Across industries, from engineering to hospitality, digital signage is an important piece of technology. In fact, 73% of schools and universities see digital signage as vital to the future of general communication and education. With communication being a core component of the hospitality industry, as well as effective hotel operations, some hoteliers may be wondering how adding hotel digital signage can improve their property.
In this blog post, we’re going to take a closer look at hotel digital signage, how it benefits hoteliers, and how it can improve the guest experience. Bookmark this guide so you always have creative digital signage ideas on-hand when you need inspiration.
What is hotel digital signage?
Digital signage is an excellent tool that hoteliers can use to engage with guests in new and exciting ways. Hotel digital signage can be used to communicate with guests, help them check-in, provide on-site meeting or event information, and even interact with them directly.
Through interactive screens and displays, hotels can use digital signage to display photos, motion graphics, web pages, animations, video, and other media. Touchscreen displays allow guests to interact with hotel digital signage to order food, room service, and much more.
Popular hotel digital signage options include:
- LED walls
- LCD monitors
- Smart TVs
- Flat panel displays
- Digital touchscreen menus
- Room boards
- Media players
- Tablets
- Smart kiosks
- Guest room channels
What do hotels use digital signage for?
Utilizing digital signage can benefit hoteliers, employees, and guests in many different ways. Below, we’ve highlighted five different categories of hotel performance to showcase how signage can positively impact a hotel’s success in each area.
1. Communication
Hotels can use digital signage to communicate with guests. Whether guests are video chatting with team members, reading important updates, sending a quick message, or relaying housekeeping preferences, digital signage can help streamline hotel guest communication efforts across a variety of different departments.
2. Engagement
Incorporating digital signage into your hotel’s design can provide guests with a new and unique way to engage with your business. Many travelers have never had the opportunity to get directions from a digital concierge, order dining on a touchscreen display, or see their feedback appear digitally in real-time.
3. Marketing
Hotel digital signage can be used to market hotel services, promotional offers, and additional amenities. Boost business and generate hotel revenue with attractive in-house digital marketing campaigns targeted at your "best" guests. Use digital in-room collateral to advertise room service, events, and limited-time offers.
4. Operations
Effectively using hotel digital signage can help streamline many hotel operations, reduce redundant expenses (i.e. printing services), and assist hotel employees in every department. Digital restaurant menus can help ease pressure on a slammed restaurant staff, digital check-in options can help prevent congested check-in lines, and real-time housekeeping requests can assist room attendants in prioritizing daily tasks.
5. Satisfaction
By allowing guests to quickly access important information, streamline the check-in process, place orders, and engage in no-contact information with staff, digital signage can improve the guest experience at any property. Creating a personalized digital experience for guests can lead to increased guest satisfaction, stronger customer loyalty, and more word-of-mouth recommendations.
Hotel digital signage ideas to help improve the guest experience
There are endless opportunities for creative hospitality professionals to use hotel digital signage to give guests a better experience. We’ve outlined 15 ways hoteliers can use digital signage to improve the experience of every guest.
1. Say, “Hello!”
Greet your guests with a vibrant, visually-appealing digital welcome sign. With 83% of US adults preferring to book their travel online, a digital welcome sign is often the first opportunity a hotel has to interact with a guest.
A traveler’s first impression of a hotel can set the stage for their entire stay, so make a strong, positive first impression to leave a lasting impact. Create a digital “welcome” sign that makes guests feel welcome and sets the stage for excellent service to come.
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2. Automate check-in.
Touchscreen hotel digital displays can be used to accommodate contactless check-in. Guests can skip the front desk line and gain access to their room through digital hotel check-in. The same displays that facilitate check-in can also provide concierge services to guests.
3. Add a digital concierge.
Place touchscreen digital displays in the lobby area to act as a digital concierge for guests. Program your hotel’s digital concierge to provide local weather information, traffic conditions, news, and links to must-see attractions in the area. Add fun tidbits of local information or unique history highlights, giving travelers a more immersive local experience.
Digital concierge services create a unique opportunity for guests to engage with hotel digital displays. In addition to providing contactless information to guests, helping to personalize their stay, working with a digital concierge is sure to impress hotel guests who have never used one before.
4. Display important hotel information and announcements.
Communicate important information to guests all around the hotel with the assistance of digital hotel displays. Inform guests of renovation updates, maintenance projects any guests may encounter, service updates, policy changes, weather alerts and other information. Display restaurant hours, facility information, and even interactive hotel maps to point guests in the right direction.
Hosting an event, conference, or group in-house? Use digital signage to display meeting information, breakout spaces, event updates, or direct attendees where to go.
5. Promote local businesses.
Use digital signage as part of your hotel digital marketing strategy. Build a bridge between your business and businesses in the community by promoting local restaurants, shops, and other small businesses. Showcase local lunch deals, happy hour specials, and events being hosted at partner venues in the community.
6. Show off satisfied feedback.
Use hotel digital signage to showcase feedback from satisfied guests. Display local awards, guest reviews, testimonials, photos, and even video highlights on digital signage. Highlight comments from your happy guests on TripAdvisor on digital signage throughout the hotel. Look for public reviews posted to social media, third party booking sites, or Google.
7. Recognize standout employees.
Recognize team members and improve employee culture by sharing employee highlights, staff awards, and reviews that mention individual team members. Showcase brief employee biographies with fun personal facts, share team photos, or shout-out the Employee of the Month on digital signage. Use hotel digital signage to wish a team member “Happy Birthday,” celebrate an anniversary, or congratulate a new graduate.
Note: Only highlight employees who are comfortable sharing their photos or name in public areas of the hotel. Recognition should never make employees feel uncomfortable or put staff at risk.
8. Promote in-house services, amenities, and booking offers.
Hoteliers and revenue managers can use hotel digital signage to advertise in-house services, amenities, and goods available for purchase. Create attractive marketing for hotel spa services, food and dining specials, a rooftop bar, and any other outstanding offerings available for guests to purchase.
Advertise next booking discounts and exclusive booking codes that encourage in-house guests to book their next stay, which could help increase hotel direct bookings. Drive customer loyalty by promoting your rewards program or run a digital marketing campaign that highlights a limited-time bonus for joining.
9. Show local flight and travel information.
Is your hotel located near a major airport, train depot, or metro stop? Hotels located near major travel ports can use digital signage to display rotating real-time travel information, such as arrival and departure times, train schedules, bus routes, ticket information, and delay updates.
Does your property offer shuttle service to a nearby airport? Use signage to display shuttle schedules, instructions for reserving the shuttle, and other helpful details.
10. Add a social wall.
Create a real-time social media experience by using digital signage to display a SocialWall. Showcase your hotel’s social media feed in real-time. Guests can see feedback, give feedback, and see it displayed on your up-to-date hotel digital signage. Use SocialWall to promote hashtag branding. Choose a hashtag that sticks, and encourage guests to use it in their content.
Promote the creation of user-generated content. Guests who share content to your hotel’s social media wall will also be sharing their feedback with their personal social media audience, as well as your page audience. Even in the modern world of digital hotel marketing, word-of-mouth recommendations are still an important piece of what drives business to any property.
11. Boost restaurant revenue with digital menu boards.
Full-service hotels should consider adding digital menu boards to lobby and dining areas. Try to incorporate hotel digital signage in new restaurant marketing ideas. Promote dining services and boost your hotel’s F&B revenue by using menu boards to display restaurant hours, highlight specific menu items, advertise specials, and outline reservation requirements and diner dress code details.
Use touch-enabled digital signage as a contactless ordering alternative for guests with to-go dining needs. Let guests scroll through the interactive menu, select desired items, see estimated ready time, and pay in one quick stop. No more waiting in the lobby; guests can pick up their food when it’s ready.
12. Replace in-room collateral with digital signage.
Save paper, reduce printing costs, and promote hotel services with digital in-room signage. Place digital hotel tablets in each guest room that allow guests to chat virtually with team members in different departments, order room service, book hotel packages, and connect to smart room climate control technology.
13. Pair education with entertainment.
Display digital content that is both informative and entertaining. Use digital displays to show travel blogs, documentaries related to your area’s history, or brand videos that discuss various initiatives that the property participates in.
14. Go green.
Is your property an eco-friendly hotel? Display the results of your hotel’s sustainability efforts on digital signage to encourage guests to recycle, reuse towels, or use refillable water bottles; engage with guests through environmentalism.
15. Stream videos, music, or even Netflix.
Hoteliers can use digital signage to keep guests entertained throughout various areas of the hotel. Put sporting events on in the bar area. Play cartoons to aid the tired parents of a restless toddler during breakfast. Some hotels even allow guests to choose what’s on the TV in certain locations (after setting appropriate customer content controls first).
Frequently asked questions about hotel digital signage
Where do hoteliers buy digital signage?
Most hoteliers purchase digital signage through companies that specialise in digital sign technology. Common brands used by hospitality professionals include Mood Media, ComQi, NoviSign, Cenaero, Janus Displays, Monscierge, e-Swie, and LG Electronics Hospitality.
Where should I put digital hotel signage?
To get the most out of your hotel digital signage, place signs throughout the hotel in areas that see a lot of foot traffic. Install digital signs near elevators, in the lobby, at the service desk, in the valet area, or other areas where guests may have to wait. The more time a guest spends in the area, the longer they will have to engage with digital hotel tech.
How do hotel guests engage with digital signage?
Hotel guests can engage with digital signage in a variety of ways. Interactive kiosks, touchscreen dining menus, e-check-in displays, digital concierge services, and real-time social media walls can all play a part in a hotel’s digital engagement strategy.
Put this guide to hotel digital signage to use!
When brainstorming digital marketing ideas or future digital displays, try to anticipate guest needs and consider their interests. Ask yourself, “What do guests want from a hotel?” Regularly read guest reviews and incorporate relevant feedback to help create a more personalized experience for guests at your hotel.
Up next, stay digital with our complete guide to hotel mobile check-in.
