Immersive Experiences in Hospitality

Immersive hospitality experiences have the power to transport us through more than a specific destination, food, or design. To truly be immersive, experiences must cater to all of these with room for individual interpretation, very similar in fact, to a art exhibit or music experience.

Captivation after all, allows us to forget the things in life that trouble us even for just a moment, and to transport us to either the past, the depths of the present, or the future. Through these experiences, we get connected and create community, evolve cultural experiences, and our understanding of one another.

With that, I’m fascinated by the ways in which we design these experiences and how we build them in support of creativity. Not only are they a means to end—pop-ups that are designed for brand collaborations or for promotional means. They’re also a way for us to seek inspiration, learn about craftsmanship, history, design, and taste.

One thing I personally find mermerizing about pop up events is how they have the ability to create community, culture, rooted in history, art, science, and nostalgia.

We see this a lot in New York or London where the concept of The Queue or The Line has evolved to a point of satire. People line up for anything but it’s often because they want to feel a sense of belonging, inclusivity in a space that may feel exclusive. For example, lining up for the latest cafe x pizza shop x merch drop or lining up for a food experience that amalgamates flavours from different countries and experiences.

Take another example when Stella McCartney recently partnered with McCallum Whiskey at the Rosewood Hotel in London. A massive yellow orb hung from the courtyard as if to mimic the sun, emitting heat in the middle of a chilly London autumn set above a McCallum enchanted forest pop-up space as if emblematic and paying hommage to the Scottish Highlands.

For a minute, you’re not in bustling London. For a minute, you’re along in a forest, your senses slightly isolated as if purposefully done in order to fully understand the notes of McCallum Whiskey.

Alas, that’s the intent—you’re meant to forget everything that you know and achieve a sense of presence that moves you. Some will say, it will move you towards purchasing a product. And while that’s the case for most of these events —they are after all, brands who sell products— there’s something to be said about partnerships be that through hospitality or consumer brands who understand the importance of investing in these types of experiences.

These are the moments that tell your story. These are the moments that support your brand values, your brand strategy in action and that actually bring them to life. In a world where creativity is heavily quantified by the amount of social media engagement we have, immersive experiences take your brand to the next level.

For pop-up hospitality events, perhaps that’s about featuring a new menu item that people didn’t know existed. Or that helps a community thrive by getting people together in celebration of good food and generous hospitality spirit.

For brands who collaborate it’s about building community through brand to expand your visibility, reach, and increase the wow factor that engages your audiences outside of their screens.

And that’s what you want. To create an impression so deep in your audience that they have no idea how you’ve managed to execute something. That sense of wonder is then anchored in their daily lives: how can I do something similar in my life? How can I create more connection in my life? How can I be more present in my day to day? How can I make sure that when I’m working I’m being more creative and thinking about the elements that bring us together? etc.

So when we think about how this is also applied to independent brands, the questions we ask ourselves are in the same realm: How can I make people feel joy through something as seemingly simple as a cup of coffee and a slice of pizza? How can I simplify in order to build community?

From high end brands, to independently run consumer goods and hospitality venues, immersive experiences are the glue that connect us. The importance of them lies in their ability to take us somewhere familiar yet totally new, to create a moment of blissful paradox that challenges our minds and creates moments of presence where we feel for a moment that our attention doesn’t need to be quantified—rather experienced in community.