From Screen to Stay. The Rise of Digital Twins in Travel.

WHAT IT IS?

A Digital Twin is a hyper-realistic virtual replica of a physical location, connected to real-time data. The concept was coined by Michael Grieves, within the field of engineering and industrial design, and later popularized by NASA for its use in simulating and monitoring space systems. Today, this technology is applied in tourism and hospitality, allowing travelers to explore hotels, rooms, cities, or experiences immersively before traveling.

It’s the new “Get Instagrammable,” but digital: you don’t just post your trip, you experience it in 3D and share it before packing.

WHY IT´S COOL?

Digital Twins make planning a trip an immersive and emotional experience. It’s no longer about looking at photos or reviews, but rather experiencing the destination before arriving, which builds trust and connects better with the digital traveler.

  • Explore before you travel. Guests can virtually tour a  resort, or even step out onto their room balcony before booking, building trust and excitement.
  • Gamification & Social. Planning a trip ceases to be a formality and becomes an engaging game that can also be shared on social media, generating Instagrammable content from the first click.
  • More trust, more bookings. By eliminating doubts about what the hotel or destination will really be like, the purchase decision is accelerated and brand loyalty is strengthened.
  • Digital Loyalty Loop. Each virtual experience sparks desire, translates into actual bookings, and, when shared on social media, attracts new travelers in a continuous cycle of engagement.

WHY IT HAS FUTURE GROWTH POTENTIAL?

Digital Twins have great potential because they are already being used in cities like Singapore and Dubai, and chains like Marriott are using them to design VR events. The rise of the tourism metaverse allows you to explore destinations like the Maldives or Bali before traveling, and with the integration of Agentic AI, these virtual tours can be customized based on the traveler’s interests or mood, strengthening the digital loyalty loop and turning each experience into a loyalty opportunity. And it’s not science fiction: startups like Hotelverse in Spain already allow you to tour hotels in 3D and book a room while seeing the real view from your balcony, demonstrating that Digital Twins are moving from an emerging trend to a concrete tool in hospitality.

Some sources of interest:

Gemelos digitales: la nueva frontera del turismo experiencial
Singapore’s digital twin – from science fiction to hi-tech reality
Virtual Singapore – Singapore’s virtual twin

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/transforming-hospitality-implementing-digital-twins-hotel-sergei-lvov-cgk9e

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  1. How cool is this "Seed"?

    Does it have future growth potential?

    Hello Lucia, I find this idea of allowing the customer to see everything before booking very interesting, as it allows them to feel more confident about their purchase and to get to know the product as much as possible before making it a truly an immersive experience before traveling. I believe you have used the resources very well and have created a very interesting blog.
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  2. How cool is this "Seed"?

    Does it have future growth potential?

    I’m fully on board with this one—the metaverse and digital twins clearly have a real marketing purpose and will be a powerful tool for hospitality.
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