Hotels.com Launches VirtualVacation, an Augmented Reality Experience

DALLAS, May 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Want to visit the Statue of Liberty or take a walk down the Las Vegas Strip? Hotels.com®, a leading provider of lodging worldwide, is proud to offer consumers a first-of-its-kind opportunity to explore 10 of the most popular destinations in the U.S.

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VirtualVacation from Hotels.com, an augmented reality microsite at www.virtualvacay.com, launches today for consumers to 'travel' to New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C., Las Vegas, San Francisco, New Orleans, Denver, San Diego and Seattle – from their computers.  

"This is more than a fun and entertaining way to virtually visit cities across the country.  It is a natural progression toward how future travel plans will be researched and booked, and represents an evolution of our brand from offline to social channels," says Vic Walia, Sr. Director Brand Marketing for Hotels.com.  "VirtualVacation provides real time feeds for local event information, hotel booking options, weather and a lot more utility than most first-generation augmented reality concepts."  

Through the use of visual storytelling and live interaction, VirtualVacation from Hotels.com provides a view of a real world environment whose elements are fused with computer-generated imagery. Users interact via webcam motion detection and microphone interactivity, activated by a physical printed 'marker' or smart phone image.  Once the 3D image of the city appears, users can navigate the site and choose which city and adventure to experience.

Users are given the opportunity to modify local landmarks, customize street signs, land a plane at the airport, and even insert themselves into a postcard and send to friends and family through social networking sites. The site also provides users with useful trip planning information, including local weather, event information, and special deals in each city. Travelers can plan their trip and book a vacation right through the site, with the help of SMART, Hotels.com's animated spokesperson, who helps guide visitors through each city.  

"We anticipate a lot of consumer interest, which is why we are actually asking consumers to vote for the next virtual city they want us to build," added Walia. "This is true brand engagement through social channels, and Hotels.com is delighted to be leading the way for the travel industry."  

In an effort to develop this cutting-edge platform with innovative online tools, Hotels.com worked with its ad agency, Young & Rubicam (Y&R) Chicago who developed the SMART character to extend the 'SMART experience' into the digital world.  

"VirtualVacation is entertaining, social, functional and informative, unlike many augmented reality campaigns that tend to be very gimmicky in nature," said Ken Erke Y&R, Hotels.com's advertising agency and creator of their VirtualVacation product. "We're proud of this initial viral effort for Hotels.com and believe it will generate tremendous buzz and reputational value for the brand."

VirtualVacation is also being supported by a national print advertising campaign that begins on May 5.

For more information, please visit: http://www.virtualvacay.com

For a site demo, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5oxp81BvWU

About Hotels.com

Hotels.com® is a leading provider of lodging worldwide, offering more than 85,000 properties in over 60 countries from national chain hotels and all-inclusive resorts to local favorites and bed & breakfasts. With services such as welcomerewards™, an industry leading loyalty rewards program; the real opinions of other travelers captured in over 1.5 million Guest Reviews and;  a Price Match Guarantee, so that those booking with Hotels.com can be assured they are getting the best deal, either online or by speaking directly to a travel expert at 1-800-2-HOTELS 24 hours a day. Hotels.com, A Smarter Way to Book™. For more information, please visit hotels.com. Hotels.com is an operating company of Expedia, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXPE). Please visit the Hotels.com Travel Smart Blog for consumer and business travel information. Follow us on Twitter via @hotels_com_us. Hotels.com, A Smarter Way to Book™.

Hotels.com, Hotel Price Index, HPI, SMART character, and the Hotels.com logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Hotels.com, LP, a subsidiary of Hotels.com. Other logos or products and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners © 2010 Hotels.com, LP. All rights reserved. CST # 2083949-50

SOURCE Hotels.com