Beyond reality: Leveraging virtual reality for innovation in hospitality marketing and training

Virtual reality (VR) technology offers an immersive experience by simulating environments through headsets and sensors, seamlessly merging digital and physical experiences. In the context of smart hospitality, which integrates advanced technologies to enhance guest experiences and operational efficiency, VR is particularly valuable for marketing and training. This chapter compares the marketing effectiveness of VR for simple and complex products. The results showed that VR significantly boosts behavioral intentions, especially for complex products. The chapter also compares traditional on-the-job training with VR simulations. The findings indicate that VR's enhanced location and task awareness significantly improve cognitive absorption, leading to learning outcomes comparable to traditional methods. This suggests that incorporating VR into smart hospitality practices not only enhances marketing efforts but also improves employee training, contributing to better service delivery and overall operational excellence. Future research on integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) into VR could explore the full value of smart hospitality. By combining AI and IoT with VR, there is potential to create even more immersive and personalized experiences, as well as advanced analytics for training and operations, further advancing the capabilities of smart hospitality.