEO Lin Yuan during a press conference at the Plateno Collection 2017 hotel fashion show. “This was a valuable chance to enhance PAI HOTEL' visibility to the public, which led to significant influence for PAI HOTELS' future development, both in China and overseas. As the best solution for independent hotels, PAI HOTELS will continue to strive for this goal as well as to embed AR technics into hotel environment to enrich customers' interactive experience," he added.

AR has the potential to enhance the guest experience, but it should also be considered for its strong advantages. AR-based ads are already a powerful monetization tool, as seen in the example offered by Baidu. AR can also be used for brochures and other printed materials. There are many other interesting AR applications for hoteliers, as you can see in an industry-specific report by Augment.