Remember science fiction movies you have watched or the books you have read before. Once it was a dream of eye-capturing virtual spaces where imaginary people wander around, and now it becomes real.
Many companies have already embraced this virtual universe. Company owners and marketers started exploring the new possibilities Metaverse brings about.
Well, what are the chances for hotels with great physical spaces in Metaverse? Should you invest in Metaverse for your hotel?
Let's see some numbers to understand the importance and popularity of Metaverse.
According to Statista, by 2026:
- 25% of people globally will socialize one hour a day in Metaverse at a minimum.
- Nearly a third of the global businesses will have digital products or services in Metaverse.
Metaverse holds great potential for marketers. Your hotel business can attract wider audiences and increase brand awareness, hence can drive more bookings using this new technology.
In this article, you will explore topics such as:
- What is Metaverse?
- Definitive features of Metaverse
- How does Metaverse transform hotel marketing?
- How to use Metaverse for Hotel Marketing?
What is Metaverse?
Metaverse refers to a virtual world that enables social interaction, often using digital avatars. This technology provides an immersive 3D experience that combines advanced technologies.
However, the most significant confusion about the concept is: Does it exist already? What we have is a tiny touch to Metaverse. Various platforms started creating virtual spaces that can be visited using VR headsets. So to say, what we know as Metaverse is mostly the meta spaces for now. People can play games, work, or attend events in these spaces.
That’s why when you search for Metaverse, you see some other technologies. Virtual reality and augmented reality are the most popular technologies linked with this concept. Moreover, video gaming systems and blockchain technology play a significant role. Some say NFTs are the gateway to Metaverse.
All these individual virtual pieces will create Metaverse in the future. But, on the other hand, these spaces are trendy enough to showcase services and products.
Keep this in mind while reading the article.
Definitive Features of Metaverse
To understand the term broadly and simply, let’s explore its fundamental characteristics.
No limitations
In Metaverse, there is no limit to where it goes. As soon as the programmers build something in an area, you can go further and further endlessly. That also provides endless opportunities for users. It’s a space beyond physical limits and still feels real.
No singular authority
Metaverse does not belong to only one person. Rather than a single home or a location, it's an entire universe where various groups and individuals live. Therefore, you can also enter this world by owning a virtual land or avatar.
Marketplace opportunities
Metaverse allows people to purchase virtual land or goods similar to the real world. That makes it a highly competitive marketplace with an advanced economy. For example, people might book a room from your Meta hotel.
Social connections
Metaverse allows individuals to create social connections. For example, they can organize or attend events, concerts, ceremonies, or meetings. Moreover, they can trade and shop in virtual stores and malls.
Now, think of a virtual space where people from all over the world can socialize. These digital human interactions essentially open up new possibilities for hotel marketing.
How Does Metaverse Transform Hotel Marketing?
Now, Metaverse has become the new mode of digital marketing. First of all, it’s new, popular and interesting. Therefore, people are curious about this beyond universe experience.
Virtual environments are expanding the possibilities for hotel marketing as there is no limit in this space. Imagining that even the 360-degree images on Facebook are pretty cool, Metaverse is much more than this. As a result, there is no doubt that Metaverse transforms hotel marketing.
Let’s go more specific and explore the ways Metaverse transforms hotel marketing.
Be informative and enjoyable
As a new concept, Metaverse is attractive as it offers something different. Of course, social media management for hotels is still crucial; however, Metaverse provides an opportunity to introduce your hotel to your potential guests in a more enjoyable way.
Metaverse is an excellent chance for hotel marketers to demonstrate the venue. For example, you can create a virtual version of your hotel and present your rooms and amenities to virtual users.
Expand customer base
Digital marketing is all about reaching potential customers. Businesses need to be where their audiences are. That is easy math. So, you need to move your business into this virtual world and follow the latest advancements and trends.
In this sense, Metaverse functions as the upgraded version of social media.
- People spend time there.
- They get social virtually.
- They visit different virtual platforms like visiting accounts on Instagram.
Provide excellent customer service
Metaverse offers the nearest possible experience to face-to-face communication. Therefore, customer service will be more effective when done in Metaverse.
Your clients might have some questions and concerns before trusting your brand. Here, you can establish a space to communicate easily and more interestingly with them. During these pre-stay conversations, potential guests might attend virtual tours to your properties in Metaverse. That quickens all the booking procedures and relieves the guests.
Collaborate with Metaverse influencers
Metaverse reshapes influencer collaboration. Metaverse influencers know about virtual environments and have abilities, tools, and ideas to help businesses increase visibility. In Metaverse, creators can employ new ways of social interaction and communication for your hotel.
Enhance SEO
Metaverse also holds great power SEO-wise as people are very interested in the Metaverse world and search for the term extensively. Thus, including this term in your brand name is an excellent way to catch their attention.
Besides, we all know that helpful and engaging content is essential for improving search engine rankings. High rankings will eventually drive organic traffic to your sites. Incorporating AR, VR, and 3D experiences into your content marketing is better at attracting more people.
Enrich Your Advertisements
AR, VR, and 3D technologies can help you enrich your marketing strategies. These technologies create the most interactive hospitality advertising experience.
Instead of reading how useful and quality your product is, customers can experience your product or service in this virtual space. This way, they will have a better understanding of your services and quality.
How to Use Metaverse for Hotel Marketing?
There are numerous ways hotels can utilize Metaverse for marketing purposes. Here are some examples of such usages:
Create immersive 3D tours
One of the leading hotel advertising trends is virtual reality tours. They can improve the booking procedure by enabling guests to see and experience the hotel beforehand. However, Metaverse carries this experience beyond expectations.
For example, virtual avatars of guests might walk around the hotel rooms. That allows people to understand the size of each room, the decor, or the quality of the amenities you offer. In addition, this immersive 3D tour experience builds trust in customers during the booking process, thus increasing conversion rates.
Organize virtual events
People frequently visit hotels to attend events or festivals such as birthday parties, weddings, or honeymoons. However, these events don’t have to be physical. Meta hotels allow individuals to organize virtual events that everybody can attend from where they are.
These events can be
- parties on special days or interesting themes,
- gatherings on specific topics,
- artistic shows, exhibitions, and concerts,
Everything you organize in your physical hotel and more can turn into a virtual event. So be bold, consider your audience, and go for it.
Give virtual giveaways
Every guest loves promotional giveaways and appreciates them by becoming loyal to the brand. Whether a fridge magnet or postcard, they always keep it for later to show their friends and family.
When this marketing strategy joins forces with technology, one of the results is NFT gifts. You can create branded NFTs to give your guests as a gift. Or you can even give them a free stay in your meta hotel or ticket to your virtual events.
Key Takeaways
Metaverse offers new opportunities for hotel marketing. Brands should be quick to adapt to this new technology.
By investing in Metaverse, you can:
- increase brand awareness and visibility as its a trending topic,
- drive traffic to your booking page by increasing SEO,
- enrich your advertisement methods with AR, VR, and gaming technologies,
- enhance your customer service with simulations of personnel,
- present your hotel to potential guests in a more realistic way.