From underwater adventures to first-person shooting games, hotel guests can now experience a range of virtual reality scenes at The Viceroy Group’s Hotel Zetta in San Francisco.
The hotel, focused on creating unique guest experiences, has introduced a room scale virtual reality designed by Exit Reality, an innovative company dedicated to bridging the gap between people and virtual reality (VR).
As guests arrive at the hotel, they are immediately struck by what Exit Reality calls “Exit Cubes”—the space in which guests are able to transcend their bodies and travel to a location of their choice.
“Virtual reality, when experienced at the highest level, is truly mind-blowing,” says Yoni Koenig, the co-founder of Exit Reality. “Our motto is you have to experience it, to believe it. You need to have the space to walk around and really take in the relationship between your body as you interface into another dimension.”
According to Koenig, most people know very little about virtual reality, and are, therefore, not seeking out VR experiences. Instead, Exit Reality wanted to bring the experience into a convenient location, which just so happens to be hotels. “We are bringing an extraordinary experience to an accessible location, rather than asking the consumer to look for us,” says Koenig. “There is a real authenticity to what we are doing because we are reaching real people in their natural environment.”
Whether a space for relaxation, leisure, or business, the luxury hospitality industry is the perfect medium to appeal to the adventurous consumer. “VR seemed very natural to the hospitality world, where hotel guests are more susceptible and open to new experiences,” says Koenig. “Hotel guests tend to be receptive to the values of VR and are likely to form real memories following their experience.”
Besides pleasing guests, VR has substantially impacted The Viceroy Group’s business. The additional amenity has drawn large crowds of people to the hotel. As a line of guests wait to enter the Exit Cube, they frequently spent their waiting time at the bar or enjoying the hotel’s meeting areas. “The byproduct of having lines of people waiting are that more people hang out around the bar and order appetizers,” says Koenig. “Also, following the experience, more people want to plan events at the hotel.”
In the fast-growing hospitality industry, hotel goers are constantly seeking out the newest and most innovative experience. VR has filled that desire among guests at the Hotel Zetta. “We have clear data that proves VR drives business,” says Koenig. “If you meet the consumer inside of their journey, or a space where they have chosen to hang out — such as a hotel — virtual reality will only amplify that social situation.”
