Now resorts and theme parks want to help guests share their photos and
memories online so family and friends can join the excitement
Resorts, theme parks help guests
take photos and share them online
take photos and share them online
Etan Horowitz
Sentinel Staff Writer
Sentinel Staff Writer
There's a sad truth about the millions of digital photos tourists will snap at Orlando's attractions, theme parks
and resorts this summer. Many will take weeks to make it off the digital camera card; some never will.
Orlando-based Westgate Resorts thinks it has a solution. Starting in June, guests who stay at — or even attend a time-share presentation at — one of its seven area resorts will be offered a free trial membership to a new social networking and photo sharing Web site called Westgatefamilies.com.
Like MySpace or Facebook, the new site will allow families to create profiles, write blogs and post their own photos and videos. But they'll get some help in building their online memories before they head home.
Guests can hand off their digital camera cards to staffers who will upload the photos. Photographers will roam the property snapping photos of guests that will be sent to the site. Eventually, kiosks with cameras will be set up near the pool and other areas of the resorts and all guests will have to do is scan their room key and smile for the camera. The camera will automatically take the picture and post it to their family Web site.
Orlando-based Westgate Resorts thinks it has a solution. Starting in June, guests who stay at — or even attend a time-share presentation at — one of its seven area resorts will be offered a free trial membership to a new social networking and photo sharing Web site called Westgatefamilies.com.
Like MySpace or Facebook, the new site will allow families to create profiles, write blogs and post their own photos and videos. But they'll get some help in building their online memories before they head home.
Guests can hand off their digital camera cards to staffers who will upload the photos. Photographers will roam the property snapping photos of guests that will be sent to the site. Eventually, kiosks with cameras will be set up near the pool and other areas of the resorts and all guests will have to do is scan their room key and smile for the camera. The camera will automatically take the picture and post it to their family Web site.
For Westgate, the new venture allows the company to tap into the popularity of online photo albums, scrap-
books, sideshows and other media while keeping their brand fresh in people's minds long after they've
returned home. It's also a recognition that when today's families go on vacation, they want much more than
just a picture of the kids with their arms up while riding Space Mountain.
Universal Orlando and the Walt Disney Co. are also exploring ways to use social media tools to keep their parks relevant in the digital age.
"In essence what they are doing is giving their social media-savvy customers the raw materials to express their identities," said Julie Wittes Schlack, the senior vice president of innovation and design at Communis- pace, a Massachusetts firm that helps companies build social networks. "It probably helps the resort or theme park keep the experience alive beyond the point of where it's over. It's a chance for the guests to turn their own experience into consumable media, something that can be passed around."
Westgate executives said they think guests will pay to use their site because it will be easier to use than free social-networking sites and it provides more privacy. Families can choose to password-protect their Web sites and they can only be accessed by people who know the Web address.
Next spring, Universal Orlando plans to open a new roller coaster at Universal Studios Orlando called the Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit, which draws some of its inspiration from the popularity of creating and sharing Internet videos, hence the "rip" part of the name. Riders will be able to choose their own music and create a music video of the ride, which they can download and post on a personal Web site or video-sharing site.
A Universal spokesman declined to provide further details on the new roller coaster.
The Walt Disney Co. is also exploring ways to bring more interactivity to its parks. For about a year and half, guests have been able to upload their own photos to DisneyPhotoPass.com and combine them with photos taken at the parks by a professional photographer to create customized photobooks and even movies that they can purchase.
But Disney is looking to take it further. Frank Reifsnyder, a spokesman for Disney Imagineering in Califor- nia, said the company has been exploring a program to install cameras near the lines to many attractions. Instead of just posing for the camera, the guests could be told to do something active, such as jumping. Those photos could then be woven into a story with the guest starring as a character alongside Winnie the Pooh, the Pirates of the Caribbean or Snow White.
"A lot of our guests are telling us they want a more active experience," Reifsnyder said, adding that it would also give guests something to pass the time while they wait in line. "It's taking PhotoPass to the next level by combining it with immersive storytelling."
Reifsnyder said the concept has not been tested yet and there are no plans for it to move forward, though that could change.
For Westgate, besides giving guests the ability to create and share personal memories of their trips online, Westgatefamilies.com also provides a way to bring in new customers. Marco Torres, Westgate's director of Internet marketing, said friends and family who visit a family's site will be offered discounts on a future stay with Westgate.
"Every company spends a lot of money just to get one customer," said Mike Maloney, a spokesman for DigitalPost Interactive, the company partnering with Westgate to build Westgatefamilies.com. "When you get that customer, you want to keep that customer happy and coming back and get them to tell other people. This is a tool to facilitate that."
Each family will be set up with a free 30-day trial membership and after that it costs between $5 and $12 a month.
After testing Westgatefamilies.com with guests at its Orlando resorts, Westgate plans to roll it out at the rest of its resorts across the country, Torres said. Besides posting pictures from stays at Westgate, Torres hopes guests will also use their personalized Web sites to post photos of family events and communicate with their family members through the message boards and blogs.
"We want them to make it theirs and to truly have an ongoing dialogue with their entire family," Torres said. "We want to brand Westgate into their memory forever by getting them to use the site."
Torres said Westgate won't try to control what guests post on their personalized Web sites, even if they complain about Westgate.
"That's something we can't control and it's part of what the Internet is today," Torres said. "It's open to the risk of an unhappy customer and all we can do is try to fix it from there."
Etan Horowitz can be reached at ehorowitz@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5447.
Available online at http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/tourism/orl-cover1908may19,0,5411126.story
Universal Orlando and the Walt Disney Co. are also exploring ways to use social media tools to keep their parks relevant in the digital age.
"In essence what they are doing is giving their social media-savvy customers the raw materials to express their identities," said Julie Wittes Schlack, the senior vice president of innovation and design at Communis- pace, a Massachusetts firm that helps companies build social networks. "It probably helps the resort or theme park keep the experience alive beyond the point of where it's over. It's a chance for the guests to turn their own experience into consumable media, something that can be passed around."
Westgate executives said they think guests will pay to use their site because it will be easier to use than free social-networking sites and it provides more privacy. Families can choose to password-protect their Web sites and they can only be accessed by people who know the Web address.
Next spring, Universal Orlando plans to open a new roller coaster at Universal Studios Orlando called the Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit, which draws some of its inspiration from the popularity of creating and sharing Internet videos, hence the "rip" part of the name. Riders will be able to choose their own music and create a music video of the ride, which they can download and post on a personal Web site or video-sharing site.
A Universal spokesman declined to provide further details on the new roller coaster.
The Walt Disney Co. is also exploring ways to bring more interactivity to its parks. For about a year and half, guests have been able to upload their own photos to DisneyPhotoPass.com and combine them with photos taken at the parks by a professional photographer to create customized photobooks and even movies that they can purchase.
But Disney is looking to take it further. Frank Reifsnyder, a spokesman for Disney Imagineering in Califor- nia, said the company has been exploring a program to install cameras near the lines to many attractions. Instead of just posing for the camera, the guests could be told to do something active, such as jumping. Those photos could then be woven into a story with the guest starring as a character alongside Winnie the Pooh, the Pirates of the Caribbean or Snow White.
"A lot of our guests are telling us they want a more active experience," Reifsnyder said, adding that it would also give guests something to pass the time while they wait in line. "It's taking PhotoPass to the next level by combining it with immersive storytelling."
Reifsnyder said the concept has not been tested yet and there are no plans for it to move forward, though that could change.
For Westgate, besides giving guests the ability to create and share personal memories of their trips online, Westgatefamilies.com also provides a way to bring in new customers. Marco Torres, Westgate's director of Internet marketing, said friends and family who visit a family's site will be offered discounts on a future stay with Westgate.
"Every company spends a lot of money just to get one customer," said Mike Maloney, a spokesman for DigitalPost Interactive, the company partnering with Westgate to build Westgatefamilies.com. "When you get that customer, you want to keep that customer happy and coming back and get them to tell other people. This is a tool to facilitate that."
Each family will be set up with a free 30-day trial membership and after that it costs between $5 and $12 a month.
After testing Westgatefamilies.com with guests at its Orlando resorts, Westgate plans to roll it out at the rest of its resorts across the country, Torres said. Besides posting pictures from stays at Westgate, Torres hopes guests will also use their personalized Web sites to post photos of family events and communicate with their family members through the message boards and blogs.
"We want them to make it theirs and to truly have an ongoing dialogue with their entire family," Torres said. "We want to brand Westgate into their memory forever by getting them to use the site."
Torres said Westgate won't try to control what guests post on their personalized Web sites, even if they complain about Westgate.
"That's something we can't control and it's part of what the Internet is today," Torres said. "It's open to the risk of an unhappy customer and all we can do is try to fix it from there."
Etan Horowitz can be reached at ehorowitz@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5447.
Available online at http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/tourism/orl-cover1908may19,0,5411126.story