"Far Away, So Close!" – this is the title of an iconic film by Werner Herzog about Berlin. However, it could also be used today as a headline for the latest innovation at Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin. Because thanks to augmented reality – AR for short – a visit to the hotel legend is suddenly very close, no matter how far away someone is.
A selfie in front of the elephant fountain? Leafing through the menu of the two-star restaurant Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer? Strolling through the Presidential Suite with the butler? No problem with the new AR app, because interested parties can now enter the Adlon from anywhere and at any time and experience it up close – at least virtually. "The illusion is perfect," says Karina Ansos, the managing director of the legendary hotel at the Brandenburg Gate. "Anyone who has been with us before can refresh their memories, and for everyone else, the digital experience increases anticipation and curiosity."
The AR app is a very special, belated anniversary gift that Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin is giving itself and all lovers of the traditional hotel at the Brandenburg Gate. It was developed together with the Berlin start-up company ZAUBAR and tailored precisely to the needs of the guests and the standards of the world-famous hotel. Augmented Reality describes an "extended reality". The real world is supplemented with virtual aspects, so that a completely new, immersive experience and expansion of one’s own environment is created. "It’s a bit like the Starship Enterprise on the holodeck – visitors check in with us wherever they are in real life and let themselves be enchanted by the unique atmosphere of our house," explains Karina Ansos.
Thanks to the new Adlon AR app, the smartphone becomes a door opener into the virtual interior of the grand hotel at the Brandenburg Gate. A total of four extraordinary places can be visited in the hotel. After a trip into the fascinating history of the traditional hotel, the app user enters Pariser Platz, strolls down the red carpet, is greeted by a bellboy and enters the elegant lobby. The heart of the hotel can be viewed in 360° mode and not only that: Here and at all other stations of the hotel visit, photos and videos of the interactive 3D scenery can be taken with the smartphone. These are saved with the Adlon watermark and can be shared on social networks.
The virtual entry into the Royal Suite offers more than a keyhole view. Here the guest gets to know the butler Ricardo – the good spirit who is always at the service of the illustrious guests in the three presidential suites. For the culinary finale and highlight of the virtual hotel stay, the Restaurant Lorenz Adlon ESS, which has been awarded two stars by the Michelin Guide, opens its doors and menus.
The individual stations are accompanied by audio guides. The speakers Ranja Bonalana and Tom Vogt, who lead visitors through the virtual Adlon, are not unknown, as they are the German dubbing voices of Oscar winners Renée Zellweger and Colin Firth.
The app is now available free of charge for iOS in the App Store and for Android in the Google Play Store.
