A hotel can benefit from the metaverse mainly through immersive experiences that help travelers picture their stay: 360° and 3D virtual tours, virtual reality previews of rooms and venues, virtual events and brand activations on platforms such as Roblox or Fortnite. Since the 2021-2022 hype, buying virtual land or building a hotel in a blockchain world has shown little return; the useful approach is to start from the hotel's own website and booking goals.
Key takeaways
- Immersive tours help travelers and event planners choose a room or a venue.
- Blockchain worlds such as Decentraland and The Sandbox attract a limited audience.
- Any immersive project should be measured in bookings, leads or brand awareness.
What can the metaverse bring to a hotel?
- Virtual tours: 360° or 3D visits of rooms, spa and meeting spaces, directly on the website.
- VR previews: immersive presentations of venues for weddings, seminars and events.
- Virtual events: launches, press visits or hybrid events for remote guests.
- Brand experiences: activations on popular platforms for brands with a young audience.
- Guest entertainment: VR experiences in a kids' club or lounge.
What should a hotel avoid?
Buying virtual land or NFTs without a clear goal, building a world that nobody visits, or investing in experiences that require headsets few guests own. Interest has largely shifted to mixed reality and AI, as explained in our article What is the metaverse?
How do you start with immersive content?
- Define the goal: more direct bookings, more event leads or more awareness.
- Start with a virtual tour of rooms and venues on the website.
- Promote it on social media and in sales proposals for events.
- Measure its use and its effect on conversion before going further.
What does Influence Society recommend?
At Influence Society, we advise hotels to invest first in content that works today: professional photos and videos, virtual tours, short formats for social networks and AI-generated visuals, all integrated into the website and the booking path.
FAQ
Should a hotel buy virtual land in the metaverse?
In most cases, no. Blockchain worlds attract a limited audience and returns have been low since 2022. A virtual tour on the hotel's own website is usually far more useful.
Do virtual tours help a hotel get bookings?
They help travelers and event planners picture the space before booking, especially for suites, venues and weddings. Their effect should be measured on the website's conversion.
Is the metaverse useful for hotel events?
It can be, for virtual or hybrid events and for immersive presentations of venues to planners who cannot visit in person.