Holiday travel is upon us, and guests are seeking hotel experiences that offer more than just decorations and dining options. Augmented reality (AR) presents a compelling and shareable way to engage visitors with memorable, interactive moments during the festive season. Here are 10 AR ideas that hotels can implement this Christmas and New Year’s to delight guests and elevate the overall celebration.
Christmas Inspired AR Experiences
1 - Rudolf's Red Nose Magic
Invite guests to step into the festive spirit with a fun, family-friendly AR lens that transforms them into Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. When activated, the lens adds a glowing red nose, reindeer antlers, and soft ears. This playful lens brings a magical touch to your property’s Christmas campaign, encouraging guests to capture and share their experiences on social media using your hotel’s festive hashtag.
2 - Christmas Card Comes Alive
Enhance your traditional holiday greeting by turning it into an unforgettable digital experience. With this AR lens, guests can simply scan your hotel’s Christmas card to watch its artwork come to life, featuring festive animations, cheerful music, and a warm holiday message from your team.
3 - Step Into the Snow Globe
Transport your guests to a magical winter wonderland with this immersive AR lens. When activated, the lens places users inside a dazzling snow globe, surrounded by gently falling snow, twinkling lights, and your hotel’s festive backdrop. It creates an enchanting photo and video opportunity that instantly captures the spirit of the season.
4 - The Festive Gift Reveal
Delight your guests with a festive digital surprise! This interactive AR lens allows users to tap on a beautifully wrapped virtual Christmas present, which then bursts open in an animated display to reveal a claimable free gift. Gifts may include a festive drink, restaurant discount vouchers, or a small souvenir from your hotel. This AR experience combines holiday fun with guest engagement, transforming the simple joy of unwrapping a present into a memorable brand moment.
5 - Meet Me Under the Mistletoe
Celebrate the season of love and laughter with a playful augmented reality (AR) lens that brings couples together under a virtual mistletoe. As they pose for a photo or video, festive sparkles appear, the mistletoe gently sways above, and the scene is illuminated with a warm holiday glow—perfect for a cheeky Christmas kiss! It’s ideal for couples enjoying a holiday stay, festive dinner, creating charming, shareable memories linked to your property.
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New Year's Eve Inspired AR Experiences
6 - Countdown Sparklers
Invite your guests to light up their celebrations with an unforgettable AR moment. When they open the lens, virtual sparklers burst to life in their hands — glowing, shimmering, and flickering just like the real thing. Combine it with your New Year countdown or rooftop fireworks event for an exciting social media moment that showcases your property’s festive spirit.
7 - New Year Party Glow-Up
Transform every guest into the life of the party with this exciting, photo-ready augmented reality (AR) experience. Once activated, the lens instantly adorns users with vibrant "Happy New Year" accessories, including glittering hats featuring the year, oversized neon glasses, and animated streamers bursting behind them. Every detail radiates celebration, energy, and a hint of playful glamour.
8 - Balloon Bonanza
In this playful AR lens game, users can use their mouth movements to blow up as many virtual balloons as possible before the timer runs out. The more they blow, the more colourful balloons fill the screen, creating a joyful and animated celebration scene. When the countdown ends, the lens freezes into a delightful photo opportunity.
9 - Ask the Magic Ball
Start the new year with a hint of digital magic! In this fun augmented reality (AR) experience, guests can hold out their hands and see a glowing magic fortune prediction ball appear in their palms. By shaking or tilting the ball, it will swirl and unveil a prediction for the New Year, capturing the charm of this classic fortune-telling toy - like “All signs point to Yes!” and “Outlook not so great — time for a mocktail”.
10 - My New Year Location
Create a memorable digital keepsake for your guests to commemorate their New Year celebration. When they use the AR lens, they will see a festive frame filled with confetti and the message “I celebrated New Year’s Eve at [Your Hotel Name].” This simple yet effective activation turns every guest's celebration into organic social media content, proudly tagging your hotel as the destination for New Year’s Eve.
Make This Holiday Season Your Most Magical Yet
Augmented Reality (AR) has the power to turn ordinary interactions into a celebration. This festive season, hotels that excel will be those that bring their imagination to life—welcoming guests into immersive experiences that surprise, delight, and create a meaningful connection to their brand.
If you’re ready to craft experiences that resonate with guests both digitally and emotionally, now is the ideal time to start. The best kind of holiday magic is the kind that guests can carry with them long after their visit.
Let Us Help You Get Started
Piqolo Labs is launching a Service to Delivery AR for Hospitality.
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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. We love to hear from you!
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Wan Tsau
Wan Tsau
Wan Tsau
