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World’s first MetaHuman cabin crew is here! Qatar Airways steps into metaverse with ‘QVerse’ virtual reality
Qatar Airways has entered the metaverse by launching QVerse, a novel virtual reality (VR) experience for visitors to the airline’s website. Users of the website can now virtually tour and navigate the Premium Check-in area at Hamad International Airport (HIA), the cabin interior of the airline’s aircraft, including the award-winning Business Class - Qsuite, and the Economy Class cabin, by using their own Personal Electronic Devices (PEDs). The national carrier of the State of Qatar is also the first global airline to introduce a MetaHuman cabin crew offering a digital interactive customer experience. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said: “With physical boundaries beginning to be challenged by the metaverse on an increasingly larger scale, it is exciting to embrace a technology that enables all travel enthusiasts to enjoy a unique immersive experience of our award-winning products and services.” He added: “Our status as the first airline to introduce a MetaHuman cabin crew is testament to our unwavering desire to innovate and delight our customers. We are constantly looking forward to adopting and introducing novel technologies that enhance our passengers’ complete journey.” The experience was developed using Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, the world’s most advanced real-time 3D creation tool, and MetaHuman Creator, a cloud-based app for creating high-fidelity digital humans. Qatar Airways is the first global airline to introduce a MetaHuman cabin crew, featuring a digitally-created high-fidelity 3D human model named ‘Sama’ – whose name is of Arabic origin and translates to ‘sky’. ‘Sama’ offers an interactive customer experience through engagement with the user, taking them on a virtual journey of discovery, while presenting the unique features in both the Business and Economy Class cabins through a narrated script. The airline continues to stand alone at the top of the industry having won the main prize for an unprecedented sixth time (2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021). The airline’s hub, Hamad International Airport (HIA), was also recently recognised as the ‘Best Airport in the World 2021’, ranking at number one in the Skytrax World Airport Awards 2021.
How can virtual reality help in the travel industry?
Have you taken a tour over the past year? It’s not only you! A majority of the people across the globe skipped their vacations and travel trips owing to the coronavirus pandemic. The travel and hospitality industry is one of the majorly impacted industries by the pandemic. A survey conducted by Fifty Grande has revealed that over a 73% of people admit that the coronavirus pandemic will impact their travel planning. As technology has helped various sectors, like education, healthcare in these unprecedented times, it can revive the travel industry and hospitality industry. Virtual Reality could be a major contributor in revamping the travel experiences offering a more digitized virtual travel. Here is a detailed guide on Virtual Reality bringing a significant transformation in the conventional travel and hotel industry. WHAT IS VIRTUAL REALITY? Virtual Reality is one of the revolutionizing modern-day technologies that create a simulated environment that may or may not be similar to the real world and stimulates the body senses to interact with the virtual 3D world. It creates a highly immersive experience that has the potential to detach you from the real world, taking you on a virtual tour. The VR device comprises head-mounted displays, a helmet, a blindfold and stereo headphones for the highly immersive audio and video experiences. HOW CAN VIRTUAL REALITY BE USED IN THE TRAVEL & HOTEL INDUSTRY? The recent pandemic had, for once, completely halted the travel activities with the strict lockdown restrictions and social distancing norms. International and even inter-state tourism were banned owing to the safety of the public. However, even when relaxations were introduced in the restrictions and travel activities resumed with all the necessary precautions, people stayed a little sceptical to go on tours. Covid-19 gave a major reality health check that people are no longer willing to risk their lives and engage in travel. This change of mindset had given a huge blow to the already crashing travel industry. When digital technology has streamlined the operations of every sector in this pandemic-hit world, the travel industry should be no exception. Adopting virtual reality in the travel and hospitality sector could potentially change the picture. Virtual travel remains a high potential but an untapped market that travel agents and travel sellers can cash in on for boosting travel bookings and online hotel bookings. A MUCH NEEDED TRAVEL BREAK AMIDST THE COVID CHAOS Staying at home due to the coronavirus restrictions and lockdowns for over one and a half years, people have become bored. However, they do not wish to travel, suspecting safety concerns. At this juncture, a virtual tour can give them a recreational break. With VR headsets, they can live amazing, but nothing less than real and refreshing experiences. This will boost their positivity and mental health, injecting a sufficient dose of dopamine to get back to work with charged up energy levels. MOTIVATE PEOPLE TO RECONSIDER TRAVEL Even if the second wave of coronavirus and all its variants are eliminated, and normal routine gets revived, it would be a strenuous task to encourage people to take up travel all over again. Travel-tech company Impala has surveyed that only a 42% of people are ready to take up travel in 2021. In such a situation, travel providers can leverage the benefits of VR technology. Give a virtual tour of the major attractions you have to offer at beautiful destinations, monuments, hotels and other attractions that influence people to explore these places. In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, people are looking for certain criteria before making a hotel booking that offers exclusive corona safety policies and measures. Give them a demonstration of the corona safety measures you have deployed at your hotel. Demonstrate to them how the travel destinations and hotels have been sanitized, and all the safety precautions are made available for safe travel and staycation. TRY AND BUY MARKETING STRATEGY People will choose you if you give them a valid reason. There are so many online travel agencies and online hotel booking sites, then why should people choose you. The answer to this lies in hotels must have a website that gives people extended information about the place. When people come to your website, you can impress them with eye-catching visuals of your property that influence them to make reservations. However, integrating a hotel reservation system in your hotel website for direct booking, as once a person leaves your site to make a booking on an OTA, they will find alternate options there, reducing the chances for your inventory to be booked. Also, the UX of your hotel booking engine must be impressive, but at the same time simple enough that enables a booking within a couple of clicks. USE SOCIAL MEDIA AS A LEAD MAGNET These days businesses are using social media as a lead magnet, as it has been proving to be a lucrative marketing channel. Post the virtual tour videos of your property on social media and give the audience a virtual experience of the attractions and top-class service at your place. Get interactive with the social media audience, conduct fun activities, quizzes, surveys and drive people to your website. Sometimes social media may not give you instant results, but at least boost your brand awareness among the people who would probably consider your destination and service whenever they make a travel plan in future. EXPLORE THE FAR-OFF DESTINATIONS Sometimes, people forego their travel plans owing to the destination being far away or lack of time, or other inevitable reasons. With virtual travel technology, they can enjoy the experiences of those beautiful far-away destinations right from their place without having to compromise on their vacations. COST-EFFECTIVE A few luxury destinations cost a huge sum, and not everyone can afford to have a vacation at these places. But that should not hinder the experiences of a travel enthusiast, and hence VR technology can be utilised for the same. Have a real-world experience of the destination from your place with a good VR device at comparatively lesser expenses. For example, anyone can have a candlelight dinner by the side of an Eiffel Tower right from their living room. Though there are lucrative advantages of incorporating VR technology into the travel industry, they cannot completely match the real-world experiences unless you opt for the best-in-class devices. VR could act as a tool to drive leads and conversions for your travel bookings and hotel bookings.
Emirates launches first airline virtual reality app
Available on emirates.com to anyone with an internet connection, via the Emirates app, and now on the Oculus store for Oculus Rift users, Emirates has taken the next step in its ambition to reach and engage audiences around the world with cutting-edge virtual reality (VR) technology. Experience Emirates’ fully-enclosed Gamechanger First Class Suites, explore the airline's signature A380 Onboard Lounge, or check out the cabin around your own seat in row 77 from the comfort of your home, with the airline's award-winning and industry-leading VR experiences. Boutros Boutros, Emirates’ divisional senior vice president in corporate communications, marketing and brand, said: “The airline aims to provide innovative and outstanding customer experiences whether onboard, on the ground, or in the digital space. In 2018, we were the world's first airline to introduce advanced web VR technology on our digital platforms, offering our customers an immersive opportunity to learn about the fantastic Emirates experience that awaited them before they stepped on board. We've continued to invest and develop that experience, and today we are delighted to be the first airline to launch a fully-fledged Oculus VR app.” This initiative expands the carrier’s global reach and ability to engage with its audiences across digital platforms. Created in partnership with technology company Renacen, Emirates' customers can navigate through Economy, Business and First Class cabins, explore their seats, as well as the iconic Onboard Lounge and Shower Spa on the Emirates A380 using navigational hotspots. Emirates is working on an updated version featuring its Premium Economy cabin and latest A380 aircraft interiors.
Welcome to the future! World’s first hotel virtual reality experience centre unveiled
Crowne Plaza Greater Noida, a leading business hotel in Delhi NCR, has announced the launch of the world’s first hotel virtual reality (VR) experience centre, in association with Noida-based VR tech startup, The Knotty Tales. Located strategically at the hotel lobby, it would allow users to indulge in an immersive 8K three-dimensional, computer generated virtual environment that can be explored and interacted with as per the client’s requirements. With this initiative, the hotel becomes world’s first hotel to adopt VR technology with a physical experience centre on-site. “This is the future. VR is such a powerful immersive medium that perfectly complements the experiential nature of our industry. I am certain about the potential this holds for hotels to technologically advance the way we present our product to a prospective client or a business partner,” said Ashwani Nayar, general manager of the hotel.
Largest indoor virtual reality park opens in Louisiana
New to Youngsville, Louisiana, Planet VR has opened its doors for the first time in the state and will be the group’s biggest virtual reality amusement park to date. Experiences offered have been compared to what visitors can experience at Disney but for a fraction of the price. Planet VR’s large, 3,500 square foot facility will feature layout and design that can be enjoyed with and without a virtual reality (VR) headset. Much of the interior will feature 3D textures, 3D wallpaper, fun lighting and more. Each room will offer participants varying levels of virtual reality experiences from the basic headset with zero mobility needed, on up to full scale, in-room multiplayer action where friends can interact together in a VR world. It will provide indoor entertainment experiences that virtually recreate roller coaster rides, water slides, race cars. The park also offers flight simulator experiences like hand gliding or bird's eye view tours and popular VR games like Beat Saber.
Virtual reality bites: Lufthansa trial VR tech on flight LH630
Lufthansa passengers to the UAE were in for a tech treat when the airline trialled its new in-flight VR prototype aboard flight LH630, from Frankfurt to Dubai last week. Given access to the next generation of inflight entertainment, passengers were not only able to experience an interactive three dimensional model of the real life map unfurling below them but could, if they so wished, participate in “360° virtual excursions” too. For example, as the carrier’s Airbus A330 passed over Vienna, fliers were able to “virtually” ride the city’s famous Prater Ferris Wheel. “Inspire our passengers while they were in the sky” Paul Schön, passenger experience designer for Lufthansa said: "VR is a growing trend for destination experiences and we wanted to help inspire our passengers while they were in the sky. The Frankfurt to Dubai flight was a first-time test for our new VR prototype, which was designed to further enhance the passenger experience. I’m pleased to say this virtual exploration trip was very positively received by the participating passengers.” The prototype was developed by Lufthansa in cooperation with 3spin, Lufthansa’s lead agency for virtual and augmented reality. Prater Ferris Wheel “Gazing out of the window, I have often thought to myself: Where are we and what is going on down there. Our idea is based on that thought. In order to help passengers experience the world below we have developed the VR Moving Map in collaboration with the Lufthansa customer experience team.” said Thomas Hoger of 3spin. Previously, this VR technology was offered to customers on the ground. By giving passengers on this flight the chance to enjoy 30 minutes of virtual reality content, the airline aims to understand passenger interest in this topic and gather their feedback on the trial. "The airline will continue testing various possible applications of VR and AR with customers to evaluate together with relevant stakeholders which prototypes could be developed further."
Vietnam Airlines signs MoU for maintenance powered by virtual reality glasses, drones and robotics
Click! I see through my headset that an armrest in the aeroplane cabin (that I'm not even inside) is faulty. Click! I send a message to automated manufacturing plant to 3d print a new one. Click! I send instructions for a drone to pick up the new piece and bring it to me. Our engineer removes the old armrest and fits the new one - job done. That's a rough approximation of how Vietnam Airlines can now carry out its maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) thanks to a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ST Aerospace, for Smart MRO, assisted by drone and AR technology . The relationship between the two organisations is further bolstered with 58 A321CEOs and 20 A321NEOs, including all other A321s that will be delivered, in component maintenance starting from mid-2018. This maintenance contract will see ST Aerospace establish an inventory base in Vietnam. https://youtu.be/Kz1UCu6QDaM?list=PLaXGNdclZqpFZLL6nYHenlLGAiW0S04i4 Using the fixed rate per hour option, Vietnam Airlines will be able to choose from a comprehensive range of support services and pay a pre-set rate; keeping operations costs down while also retaining a tight grip on fixed asset inventory holdings in terms of spares or maintenance equipment. "A major step forward for Vietnam’s aviation industry" Dang Ngoc Hoa, executive vice president of Vietnam Airlines said, “We are delighted to partner with ST Aerospace to establish a joint venture as well as to provide MRO support for the A321 aircraft family, which is the majority of our fleet. "This partnership not only improves our fleet efficiency and world-class service quality, but also represents a major step forward for Vietnam’s aviation industry in general, contributing to the boost of bilateral economic, trade and aviation relations between Vietnam and Singapore.” Lim Serh Ghee, president of ST Aerospace said, "We are happy that Vietnam Airlines has decided to entrust their A321CEO and A321NEO fleet to us for component support, and even more so by the prospect of deepening our partnership with the exploration of a joint venture." Lim went on to say "The robust development of the economy and a burgeoning middle class have created an ideal environment for the growth of the aviation industry in the Asia Pacific region, and Vietnam’s double-digit growth in the air travel sector is the best reflection of this. Riding on this growth, strategic partnerships with established industry participants such as Vietnam Airlines will enable us to increase our regional footprint and better penetrate high-growth markets.” The signing ceremony was held under the witness of Vietnamese prime minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc who is on an official visit to Singapore from 25 to 28 April 2018, and Singapore’s minister for national development, Lawrence Wong.
You can take a virtual reality tour in Rome this summer
At the end of April, Roma Experience, in collaboration with archaeologists and tour guides, will be launching a 3D virtual reality (VR) guided tour of Rome and its iconic sights. VR has been a growing trend in the travel space as companies continue to figure out ways to incorporate the technology in the way we travel. And so, for those who have been waiting for VR-tech to finally mix with travel – the time has come. Starting this summer, you can ‘virtually’ tour the ancient city of Rome, and see the way it looked like 2,000 years ago. “It has been thrilling to be at the forefront of utilising this evolving technology” Davide Bolognesi, marketing manager at Roma Experience said: “We are incredibly excited to be launching our first virtual walking tour of Rome at the end of April. It has been thrilling to be at the forefront of utilising this evolving technology in the travel industry and we are honoured to be able to provide our clients with this unique and wonderful travel experience.” The immersive walking tour follows a carefully designed itinerary, stopping at Rome’s most popular spots and recreating the ancient setting. A team of developers and graphic designers have brought the ancient city to life with the launch of 3D Tour of Rome Ancient City. "It’s a 3D tour, but most importantly ‘a walking tour’ where tourists actually walk around the ancient city" Viewpoints throughout the route include the Colosseum (both interior and exterior), the Roman and Imperial Forum, Circus Maximus, Capitoline Hill, Nero’s Palace, Arch of Constantine and more. During the walking virtual tour, tourists will make stops to see the ancient city reconstructed in virtual reality. The tour (which takes around three hours and costs €79.00) is led by an expert tour guide who will enlighten participants on the history of the ancient city while they take in the “unbelievable” sights. It’s estimated that between 2017 and 2021, shipments of VR devices are set to grow by 400% and visual content is noted as a key trend within marketing for 2018. A recent report from Greenlight VR also found that 74% of consumers expressed an interest in travel and adventure PR content. “At Roma Experience, we are enthusiastic to keep abreast of new developments within the industry and we are continually looking for new and exciting ways to provide our clients with the best experiences,” added Bolognesi. It’s crucial that travel companies continue to move forward with serving the public interest in the VR trend and Roma Experience is doing just that.
Scenic launches virtual reality tour
Scenic Cruises has launched a virtual reality tour offering the Scenic Space-Ship experience before heading on board. Filmed in April this year after renovations earlier in the year, travel agents and guests can now tour Scenic Diamond, which exclusively cruises the waterways of Bordeaux. The cruise line's UK brand manager Nichola Absalom said virtual reality was the next best thing to experiencing the ships firsthand, and would empower agents and customers alike during the booking process. “For travellers that are new to river cruising, suite categories, and on board facilities, the virtual reality experience will really assist them when booking as well as the pre-journey experience. “Guests will be able to walk through our newly built Royal Owner’s Suite and feel like they are taking part in Scenic Culinaire, the exclusive on board cooking school.” Dawn Quinn, acting national sales manager for the brand, said: “The new virtual reality tour really brings Scenic Diamond to life. The video provides agents with an exciting and innovative way to learn about and promote Scenic Space-Ships, as they can experience the ultimate in 5* luxury river cruising for themselves.” Salt Lounge, Scenic Diamond Scenic Diamond was chosen as she recently underwent redevelopment, with the additions of a Salt Lounge, the first ever on board a river cruise (a Salt Lounge is a room handcrafted out of salt bricks, known for its therapeutic health benefits); the one-bedroom Royal Owner’s Suite, which is 47m2 of all-inclusive luxury; and Scenic Culinaire, an exclusive on board cooking class. To view the virtual reality experience yourself, visit scenic.co.uk/France
Erotica returns to hotel rooms with virtual reality
A company is aiming to make in-room adult entertainment a "viable income stream once again" for hotels, with the introduction of virtual reality erotica. VR3000 says that while the rise of online pornography effectively put an end to in-room paid adult TV content, VR has the potential to bring it back. It says it is now in negotiations to bring the VR to "many European hotels". "The hotel chains we are speaking with were immediately receptive to the idea of showrooming VR content within their hotel rooms as part of a broader package of virtual reality offerings for guests," said Andy Alvarez, owner of VR3000 and CEO of Webmaster Central. "Firms in all sectors are seeking innovative ways to get VR gear in the hands of potential customers because it's easiest to sell VR content to a client base after they have had the opportunity to see why it is so much more immersive than flat-screen traditional media." It is unlikely that large hotel groups will be receptive to the idea of in-room virtual erotica however; Marriott put an end to on-demand in-room adult entertainment in 2011, and Hilton followed in 2015. VR3000 claims however, that the reasons for this were "financial rather than cultural", and they are hopeful that VR will rekindle hotels' romance with adult content.
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