Whether seeking an exotic culinary experience, lazy afternoons by the sea, cultural immersion or all of the above, Marriott Caribbean & Latin America Resorts invite travelers to experience the Caribbean and Mexico, starting with a new iOS app using augmented reality (AR) to offer a stunning peek into the region’s dynamic destinations. On June 19, Marriott Caribbean & Latin America Resorts launched its brand-new “Portal to Paradise” app, allowing consumers the chance to explore and uncover a new destination from the palm of their hand. “With the Portal to Paradise app, we want consumers to be able to explore places that either they might not have previously considered, or ones they’ve always been interested in seeing, and in a first, users only need their iPhone, and no secondary technology or device, to ‘visit’ eight of our beautiful resorts in some of the Caribbean and Mexico’s most sought-after locations,” said Diana Plazas, Vice President of Brand, Marketing & Digital – Caribbean and Latin America, Marriott International. The app features eight Marriott resorts in the Caribbean and Mexico, allowing consumers to seamlessly experience a true-to-life taste of what awaits them on vacation, with the chance to “walk” through each property and have 360-degree views of everything around them. “Being able to ‘step into’ a resort and uncover the colorful and immersive experiences at each destination elevates the vacation-planning, or simply daydreaming, experience,” says Alex Fiz, Regional Vice President, Sales & Marketing – Caribbean & Latin America, Marriott International. “Having this lens also allows travelers and travel planners to break through any preconceived perceptions they might have of a given destination, letting them see reality – untouched. Then, of course, the intention is that they – or their clients – are inspired to book a trip to uncover the Caribbean and Mexico firsthand.” Each resort offers six different scenes to explore, including the pools, restaurants, beaches, rooms and spas (scenes vary per property). Upon downloading the app, users are prompted to identify a flat surface at which to aim the phone, to launch their personal portal to paradise. Users are then provided a list of the available resorts to choose from, which they can change at any time. An entry point will appear that allows consumers to open a suddenly appearing door to a new destination, to be instantly “transported” onto the sands of Mexico or the Caribbean. Available resorts include Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino, Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino, Marriott Cancun Resort, JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa, Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa, JW Marriott Los Cabos Beach Resort & Spa, Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort and St. Kitts Marriott Resort & The Royal Beach Casino. “The AR views of physical, real-world environments create an incredibly lifelike experience that allows users to easily imagine actually being there,” says Plazas. “Going beyond the typical image gallery on a resort’s website, this app places consumers directly on property in such a realistic way that they can almost feel the ocean breezes and hear the waves outside hotel windows.”
Hotel chain Marriott has introduced an iOS app enabling potential guests to view destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico using augmented reality. The Portal to Paradise app enables users to virtually "visit" and explore eight Marriott resorts using their iPhones. The hotel chain says consumers will be able to "walk" through six areas of the respected resorts, including areas like swimming pools, beaches and hotel restaurants. Users are instructed to aim their phone at flat surfaces to begin the AR experience, with no further technology required to use the app.