By: Sabre Labs Team
Published: July 2016

We’re going to assume you’ve heard of Pokémon Go – In the last week, this game has shot to the top of the mobile app sales charts, has been covered by every media company from ABC to Zee News and was even by co-opted by the US presidential campaigns, but beyond the hype, what does Pokémon Go mean for your hotel and for the broader travel industry?

What is Pokémon Go?

In case you’ve heard the name but aren’t familiar with the details: Pokémon Go is a smartphone game in which players traverse the real world to hunt and capture Pokémon — pocket monsters.

Players then breed and train their Pokémon to engage in battles with other players for control of in-game locations. The game is a very loose form of “augmented reality,” where digital content is layered over the real world. For instance, the fountain of a hotel near Sabre headquarters acts as an in-game landmark where players can pick up items.

The launch of Pokémon Go is a cultural moment anchored in nostalgia, bridging generations and bringing friends, families and strangers together to chase whimsical digital creatures anywhere and everywhere on the globe.

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