Jumeirah Inside has been developed to provide travelers with a unique look into Jumeirah hotels. The web-based virtual reality application has been optimized for tablet, mobile and desktop, providing a Google Street View–like look into the group’s 23 hotels. Jumeirah worked alongside Google and MediaMonks, a production company, to develop the tool’s 360-degree video, photography and interactivity. The tool also includes a hotel-booking function and is equipped with information about a hotel’s history and other fun facts.
At the launch event of this digital tool, Mohamad Mourad, managing director of Google MENA, said, “It’s important to put things into perspective when we do things like this, because sometimes it can be seen as a digital asset or a digital website.” He explained that this is a milestone in Jumeirah’s brand journey where they will set a precedent for the travel and tourism industry.
He continued, “It’s not only an immersive user experience but also a new venture in starting to explore the power of digital and the power of technology. Our mission at Google is to organize the world of information and to make it universally accessible and useful. This is really usually done at Google through technology-led innovation.”
Gerald Lawless, president and group CEO of Jumeirah Group, said, “What we’re talking about today is the imagination and the anticipation of travel. Many people say if you know too much about your destination of travel, if you’ve almost experienced it in virtual reality, you won’t want to travel. But I think it’s quite the opposite, the experience in advance wets the appetite to actually experience it in reality.”
“This is something that I believe will help travel, tourism and hospitality to grow,” he added.
OMD was responsible for the media strategy behind the launch. Speaking of this interaction in a press statement, Nadim Samara, managing director of OMD UAE and Lower Gulf, said, “It has been a truly incredible experience for the team to make it happen with Jumeirah, Google and Media Monks. Enriching guests’ experiences with innovative formats like 360-degree video, which span across markets as well as devices. OMD has leveraged its insights on consumer behaviors and deployed fully integrated media strategies to ensure [Jumeirah Inside’s] successful launch.”
Click here to visit Jumeirah Inside.
