Crowne Plaza has extended its Place to Meet meetings concept to the virtual world Second Life, the online three-dimensional graphical world where people live out alternative lives as avatars, which may or may not bear any resemblance to their real-world personas.

Around 8 million people have signed up to Second Life since launch and become residents. A quarter of these participate on a regular basis. Second Life has its own currency, the Linden dollar, which can be used to run virtual businesses and which can be exchanged for real hard currency. Residents can buy and sell land within Second Life and create their own buildings and islands.

The hotel group has created The Place to Meet Island with the idea of allowing residents and businesses within the online community the ability to get together in secure meeting rooms. The island features three meeting rooms with features such as streaming audio, video, presentation and image viewing and includes details that are present in the chain’s real-word counterparts, such as Herman Miller chairs.

The company said: “Crowne Plaza continually seeks to extend its premier meetings services to new communities - no matter where they are. The brand is pleased to join the Second Life community and to offer residents the same meeting opportunities that it offers at Crowne Plaza hotels around the world.“

A virtual Crowne meetings director is available on the island every weekday to from 6am to 2pm Pacific Daylight Time (1pm to 9pm GMT) to provide tours of the island and to help meeting attendees. Visitors can book the rooms for up to eight hours free of charge.

Starwood Hotels was the first hotel company to embrace Second Life when it opened the first property in its new aloft chain there. The company used residents’ reactions to its hotel to guide how it designed its hotels in the real world.