Promote hotels in the real world using the virtualAugust 9
Announced last year as W Hotels’ new brand for the select-service hotel category, the first aloft hotel won’t open until 2008.
So, what does a brand do to create some pre-opening buzz, and give future customers a taste of what’s to come? Build a virtual hotel in Second Life, of course. Like American Apparel’s foray into Second Life , aloft is set on an island within SL.The hotel’s virtual developers, Electric Sheep, started off with 64 acres of raw virtual land, and are working their way up to a beautifully landscaped island featuring a full-fledged aloft hotel. Each step of the design and building process can be followed, both in Second Life, and via a dedicated blog: virtualaloft.com.
aloft is the world’s first hotel brand to place a replica inside a virtual world, and will open its virtual doors this September. If well-executed, a three-dimensional metaverse outpost can be valuable in conveying the feel of a new product or concept, in this case the transformation of the mid-scale, business hotel segment from drab to delightful. At least that’s what aloft is aiming for
Via Springwise
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