Comparison of Virtual Reality Visualizations With Traditional Visualizations in Hotel Settings

Abstract

The objective of the current study was to investigate how virtual reality (VR) visualizations compare with traditional visualizations such as two-dimensional (2D) photos as a marketing tool for hotel websites. The specific research question was “How do VR visualizations compare with 2D photos in terms of (1) affective responses, (2) attitudinal/behavioral responses, and (3) cognitive load—that is, task efforts and experiences associated with technology?” A quasi-experimental study was conducted over two time periods with independent sample pools. A boutique hotel lobby and a guest room were captured in 2D and VR formats. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of the two types of visualizations. The sample comprised 84 university undergraduate students from the South-Central United States. Nonparametric tests were used to test the proposed hypotheses. There was a statistically significant difference between two visual conditions for several variables—that is, pleasure, satisfaction, word of mouth, and so on. However, those differences were not always consistent between the two time periods. Overall findings suggest that the use of VR visualizations as a promotional tool might not be more effective than traditional photos. Limitations of the study include using students as a proxy for the general population of travelers, small sample size, self-reported measures, and narrow conditional scope. Those limitations should be addressed in future studies.