The global apartment and home rental service Airbnb will incorporate VR/AR technology to allow users to visit locations before renting them. 

Ever since the platform Airbnb was launched in 2008, the way that people vacation and travel has been revolutionized.

The online home and apartment rental service allows hosts to open their doors to visitors, offering them a more personalized touch than the average motel room.

The technologically savvy startup is now looking to adopt augmented reality and virtual reality into its platform. In a recent announcement, Airbnb shared its plan to integrate virtual reality in order to improve travel planning among users.

Check Out Your Rental Home in the Virtual World Before Visiting

With VR and AR technology, the global rental service wants to enhance the Airbnb experience both before and during trips. Firstly, 360 photos and 3D scanning technology could allow potential renters to tour a home or look around a city to prepare for travel.

In the future, Airbnb believes that guests will be able to plan their trips within a virtual world. This could enable friends to use VR to visit tourist hotspots or check out different home options together.

The company also plans to implement augmented reality for clients to use during their travels. Airbnb wants to utilize this technology to give users a more immersive and cultural experience.

For example, renters could use AR to recognize surroundings and provide contextual information on their host and destination. Visitors could learn about foreign items or simply learn more about the local area and person they’re residing with.

AR could even be used to help create a personal connection between the host and renter, providing meaning behind certain objects inside of the home.

The home and apartment rental platform has yet to announce any full-fledged offerings, but is currently experimenting with different concepts related to both AR and VR.

While AR and VR technologies are becoming increasingly popular throughout the world, Airbnb is taking a distinct and expansive approach here. By connecting people together in the virtual world, the online service is hoping to build stronger relationships between users in the real world.

Source: Airbnb