Metavers defines the 3D virtual world focused on social connection. Users can use virtual and augmented reality headphones to travel through the virtual world. The idea of metavers is not new, the term has existed since 1992, having its origins in the novel SF - Snow Crash.
A first Meravers virtual world appeared in 2003, known as Second Life, but it was not a real success. At its peak, the platform had about 1 million users. But the idea of Metavers was brought back to the public's attention by Mark Zuckerberg. Facebook has become Meta, at least at company level and in official documents.
More and more companies, including Coca-Cola, Gucci, McDonald's, are analyzing and even investing in a virtual space in Metaverse. Is it time for hotels to make their presence felt in this 3D virtual world?
Specialists are still analyzing possible applications of Metavers and business opportunities from different sectors, but what seems certain is that tourism could also benefit from it. Some hotels, such as the Madrid Marriott Auditorium, have bought land in Metavers and we will certainly be able to interact with it in the digital world.
This new technology may be another possibility in its digital transformation plan, although the hotel industry is still reluctant, given that there are more questions than answers. In this regard, Benjamín Garcés, CEO of Easygoband, recalled that “a few years ago there were also doubts about the practicality or not of the digital access, the commitment to online check-in, contactless technology as a tool for access to the room. and so on However, today we have these technologies implemented in hotels around the world.
Easygoband has found the possible applications of Metavers in hotels to improve the hotel experience and increase the turnover.
- 3D visualization: Virtual reality offers guests the opportunity to see in detail the hotel rooms before making a reservation in any of them. Thus, the client knows what he will find even before he arrives, which makes him a powerful marketing tool to attract visitors.
- Promoting services and activities: Metaverse becomes a great tool to inspires and excites future guests, because through virtual reality they can experience sensations immersing themselves in the different activities offered. This is a step forward in selling the tourism experience.
- Business travel: The hotel can consider organizing meetings and congresses in a virtual environment, very similar to the real one, in which the participants can interact with each other. Metaverse thus offers the possibility to "transform ”business travel, which can reduce emissions and therefore the impact on the environment.
Exclusive digital products
- Exclusive digital products: Some hotels and chains have already opted for NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens), a concept closely related to Metaverse. These are unique products that belong exclusively to the guest and that allow him to live different virtual experiences,such as attending a concert in one's own room or organizing a private party.
- Marketing: The presence of a hotel in a relevant Metavers space will serve as a powerful marketing tool to stimulate business. Although the idea of buying a virtual land is still hopeless for many, there are already some companies that have begun to study the real possibility of being present in this virtual world. By the way, a few months ago, one of them paid three million euros to purchase digital land. It sounds like a joke, but many companies around the world are already billing for real money after they've developed real estate projects for different digital platforms.
- Capacity: Some hotels might generate more revenue in Metavers than in the physical world, because, unlike the capacity of hotels in real life, the number of guests in this virtual world is unlimited. Easygoband then wonders if they “should to buy virtual plots of hotels located in one of the main Metaverse (Such as Decentraland or The Sandbox) and to build their virtual hotel"Although" unfortunately we do not have the answer. What is certain is that technology is advancing every second, an indisputable evolution that companies, also in the hotel sector, they should be open to accepting and adapting to it".