Virtual reality is becoming a tool for employee training that brands and companies use to bring new team members on board and to train experienced employees up to the C-Suite. One hotel that has developed a VR platform for employee training is Best Western. Best Western Hotels & Resorts is taking a step forward with the introduction of VR practices to master complex interpersonal skills. A major focus of Best Western hotels and resorts is on virtual reality to refine problem-solving for their employees.
Virtual reality is gained in the workplace as a training tool to equip employees with a range of skills, from technical to risky jobs. Oculus, the maker of VR headsets owned by Facebook, said that thousands of its employees have used the technology in the past 18 months to learn what it’s like to work as room service, domestic help or front desk staff. It is early days for the hospitality industry, but companies searching for novelties are weighing the benefits of immersive technology for their owners, customers and employees and discovering useful applications of the technology in all aspects of their business, from design and marketing to training and increasing empathy among their employees.
„In recent years, a number of high-profile US companies have begun to introduce virtual reality modules into their employee training programs.„
On another hand Hilton, a household name in the hotel industry is using VR to inspire empathy among its employees. The VR advantage began to take hold at Hilton as the company worked to manage its hotel operations. With 360-degree videos and three-dimensional computer graphics, employees can put on the shoes of domestic staff or receptionists and experience what it’s like to clean a guest room or prepare trays for room service. A selection of hotel employees undergo simulations to train them to perform tasks on the hotel floor day in, day out, from laundry to serving food and beverages in boiler rooms to submitting sales proposals to customers.
Integrating VR into the travel business has the potential for robust growth, learning improvements, efficiency gains, and employee relationships. VR offers a cost-effective strategy that differs from traditional forms of training for companies. IHG uses VR in the design and development process to save time and money and improve relationships with the owners of its Crowne Plaza Go Refresh business travel brand. It is an environment in which the training program mimics the experiences of other people. The result can be adjusted in such a way that the employees can swing through everyday work without supervision. Indeed, most training tasks can be automated, reducing most of the workload that human resources would have to shoulder in such circumstances.
Due to its versatility, it is possible to apply VR to a range of hotel strategies. Companies can identify weaknesses in customer service and hotel performance and develop training simulations to address them. Several use cases are there in the travel and hotel industry for travelers, guests and back-of-house users.
In recent years, a number of high-profile us companies have begun to introduce virtual reality modules into their employee training programs. while virtual reality technology is still in its infancy, many players in the hospitality industry are trying to figure out which aspects of the technology are best suited to meet employee training needs and improve the guest experience in their businesses.
„Research by PWC found that employees learned soft skills four times faster in class, were 27.5% more confident in applying skills, and focused 4x more on their e-learning colleagues”
Virtual Reality hotel tours are the most common application of virtual reality technology in the hotel industry. These tours are offered on the hotel’s website and allow guests and potential guests to have a look around their hotel rooms and other parts of the hotel they have booked prior to arrival. Tours can be experienced with a VR headset, and they can also be available to any person who has access to a headset on social media sites such as Facebook through Facebook 360 video technology.
The practical use of virtual reality does not stop when customers book a hotel room. As it turns out, many hotel chains already use virtual technologies. Those working in the hospitality industry will continue to use VR to provide information and permit customers to experience nearby attractions before arriving, enriching the hotel experience itself.
Another challenge for hoteliers is the high cost of purchasing a large number of headsets for hotel guests. However, as event planners become more selective as competition for group deals increases, many hotels are using new technologies to break through the clutter. For example, if you meet planners who consider Los Angeles as a destination, you can explore the city thousands of miles away on your way to California.
The possibilities of augmented reality are seemingly endless, and their use in various industries continues to increase, especially in the cannabis and healthcare industries. although often considered virtual reality, augmented reality has little to do with industries that are based on physical reality, such as hotels and restaurants. with hotels temporarily closed due to the current global coronavirus outbreak, a hospitality trainer hopes virtual reality can fill the gap by using long-distance buses to train hospitality workers in southeast Asia and to keep them connected to their workplaces, regardless of geographical location.
It is also one of the most important ways to maintain the staff morale, says Tracy Cosgrove, director of passport to success Myanmar, which specialises in improving the soft skills and english-speaking skills of staff at hotels, restaurants and travel agencies.
