Augmented reality (AR) is being adopted as a tool to increase customer satisfaction and profitability across industries, including travel and hospitality. This fascinating technology superimposes useful data on top of the user's environment in real time.

This integration of digital information provides a holistic experience that far supersedes any traditional standalone service we can offer today.

So, how does AR impact the hospitality industry?

The goal of any hospitality business is to enhance the customer experience. To this end, the industry has been a forerunner when it comes to adopting new technologies.

AR technology in hotels will transform the experience to one that aligns with the needs of the new generation of guests. The digital components of AR, like a live picture on various surfaces like TV or a minifridge, will add to the feeling of an infinite and yet connected space and add to a memorable experience.

Augmented reality smart glasses have hit the market, but for a regular hotel experience, guests can access AR through devices like tablets, smartphones, and headsets. These intelligent services and facilities will make guests feel hyper-connected, trendy, and right at home. Some of the popular uses of AR in the hospitality space include a guide to introduce guests to the hotel's facilities; helping them find services in the hotel; amenities of the room; and information about lounges, parking areas, the fitness center, etc.

For international travel, AR will become a viable translator/interpreter, making it easy for international guests to communicate in foreign lands. This means traveles can easily find the various services they need with the help of smart AR devices.

AR is an excellent tool for maps and direction, too. All guests have to do is point their smart devices at the maps app, and they will be guided to their destination.

Augmented reality is also changing the way customers interact with brands and companies. It delivers immersive experiences through its many real-world applications that allow customers to get a different perspective of a brand. AR has the intrinsic ability to improve customer experience, which ultimately will lead to a healthy bottom-line.

Investing in a customized AR app is good for a hotel business. It will help deliver an excellent customer experience by offering the right information at the right time and place.

Some of the cool features that will help AR-driven hotel experiences stand out to include interactive hotel rooms, augmented environments that help guests explore the establishment, gamification of destination experiences, beacon technology to guide them, and virtual keys that get activated through proximity.

Businesses can integrate the app with their enterprise systems, CRMs, and maintenance systems to gain more insights about their customers and then use the knowledge to enhance their services. As an automated tool that is integrated with the maintenance systems, augmented reality can help boost productivity, efficiency, and decrease costs. As a preventive maintenance tool, it will help keep guests safe.