Universal Wants To Track Your Every Move to Improve Your Experience in the Parks

Universal is making some great strides in cultivating new ideas to harness cutting-edge technology and enhance its entertainment offerings to visitors. Recent patents also have given us a peek into what Universal may be working on for its new theme park, Epic Universe.

While we eagerly await more news about Epic Universe and its 2 new hotels that are set to open in 2025, we’ve learned of another interesting patent that Universal has its eye on to improve the guest experience in one of the most anxiety-inducing areas of its parks.

Universal Destinations & Experiences has just filed a patent application to build a guest locator system. This could mean that Universal will have eyes on its visitors in ways it hasn’t before.

According to an article by the Orlando Business Journal, visitors to the Universal parks will be captured on camera more than they have in the past. The latest patent application intends to have cameras aid in identifying visitors by one or more attributes as they go about their normal day at the park and place orders at on-site restaurants. The system will be capable of tracking visitors as they move through the restaurant. This is achieved with the help of one or more processors and memory-storing instructions executable by one or more processors. From there, a computer system will be able to show Universal’s team members where people with completed orders have chosen to sit down so servers can bring their food out to them.

The patent is being called “Systems and Methods for Locating a Guest in a Facility for Order Delivery,” and looks to aid in correcting a guest experience problem that’s common in these high-paced, quick-service food environments. The new system is reportedly capable of eliminating the need for people to be on the constant lookout until their order is ready and flag down the server that has their food. The system also intends to make work less frustrating for Universal restaurant team members when locating tables to deliver the food to.

The verbiage that accompanies the patent application leaves open the possibility of using this technology down the line in a variety of ways like finding lost visitors, identifying and tracking threatening visitors, and identifying and tracking visitors with health problems. However, for this initial rollout, Universal primary intent appears to lean most towards use in their restaurants.

Here’s how ordering at Universal currently works at their quick service restaurants: You order at the location’s kiosk or register, and then receive a card with a printed order number inserted on top of a stanchion. Or, seat yourself at a table and order through the Universal mobile app and complete your order by typing in the number printed in the center of the table.

Once your food is ready, a server will look at each table until they locate the correct number so they can deliver the coordinating order. However, this isn’t always the case at each location — sometimes you’re given a device that buzzes when your order is ready and you have to get up to go grab your order from the counter or serving area or you might have to wait for your name to be called as a signal that your order is ready to pick up and then go find an open table.

We know what you’re thinking… “how could being watched MORE, help me at Universal?”  Universal wants its visitors to remember their experiences as positively as possible so they in turn become repeat visitors and then tell their friends, family members, and acquaintances about their experiences. This could become useful to help soften the anxiety of a busy day in the hustle and bustle of a normal day at one of Universal’s parks.

Universal has recognized and pinpointed certain points of discomfort in guest experience at their parks like waiting in a crowded, unfamiliar place, waiting in line to place an order, and constantly being on the lookout for when your order is prepared to flag down your server. Introducing this technology could introduce a way to reduce these heightened feelings, relax more, and take care of other business while you’re waiting (like using the bathroom or tending to a cranky child, and temporarily taking their attention off the arrival of their food order).

Yes — the system Universal is looking to patent will know if you’ve stepped out to use the bathroom. Key identifiers at various points on a person’s body and clothing will be used to identify those who are up and walking around versus those who are sitting at a table. This way, your server will know you’ve not just gotten fed up and left the restaurant without your order and can wait for you to return before delivering your food.

Researchers in Central Florida recently conducted a study on theme park satisfaction and looked at the guest experience and how certain factors impact how people remember their visit. They concluded that guest experience can build, level, or diminish their loyalty to the theme park and the brand. One of the biggest takeaways of the study was efficiency in queuing — managing people while they wait — which led to loyalty, satisfaction, and pleasure in the overall experience!

While Universal is choosing to remain tight-lipped about this new patent application for now, we’re hoping they will be more conversational about it in the future before we see it implemented in the Universal parks. Be sure you’re following us at AllEars.net for the latest in Universal news and more!

UPDATE: Super Nintendo World in Universal’s NEW Epic Universe Theme Park is Taking Shape

What do you think of Universal’s recent progress and patents? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.