Leveraging Augmented Reality to Enhance Customer Satisfaction in Travel and Hospitality

By Apac CIO Outlook | Wednesday, January 29, 2020

FREMONT, CA: Industry 4.0 is nearing full implementation across sectors, and new innovative technologies are driving the change. Among these technologies, Augmented Reality(AR) has been lurking around for quite some time, but it has seen rapid progress in recent years. AR is rapidly adopted as a tool to increase customer satisfaction profitability across various industries, including travel and hospitality. The highlight of this tool lies in its ability to superimpose useful data over and above the user's environment in real-time. By integrating digital information, AR provides a holistic experience that supersedes existing traditional standalone technologies.

The hospitality business is all about improving customer satisfaction, and to this extent, the industry has been the frontrunner in adopting new technologies. The implementation of AR technology in hotels, businesses can transform customer experiences by aligning it with the needs of the new generation of guests. Digital aspects such as the live picture on various surfaces like TV or a minifridge creates an infinite yet connected atmosphere, adding to a memorable experience. AR smart glasses are already up and running in the market. However, a regular hotel experience relies more on devices like tablets, smartphones, and headsets to provide guests with an enhanced experience.

The intelligent services and facilities provided by AR enable guests to feel hyper-connected, trendy, and right at home. Popular uses of AR in the hospitality field include guides introduce guests to the hotel's facilities, amenities of the room, helping them find services in the hotel, and information about lounges, fitness center, parking areas, etc.

The use of AR will also have a significant impact on international travel. AR can be used as a viable translator/interpreter, enabling efficient and clear communication with guests from different parts of the world. With this feature, international guests can gain access to various facilities that would have been difficult due to language barriers in the past. AR tools can also be leveraged to improve maps and directions. Traveling from one place to another in new cities will become more comfortable than ever once this technology is implemented.

By delivering immersive experiences through various real-time applications, AR allows customers to get a different perspective to brands. This can lead to rapid transformation in how customers interact with brands and companies. Its intrinsic ability to improve customer experience ultimately leads to a healthy bottom line for the company.

Interactive hotel rooms, beacon technology to guide them, gamification of destination experiences, augmented environments that help guests explore the establishment, and virtual keys that get activated through proximity are some of the exciting AR features that can help hotels deliver a standout experience to their customers.

By integrating applications with enterprise systems, CRMs, and maintenance systems, businesses can gain more insights into their customers' preferences, and use the same knowledge to enhance their experience. If implemented as an augmented tool integrated with maintenance systems, AR can help boost productivity, efficiency, and decrease costs. At the same time, if used as a preventive maintenance tool, AR helps provide guests with a safe and secure experience.

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