VR/AI Becomes Expected at Theme Parks; Implications for Hospitality

7/19/2017
According to a recent survey conducted by Omnico, a provider of cloud-based POS and customer engagement solutions, 85% of theme park visitors from the U.S.A., U.K., China, Japan and Malaysia want theme parks to use artificial intelligence (AI) systems for ID verification so their visits are as trouble-free as possible. The survey also found that 89% of visitors across the five countries want virtual reality technology to help them get more out of theme park visits by, for example, using headsets to choose rides (selected by 37%), restaurants, hotel rooms and souvenirs, to obtaining a bird’s eye view of the park on arrival (36%).

Consumers that expect AI/VR technology at theme parks will also begin to expect it at other hospitality venues as well. Fortunately, hotels are aware of this fact. In Hospitality Technology's 2017 Lodging Technology Study, 39% of Hotel Operators Believe AR/VR experiences have potential for real-world hotel applications.

According to Oracle's Hotel 2025 study, some of those real-world applications include virtual reality tours of properties during the booking process and id virtual reality lounges for guests' entertainment. Meanwhile, AI technology is currently being used to for such things as voice-activated controls to optimize room conditions, such as lighting and temperature. The Hilton in McClean, Va., is already implementing AI technology. It is experimenting with an AI robot concierge that “talks” with guests, providing information about the hotel and surrounding area.
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