Let's cut to the chase. You're searching for "what hotels use VR" because you've heard the buzz. Maybe you want to virtually tour a room before booking, or you're curious about those wild, immersive experiences some resorts are offering. You're not just looking for a list—you want to know how they use it, why it matters, and if it's actually worth your time.
The short answer is yes, a growing number of hotels use VR, from mega-chains like Marriott and Hilton to ultra-luxury resorts and quirky independent boutiques. But it's not one-size-fits-all. Some use it as a fancy marketing tool for virtual tours. Others bake it into the core guest experience. A few are even experimenting with training staff in virtual worlds.
I've been following this tech in travel for years, and the most common mistake people make is thinking VR in hotels is just about putting on a headset for fun. It's way more strategic than that. For hotels, it's a powerful tool to reduce booking anxiety, showcase premium suites, and compete in a crowded online marketplace. For you, the traveler, it's about making better decisions and accessing experiences that were previously impossible or exclusive.
What's Inside This Guide?
How Do Hotels Actually Use VR? (Beyond the Gimmick)
Most hotels deploying VR focus on a few key areas. Understanding this helps you know what to look for.
1. Virtual Tours and Booking Enhancement
This is the most common use. Instead of static photos, you get a 360-degree interactive view of the lobby, a standard room, a suite, the pool, or event spaces. It's incredibly useful for wedding planners or business event organizers. You're not just seeing a corner of a room; you're understanding the flow, the space, the light. Companies like Matterport provide the tech backbone for many of these tours. The goal is simple: reduce uncertainty and increase conversion rates. If you can "walk through" the Presidential Suite, you're more likely to book it.
2. Immersive In-Room or On-Site Experiences
This is where it gets fun. Some hotels provide VR headsets in the room as part of the amenity package. The content varies wildly:
Adventure & Entertainment: Go on a virtual safari, dive the Great Barrier Reef, or play immersive games. It's a rainy-day activity on steroids.
Wellness & Meditation: Guided VR meditation sessions in serene, computer-generated landscapes.
3. Marketing and "Teleportation" Campaigns
Remember Marriott's "VRoom Service" campaign? They delivered Samsung Gear VR headsets to guests' rooms with travel documentaries. Hilton has used VR to transport potential clients to future hotel sites during sales pitches. This is less about direct booking and more about brand building and creating memorable marketing moments.
4. Staff Training and Operational Planning
This one happens behind the scenes, but it's crucial. Chains like Holiday Inn have used VR to train staff in customer service scenarios—dealing with a difficult guest, handling a check-in rush—in a risk-free virtual environment. It's more effective than a video or manual. Other hotels use VR to visualize and plan renovations before swinging a single hammer.
Top Hotels Using VR Right Now (A Practical List)
Here are specific hotels and chains where you can engage with VR, either during booking or your stay. I've tried to include practical details so you know what to expect.
| Hotel / Chain | Location(s) | How They Use VR | What It Means For You | Price Range / Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marriott International | Various (e.g., Marriott Marquis, W Hotels) | Pioneered "VRoom Service" (in-room headsets), uses VR for event space tours and "teleportation" travel postcards. | You might find a VR headset as an in-room amenity offering travel content. Great for event planners viewing spaces. | $$$ (Widespread across brands) |
| Best Western | North America, Global | Implemented VR training programs for thousands of employees across its franchise network. | Indirect benefit. Potentially better-trained staff and more consistent service during your stay. | $-$$ (Franchise-wide initiative) |
| The Venetian Resort Las Vegas | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA | Offers extensive 360-degree virtual tours of suites, meeting rooms, and the entire resort complex on their website. | You can thoroughly explore the massive resort, different suite categories, and convention halls before booking. | $$$-$$$$ (Luxury Resort) |
| Hilton | Global | Uses VR for corporate sales (showcasing new properties) and has experimented with in-lobby VR experiences for guests. | More of a corporate tool, but you may encounter VR stations in lobbies for destination exploration. | $$-$$$$ (Brand-wide experiments) |
| Vegas VR (A dedicated VR Arcade & Hotel Concept) | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA | The entire concept is built around VR. Rooms are basic, but access to a massive state-of-the-art VR arcade is included. | This is for the hardcore VR enthusiast. The hotel is a base camp for unlimited, high-end VR gaming and experiences. | $-$$ (Niche, experience-focused) |
| Various Luxury Safari Lodges (e.g., &Beyond, Singita) | Africa (South Africa, Kenya, etc.) | Use stunning 360-degree VR videos on their websites to transport viewers to the bush, showcasing wildlife and lodges. | An incredibly powerful tool for dreaming and planning a high-consideration, expensive trip. It sells the dream effectively. | $$$$+ (Ultra-Luxury) |
| Independent Boutique Hotels | Worldwide (e.g., The Zetter Townhouse, London) | Increasingly use Matterport-style 360 tours on their direct booking sites to stand out from OTAs (Online Travel Agencies). | You get a much truer sense of the quirky layout and unique design of a boutique property before committing. | $$-$$$ (Varies widely) |
A quick tip: When browsing a hotel's official website, look for buttons that say "Virtual Tour," "360 View," "Explore in VR," or the Matterport logo. That's your entry point.
What Are the Benefits of VR for Hotels?
From a business perspective, it's a no-brainer when done right.
Reduces Buyer's Remorse: A detailed virtual tour sets accurate expectations. Fewer surprises mean fewer complaints and negative reviews. Everyone wins.
Upsells Premium Inventory: It's far easier to sell a $2000-a-night suite when someone can virtually stand on its balcony and see the view. VR tours for high-end rooms have a measurable ROI.
Competitive Differentiation: In a sea of similar-looking hotel photos on Expedia or Booking.com, a property with an interactive VR tour immediately looks more modern, transparent, and invested in the customer experience.
Operational Efficiency: VR training can standardize service quality across global franchises faster and cheaper than flying trainers everywhere. Virtual site planning saves millions in construction errors.
Are There Any Downsides or Challenges?
Of course. It's not all perfect.
The hardware can be a hygiene headache. Sharing headsets between guests requires rigorous cleaning protocols. Some hotels have moved away from in-room headsets for this reason, focusing instead on web-based tours you can view on your phone or computer.
Content creation is expensive. High-quality 360-degree tours or custom VR experiences cost thousands to produce. This is why you'll see it more at luxury properties or large chains with bigger budgets.
Then there's the tech adoption curve. Not every traveler is comfortable with VR. Some get motion sickness. Others just can't be bothered. For them, it's a solution in search of a problem. A hotel investing heavily in VR still needs to nail the basics: clean rooms, comfortable beds, and friendly service. VR should enhance that, not replace it.
Personally, I think the most sustainable path is the web-based virtual tour. It's accessible to everyone on any device, has clear utility, and doesn't require maintaining physical hardware.
Your VR Hotel Questions Answered
Can I really trust a VR tour to show me what a hotel room is actually like?
It's more reliable than photos, but you have to be a critical viewer. A VR tour shows dimensions and layout truthfully. However, it can still be shot with perfect lighting and when the room is spotless. Look for details in the tour—the wear on furniture, the actual view out the window, the size of the bathroom. It's excellent for understanding space, but it won't tell you if the mattress is soft or if the hallway is noisy. Use it to narrow down choices, not as the sole deciding factor.
Do I need my own VR headset to view these hotel tours?
Almost never. The vast majority of "virtual tours" on hotel websites are web-based 360-degree experiences. You can click and drag with your mouse on a desktop or move your smartphone around to look. They are designed to work in a standard web browser. Only the dedicated in-room experience programs (like Marriott's early VRoom Service) required a provided headset.
Is VR in hotels just a post-COVID trend for contactless interaction?
That gave it a boost, but the momentum was building before 2020. The pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital tools for "try-before-you-buy" in every industry, including travel. The trend now is less about being contactless and more about providing richer, more transparent information and unique entertainment value. It's evolving from a pandemic response to a standard feature for competitive hotels.
What's the next step after VR for hotels?
Keep an eye on the metaverse—or at least, persistent virtual spaces. Some hotel groups are buying digital land in platforms like Decentraland. The idea isn't that you'll vacation entirely in a pixelated world, but that these spaces could become new marketing and branding channels. Imagine attending a virtual press conference for a new resort line, or a loyalty member gathering in a branded virtual lounge. It's an experiment, but it shows the industry is thinking beyond simple 360 tours.
So, what hotels use VR? More than you might think, and in more ways than just a gimmick. From helping you confidently book a room thousands of miles away to training the staff who will greet you, virtual reality is quietly becoming a part of the hospitality infrastructure. Your best move is to seek out those virtual tours when planning your next trip—they're the most practical and widespread application today. Just remember to look past the perfect lighting and check where the closet is.
Reader Comments