Asia – Moxy Hotels, an offshoot of The Marriott group, is gamifying the hospitality experience in an effort to draw in younger consumers and make hotel stays more enjoyable. Available at 12 of its hotels in the Asia-Pacific region, Moxy Hotels is introducing an augmented reality (AR) experience called Moxy Universe, Play Beyond! – which transforms the hotel into a phygital playground. The AR initiative will be available until the end of this year.
To access the experience, guests scan a QR code with their smartphones, unlocking a number of interactive challenges across the hotel. Before checking in, visitors can also personalise a digital avatar with a variety of hairstyles, outfits and accessories. The avatars are then activated via a smartphone camera, letting users take photographs that combine computer-generated overlays with the backdrop of the hotel. This campaign is likely to land well with the consumers in this region, with countries such as China and Japan leading the way in the sector’s global popularity.
As the hospitality industry bounces back from the pandemic, Moxy Hotels is aiming to create more memorable stays that can be readily captured and shared on social media. By levelling up its services to create a gamified guest experience, the hotel group is tapping into the rise of E-tourism.
Strategic opportunity
For hospitality companies that can’t afford to create a bespoke gaming app, they can include video games in their in-room entertainment packages
