Center Parcs Hochsauerland Launches VR Experiences
© The Park Playground
(eap) Since this week, guests to the Center Parcs Hochsauerland holiday park can immerse themselves into virtual worlds: The vacation destination located in Medebach, Germany has opened a Virtual Reality (VR) attraction that allows both children and adults to immerse themselves in other worlds merely equipped with a VR headset. The experiences available, which can be played with two to eight (or up to six) players and last 60 minutes each, range from a puzzle mission to action-packed challenges to the scary category. In “Don’t Scream”, players face various tasks and should not shy away from ghosts, rats or spiders – the quieter the individual players behave, the more successful the team will be. In “Mission PlanetX”, guests can go on a journey through space in search of a new energy source. And in “Mask of the Pharaoh” a professor is trapped in ancient Egypt and needs help – by solving exciting enigmas and tasks the team of players can manage to free him.
The VR system in use here is the new product “The Park VR”, developed by the Belgian company The Park Playground, which was recently presented at IAAPA Expo Europe in Vienna and has now been installed for the first time. On a floor space of just under 100 square metres, players can immerse themselves in virtual worlds, equipped only with a headset – a technology backpack and trackers are not required. The three VR experiences available at Center Parcs Park Hochsauerland are also accessible with wheelchairs and can be played in German, Dutch or English language.
“At Center Parcs we are constantly looking at new and unique experiences to further enrich our guest experience. With the introduction of this brand new, family-friendly virtual reality experience we are happy to introduce a new experience in Park Hochsauerland that lets guests experience the unlimited world of VR, while inside our unique, natural parks. Partnering with The Park gives us the confidence that we have a high-end, constantly evolving offer,” commented Ruud Rerink, Product Director, Center Parcs Europe.
Peter Vindevogel, CEO at The Park Playground, added, “We designed The Park VR System as a solution to fulfill customer demands for more immersive entertainment in the easiest and most cost-effective way possible. We couldn’t be more excited that the first leisure operator to recognise the huge benefits that the system can bring them is one that we share a lot of values with. Center Parcs is an incredibly well-renowned, premium brand and we’re thrilled that The Park Playground gets to be a part of creating memorable vacations for their guests.”
Read more about The Park VR and other innovative products, developments and trends in the leisure industry in our IEE Vienna trade show report, published in EAP issue 6/2023 (available from 1 Nov.). ■
