The hospitality industry is big – really big. The US has almost 5 million rooms available, with around 62% of these occupied at any given time. Overall, the US hotel industry generates over $160 billion annually and employs more than 15 million people. Globally, hospitality accounts for close to 10% of world GDP. That’s a lot of money and a lot of people coming through your doors each day. And it’s not just guests – people are increasingly visiting hotels for ancillary services, like bars, restaurants, salons and spas, not to mention meetings and events. And travel is increasing each year. That’s a lot of different groups to communicate with every hour of the day. How can your staff possibly keep on top on things? The answer is good digital hospitality signage.
There is no more efficient or engaging way to reach such a large and diverse audience than with digital signage. It’s modern and dynamic, allows updates in real time with just a few mouse clicks, and replaces expensive printing costs with a one-time investment in the system. More importantly, it helps both your guests and your staff parse the vast amount of information needed to run even a medium-sized facility.
Hospitality is all about the guests, and you want them to have a pleasant and stress-free stay at your facility, which increases customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. Whether they’re in town on vacation, there for an on-site convention, or locals making use of your facilities, they need accurate and on-time information. And each audience segment will have different needs.
Inform guests of offerings and amenities – like check-in times, restaurant hours, fitness centers, spas and conference rooms. All while reinforcing your brand with standardized colors and layouts.
Good wayfinding signage is key to making their time with you hassle-free. ADA -compliant interactive touchscreens and kiosks make even the largest complexes easy to navigate by displaying digital maps and searchable directories and event schedules. By placing displays in strategic locations, like elevator banks and lobbies, you can also show information on other revenue-generating parts of your facility, like bars and restaurants, or concierge services.
You can also save visitors and staff time by displaying the most commonly asked questions on your screens. This virtual concierge frees up your employees for more personalized service. You can also display information in multiple languages, including touchscreen information. Welcome messages for individuals, groups or loyalty club members makes your guests feel like you care.
Go beyond your building by highlighting local attractions and events. This makes guests’ time in your facility even more worthwhile, helping them enjoy your city, which in turn adds to their overall satisfaction. Integrating with local transportation – public transport, taxis services, and so on – also helps them get where they are going quickly and easily. And combining real-time news and weather feeds with area-specific messages, like “don’t forget an umbrella” when rain is forecast, lets them know that you are looking out for them.
You can add revenue streams by using your digital signs to advertise local businesses and partners, offering special deals that only apply to your clients. You can also promote your own loyalty programs and rewards, and can remind people of your venues in other cities where they can go and expect the same first-class service and experience they’re receiving at your location.
Digital room signs make managing your meeting and event spaces quick and simple. Some room signs let you book spaces right at the sign, and they interface with your scheduling software, so changes made in one place get made everywhere at once. E-paper room signs are lightweight and wireless, so you can move them wherever they need to go.
Employees can also benefit from digital hospitality signage if you include it in the back office and staff-only areas like break rooms. Keep everyone informed of what’s happening in the facility so they can be prepared to put their best foot forward. You can also motivate employees by recognizing achievements, keeping them informed of progress towards goals and deadlines, making them aware of training opportunities, and ensuring everyone is on the same page with policy reminders.
Dynamic content means you can even show informational or motivational videos, and personalize communications with your staff, recognizing birthdays, work anniversaries and so on. If things suddenly change in your facility, they can all instantly be made aware of what’s new and what to do.
And a well-thought-out crisis communications plan means having alert notification capabilities across your entire digital signage system. You can override all or some of your displays instantly, giving alerts of severe weather or emergency situations, and clear instructions as to what to do.
Since people today are used to browsing information on the go, consider targeting mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, importing webpages and social media to your displays, and including QR tags or short URLs on messages that immediately take people to a dedicated webpage with more details about your message.
The power of digital hospitality signage is a perfect fit for a bustling and information-rich environment like a hotel. Everyone, from guests to visitors to staff, will quickly start relying on your screens to tell them what they need to know and get them where they’re going – making their time in your facility a great experience.