30 Share-Worthy Augmented Reality (AR) Ideas for Hotels & Resorts

Guests today seek more than just a place to stay—they’re looking for experiences worth sharing. Augmented Reality (AR) is giving hotels and resorts a powerful new way to make that happen. By blending digital magic with real-world spaces, AR creates playful, surprising and highly shareable moments that guests can’t resist capturing and posting.

Whether it’s taking a selfie with a digital hotel mascot, unlocking hidden stories through a mural or playing a digital mini-game at the poolside, AR transforms everyday spaces into interactive backdrops for content creation. Every playful AR interaction transforms into a memory that guests are excited to post and share with friends, family and followers.

We’ve rounded up 30 AR ideas that not only entertain your guests but also inspire them to snap, share and spread your brand far beyond the property.

City Inspired AR Experiences

1 - Pose with an Iconic City Landmark

Give your guests with the opportunity to take photos with iconic city landmarks—all without leaving your property. This augmented reality (AR) lens overlays street signs, statues or famous monuments to the camera view, allowing guests to pose with recognisable icons for a fun and instantly shareable photo opportunity.

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Insider Tip: Prompt guests to perform a simple action—like smiling or opening their mouth—to activate an interactive response from the statue or monument.

2 - Wear a City Souvenir T-Shirt

Give your guests a fresh way to celebrate the destination. This AR lens instantly dresses them in classic "I ♥ {your city name}" merchandise such as t-shirts and caps, creating a fun, tourist-inspired look that’s perfect for selfies and social media. A fun, low-effort way to give guests a virtual souvenir they can share instantly.

3 - Wake a Famous Mural Up

Bring street art to life with a touch of magic. This AR lens animates famous murals with movement, sound and interactive flair, turning every wall into a living canvas—and every snap into a share-worthy story.

4 - Wish You Were Here Postcard

Transform each guest into the star of their own travel postcard. This feature places the user's face into beautifully designed postcard templates, featuring cityscapes, landmarks or hotel-themed backdrops. Guests can capture the moment, add a playful caption, and instantly share their creation as a modern twist on a classic souvenir.

5 - Hold a Local Souvenir

Invite guests to experience the joy of "holding" a piece of the destination in their hands. This augmented reality (AR) lens brings iconic local souvenirs—like miniature monuments or cultural crafts like local jewellery —into their view through the camera. It’s a delightful and shareable opportunity to connect with local culture and create a virtual memento to proudly showcase.

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Insider Tip: Encourage guests to share the AR lens with friends and family—and ask if they would like a real version brought home for them.

6 - Local Culture & Knowledge Quiz

Make learning about local culture a playful challenge. With this AR lens, guests tilt or point their heads to select answers in a quiz about local history, traditions and landmarks. At the end, they’re rewarded with a fun "result" selfie that’s perfect for sharing.

Food Inspired AR Experiences

7 - The Food Suit Up

Add a dash of humour to dining and destination storytelling. This fun AR lens lets guests point their camera at someone to instantly ‘dress’ them in a food suit based on local specialties or the hotel’s signature dishes. It’s playful, highly shareable, and a creative way to spotlight your culinary story or your restaurant's iconic dishes.

8 - Wear Restaurant Swag

Transform every guest into a brand ambassador with a simple selfie. This augmented reality (AR) lens allows users to try on your restaurant's merchandise—such as branded t-shirts, caps, or aprons—directly through their camera. Guests can snap and share their look instantly, adding a playful twist to the dining experience while spreading the word about your restaurant on social media.

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Insider Tip: Encourage guests to photograph their food while sporting your restaurant’s AR merchandise for a fun, shareable dining moment.

Transform your restaurant’s menu into a memorable aspect of the dining experience. With this augmented reality (AR) lens, guests can simply scan the menu, bringing the artwork to life through animation and music. It's a fun, immersive way to make ordering enjoyable while providing guests with an interactive moment they'll want to capture and share.

10 - Frame Up Your Signature Experiences

Make dining memorable and shareable with custom AR frames that spotlight your restaurant’s signature experiences. Guests can pose within fun themed and branded borders like “Carnivore of the Month” at a steakhouse or “Hopped on Board the Sushi Express” at a sushi train. Each snapshot turns into a playful keepsake and social media–ready story that celebrates both the meal and the moment.

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Insider Tip: Encourage your wait staff to capture guest moments using this AR lens, then provide on-the-spot printouts as thoughtful souvenirs of their dining experience

11 - Taste in Your Palm

Invite your guests to play chef with your restaurant's signature dishes using this AR lens. It allows users to customise their meals by choosing toppings, sides, and garnishes, and then shows them the completed dish right in their hands through the camera view. This interactive feature is a fun way to showcase your menu while giving guests a playful and shareable preview of their personalised creations.

12 - The Chomp Champ

Turn mealtime into a playful experience with this interactive AR game. Guests play by opening their mouths to ‘catch’ falling foods—whether it’s pizza, dumplings, tacos or any signature item from your menu. As the score increases, so does the excitement, with players eager to take screenshots and share their high scores with friends and family.

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Insider Tip: This AR lens can also be adapted to highlight unique seasonal offerings, with special editions for celebrations like Christmas or Thanksgiving.

Celebration Inspired AR Experiences

13 - Festive Family Snap

Create extra special Christmas holiday memories with this cheerful AR lens. Guests can pose next to reindeer or a statue of Santa, framed by a festive design that enhances the scene. This makes for the perfect Christmas family photo—fun, heartwarming, and instantly shareable. It's a seasonal keepsake that guests will treasure and share year after year.

14 - St. Paddy’s Party Props

Bring the spirit of St. Patrick's Day to life with this fun AR lens. Guests can dress up with festive props like shamrock glasses and leprechaun hats. Their faces can even turn a bright emerald for a hilarious finishing touch. This experience is perfect for festive selfies, making it a fun and shareable way to celebrate the luck of the Irish.

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Insider Tip: This versatile AR lens can be adapted to any celebration that matters most to your hotel or restaurant's guests.

15 - 4th of July Magic

Elevate static posters and banners into a dazzling celebration with an AR lens. When guests scan a 4th of July poster or banner, they can watch it come to life with waving flags, sparkling fireworks and festive animations. This engaging experience brings patriotic pride to life, offering guests a fun, interactive moment that they’ll want to capture and share.

16 - Thanksgiving Feast Frame

Provide guests with a festive way to capture Thanksgiving memories using this branded AR lens. It adds seasonal frames—such as classic autumn leaves, pumpkins, playful turkeys, and harvest feasts—around their photos. This feature is perfect for family gatherings and holiday dinners, turning every snapshot into a warm, shareable keepsake that embodies gratitude and togetherness.

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Insider Tip: Enhance your Thanksgiving buffet or prix-fixe dinner with this AR lens, letting guests create festive, branded memories they can share with family and friends.

Add a sprinkle of Lunar New Year magic with this interactive AR lens. Guests can open their palms to unveil a shimmering fortune cookie. By closing and reopening their hands, they can crack it open to reveal a festive fortune message inside. This playful and symbolic experience is a delightful way to share wishes of good luck, prosperity and joy.

18 - Romantic Reveal Quiz

Add a playful spark to your Valentine's celebrations with this interactive AR lens. Guests can simply tilt or point their heads to choose answers in a fun quiz that reveals what kind of romantic they are—whether they're a hopeless dreamer, an adventurous partner or a sweet traditionalist. It's entertaining, festive, and perfect for sharing, making it a delightful way to spread love and laughter this Valentine's Day.

Special Occasions Inspired AR Experiences

19 - Birthday Cake & Confetti

Turn birthdays celebrated at your hotel into a magical, shareable moment. With this AR lens, guests enter their age and watch a festive cake appear topped with the right number of candles. They can make a wish and blow out the candles—triggering a burst of colourful confetti for the perfect celebration selfie or video. It’s a fun, personalised way to mark the occasion and spread the joy online.

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Insider Tip: You can also add some fun celebratory music in the background.

20 - For the Bride Tribe

Kick off the perfect hen's party and bachelorette gatherings with this fun AR lens. Guests can quickly glam up with an AR sparkling tiara and sash, and they can also add themed stickers like "Team Bride" or "I Do Crew." Ideal for selfies, group photos, and social media sharing, this lens transforms every moment into a memorable keepsake before the big day.

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Insider Tip: Let users switch between bride and squad accessories, making sure the bride-to-be feels celebrated while giving the whole crew a chance at a fun photo op.

21 - The Surprise Inside Card

Transform ordinary greeting cards into delightful surprises with this augmented reality (AR) lens. Guests can scan hotel greeting cards designed for graduations, baby showers and various other occasions to watch them come alive with festive animations. As the magic unfolds, a hidden coupon is revealed, inviting guests to collect a complimentary gift. This interactive experience offers a thoughtful way to celebrate milestones while creating a share-worthy moment of joy.

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Insider Tip: Hidden coupons don’t have to be big-ticket—something as simple as a free dessert with a main course can surprise and delight guests.

22 - Celebrate the Years Anniversary Frame

Make celebrating wedding anniversaries at your hotel unforgettable with this personalised AR lens. Couples simply enter the number of years they’ve been married, and a beautiful frame appears to honour their milestone. Perfect for snapping a romantic photo during their stay, it turns the celebration into a lasting keepsake—and a shareable moment that highlights their love story.

23 - The Big Gender Reveal

Make baby celebrations unforgettable with this interactive AR lens. Guests can open their palms to reveal a charming souvenir, and then close and reopen their palms to unlock the exciting gender reveal message. Available in two versions—“It’s a Boy!” and “It’s a Girl!”—the lens adds a magical, shareable touch to the occasion.

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Insider Tip: Encourage your guests to share it with their loved ones who could not be there in person so they can still be part of the joyous gender reveal.

24 - Hole-in-One Celebration

Bring the excitement of golf right into your guests' hands with this fun AR game. Users can tilt and move their phones to guide a golf ball into the hole. When they sink the shot, a celebratory frame or virtual trophy pops up with a "Hole in One!" message. A perfect way to engage golfing guests with a quick activity that also creates a memorable photo-worthy victory moment.

Hotel Property Inspired AR Experiences

25 - The Mascot Selfie

Bring your hotel’s mascot to life in a memorable way! With this AR lens, guests can pose alongside a 3D version of your mascot for the perfect selfie or group photo. It's fun, interactive, and easily shareable, transforming the mascot into an authentic brand ambassador while providing guests with a playful keepsake from their stay.

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Insider Tip: Don’t worry if your property doesn’t have an official mascot. You can always create a fun, friendly 3D character inspired by your staff uniforms (like a doorman) or even a well-known city icon.

26 - The Paw-trait Lens

Enhance pet-friendly stays with this fun AR lens that allows guests to take photos of their pets wearing silly virtual props. Imagine hats, glasses and festive accessories—perfect for lighthearted, family-friendly entertainment. This feature is ideal for fur parents who enjoy sharing pictures of their furry companions online, creating adorable and shareable moments that showcase your hotel’s warm welcome to four-legged guests.

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Insider Tip: This is one of the most genuine and effective ways to get the word out that your hotel or resort is pet-friendly. Share it with your guests before they arrive and with your social media followers.

27 - Seek and Scan Scavenger Hunt

Turn your hotel or restaurant into an exciting adventure with this interactive AR scavenger hunt. Guests will use their phones to scan 2D markers such as paintings, signboards or decor, each unlocking a surprise animation or even a discount coupon. This fun and explorative activity encourages guests to discover various areas of your property and engage more deeply with their surroundings.

28 - The Check-In Snap

Celebrate arrivals with a share-worthy photo moment. This AR lens adds a stylish frame with the phrase “I check in at…” alongside your hotel’s name or logo, creating a personalised keepsake for every guest. Perfect for selfies or group shots at arrival, it transforms check-in into a fun, branded experience that guests will love to share with family, friends, and followers.

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Insider Tip: You could also get a staff member from the front office team to snap them and provide free print outs for keepsakes.

29 - Suitcase Sticker Stories

Encourage guests to transform their suitcases into a storytelling canvas. With this augmented reality (AR) lens, travelers can decorate their bags using fun virtual travel stickers. Each sticker represents a bucket list item of unique hotel experiences they’ve unlocked during their visit. A playful and personal way to showcase adventures, it creates a visual diary that’s perfect for photos, souvenirs and social sharing.

30 - Ocean Clean-Up Challenge

Show your hotel’s commitment to the environment with a fun AR game. Guests use a virtual net to collect floating trash from the ocean, making it both entertaining and educational about marine conservation. This hands-on activity engages families and showcases your eco-friendly values. It’s ideal for beachside resorts, connecting the experience to the beauty of the ocean.

A New Era of Guest Engagement

Augmented Reality is no longer just a tech trend—it’s a gateway to unforgettable, share-worthy experiences that delight guests and amplify your brand reach.

By weaving AR magic into your property’s journey, you transform ordinary spaces into stages for play, storytelling and discovery. Best of all, every selfie, story, or game shared online turns your guests into enthusiastic ambassadors for your hotel or resort. The time to embrace AR is now.

Let Us Help You Get Started

Piqolo Labs is launching a Service to Delivery AR for Hospitality.

We can help you build any of the 30 AR lenses mentioned above! Be among the first to bring Augmented Reality (AR) to your hotel, restaurant or attraction — without the high cost or production headaches. Join the waitlist today!

Join the waitlist by clicking on the link below OR drop us an email here.