Mr. Barrett

Mobile Technology

Web vs. Mobile: An Immersive Experience

By Johnny Barrett, Business Growth , GoSpacely

Technology keeps growing as part of our daily routine at work, at home, or when mobile. It has been reported that 59% of American adults connect to the Internet wirelessly using Wi-Fi or mobile broadband through other mobile devices.

A brief history: The origins of the Internet reach back to the 1960’s. It was funded by the US Government in collaboration with private interests to build a fault-tolerant, world-wide computer network. This network would be used in the Cold War for communications. In the 1980’s (after the Cold War) it was then used by the National Science Foundation as a network for scientists to collaborate. A user friendly interface was added (Search Engine Browser) in the 1990’s that resulted in the popularization and incorporation of the Internet into virtually every aspect of modern human life. As of 2011, more than 2.1 billion people, or close to one third of the population on Earth, access the Internet on a daily basis.

Okay, why is this important? The Internet has been around for over twenty years. People have made careers and fortunes off of the Internet and the content that Web sites deliver. Equally so, there have been many processes and thinking built around the Internet structure and how users access it. Basically, if you had a network connected computer and a mouse, you could visit the world.

Our society is always drawn toward new technology. Eventually our interactions with new technologies become completely intuitive. In order to reach increasingly more technically savvy guests, radically simplifying the user experience by focusing on seamless collaboration integrating existing content across Web and mobile devices is necessary.

Apple has been the leader in creating great user interfaces to technology. They were the first to promote the idea of convergence between Web and mobile with the iPhone. Remember when you accessed the Internet by dial-up, downloads took forever. Not a good user experience, especially if you had compelling images to display. Today’s mobile phones can access content at comparable speeds found on broadband. Most of your guests carry the ability to access your message from their hand.

Your guests are looking for fast, content-aware methods of interfacing with technology. The expectation from technology is that it must have a user-friendly interface which is fast, reliable and personalized. You can gain more bookings by targeting your guest with an immersive experience. Providing this experience will drive growth of your business through the application of experiential technologies.

Experience

Knowledge or practical wisdom gained from what one has observed, encountered, or undergone.

When I was working with a hotel in Vail back in the 1990’s, I learned that they offered great rooms, hot tubs, cable TV, on-demand movies, room service and more. At the end of the day, they were selling an experience. This has always stayed with me. When you think about it, this is all we really have when we experience someplace. If you could give your guests a camera for a day and told them to take pictures of their experience around your property, what would it show?

Would you be happy with the pictures? Would you be embarrassed? Now think of what you could do with this information. There would be areas that you would fix. At what price would you like to promote the positive aspects? There are so many ways to deliver the message, but which is the most cost effective - personalized mailings, Web, mobile, TV?

What do your guests experience? How do you convey this experience to potential guests? Consider how you are delivering the anticipation of the experience your property offers before the guests even arrive.

Immersive

Noting or pertaining to digital technology or images that deeply involve one's senses and may create an altered mental state: immersive media; immersive 3-D environments.

As a guest, we want to be immersed in a rich experience that is particularly favorable to as many of our senses as possible.

The research firm Forrester, published a report on 5/2/11 by Thomas Husson, which examined the Web versus mobile application debate as to superiority and marketplace acceptance. Both the application ecosystem and mobile Web usage increased with feature and smartphone adoption across the world. The report noted that "Sixty percent of US consumers who download apps also access the Internet via their mobile phones at least daily while sixty-three percent of US iPhone owners access the mobile Internet on a daily basis.”

Forrester determined that there is a need for co-existence. The mobile Web and application stores found on iTunes and Android Market are both growing. As mobile usage increases worldwide, both sides of the equation will grow with it, and become valuable aspects of product roadmaps.

What are your plans for integration? How are you going to take advantage of this opportunity?

Are your Web or mobile applications showing off simple photographs, room specials, and amenities or are you conveying an experience that the user could be sensing if they were your guest?

A computer cannot deliver a full immersive experience the way a tablet or a mobile device can. When you consume content via a smartphone or a tablet, you can take advantage of internal cutting edge innovations like accelerometers, touch screen gestures, 360 degree video capabilities, cameras and location-based services. The mobile Web is the go-to tool used most often for research and looking things up while out and about.

In the next 12-18 months, the convergence of workstation-based Internet and Mobile applications will occur. Is your property positioned to take advantage of this event? The differences are the type of immersive experiences that you can convey with the mobile devices.

Technologies such as video, still photography, movable digital images and panoramic 360 content have each been around and used in various ways for years. The most current technology for an immersive experience is taking still spherical 360 and motion spherical 360 to capture a big picture overview. Using various tools such as hotspots, your guest can go to as many places and view as much detail as you would like to have them experience. Through these integrated hotspots you can use all the technologies listed above to allow your guests to preview your property.

A variety of industries now use 360 immersive technologies to provide an interactive experience to their Web or mobile visitors. Gaylord Opryland, Porsche, Honda and Disney all have incorporated an immersive experience in their mobile marketing. With the proper integrated storyboard, you can give your potential guests a virtual look around your property. This allows you to feature your key amenities, which provide you the ability to utilize multiple digital content (360 degree, hotspots, videos, still photography, and personalized user links) to differentiate you from your competitors. People love to see what amenities they will be receiving, to know where they are going prior to arrival, and to show off where they have been to their family and friends.

By architecting your Web or mobile application, your guests can see your property by simply turning the mobile device in the direction the viewer wants to see or by using their finger or a mouse. This puts your guest in control and allows them to fully control exploring their future, present, or past experiences at your property. We want to create a powerful and compelling interactive immersive experience for occasions like Corporate and Event Marketing, Entertainment and Parties.

When you begin down the path toward an immersive experience, it is important not to focus on 360, standard video, existing Website, or any other specific technology, but to review a more holistic approach and integrate the entire message in a way that best shares the experience you want to convey.

Immersive experiences are the cutting-edge of experiential marketing. Simply put, it is the most powerful and compelling experience that today’s mobile technology can impart. I have heard it called a portable experiential portal or a virtual reality environment. No matter what you call it, you just have to experience it to believe it!

Johnny Barrett knows how to produce results by rounding-up great teams and helping them identify and achieve measurable goals. Colleagues describe him as an "out-of-the-box" type of person with creativity and integrity. He is a persuasive leader with a strong vision and excellent integration skills. He possesses the ability to quickly assess market changes and respond to competitive pressures in the industry. Mr. Barrett helps develop technologies and methodologies that are focused on how to leverage technology as a profitable part of Immersive Experiential Marketing in the Hospitality Industry. During his tenure, Mr. Barrett has worked with a wide spectrum of properties – from large Las Vegas properties to boutique and independently owned hotels and resorts. Mr. Barrett can be contacted at 303-829-7784 or Johnny@GoSpacely.com Extended Bio...

HotelExecutive.com retains the copyright to the articles published in the Hotel Business Review. Articles cannot be republished without prior written consent by HotelExecutive.com.