Hotel Digital Signage Solutions – What To Choose & Where To Use Them

Hotel digital signage solutions are becoming more and more popular because they enhance the guest experience and can help to increase profitability.

But if you’ve never used them before, how do you know what to invest in and where or how to use it?

We’re going to to explore the most common hotel digital signage solutions, what sort of budget you need for each, and where and how they’re best used in a hotel.

What Are the Best Hotel Digital Signage Solutions to use?

There’s an almost never-ending list of hotel digital signage solutions to choose from, but there are three key types that  you should probably consider.

Window displays

If your hotel has large windows and a decent level of footfall passing them, you should probably consider putting a high bright digital signage display in your window.  This will help you market your rooms, restaurant, bar, spa and/or gym facilities much more effectively to passers by.

High bright screens are much brighter than standard screens and will give you the opportunity to catch a passer-by’s attention and flag up the facilities within your hotel. Even if the window space you have is reasonably small, a bright, animated display will draw attention to what your hotel building offers and give new guests a warm welcome.

Size: Small-Medium

Purchase cost: ££-£££

Ongoing costs (energy, maintenance): £££

LCD/LED screens

Unless visitors visit your hotel regularly it’s unlikely they’ll be familiar with everything you offer. Digital screens are the perfect way to educate them as they pass through the building and encourage them to purchase additional services.

There are two key types of screen: LED and LCD screens. LED screens are more expensive than LCD screens and brighter (and therefore more attention-grabbing) and tend to be more energy-efficient.

It’s important to use commercial screens for your hotel digital signage displays. They’re designed to be in use 24 hours a day. If any aren’t needed during certain periods (night-time, for example) they can be programmed to switch off during those times, to save energy and screen life.

With a few exceptions, you won’t need screens larger than 55 inches, and in some cases, you can use smaller screens. However, the smaller the screen, the more crucial the placement. So, when planning your digital signage, you must consider how easy smaller screens are for your guests to see.

Size: Small-Medium

Purchase cost: £-££ (NB: depends on the size and screen type)

Ongoing costs (energy, maintenance): £

Large format displays

Some hotels use large format displays in their reception area to create a ‘wow-factor’. They’re very effective at drawing attention to specific promotions or facilities.

You can choose from video walls or LED walls. Video walls can only be used indoors, whereas LED walls can be used both indoors and outdoors. Depending on their position, type and size, outdoor LED walls can be seen from as much as  half a mile away, making hotels that are hidden away much more visible from a distance.

Video walls are a collection of screens positioned together like tiles to look like a single, large screen. They’re significantly cheaper than LED walls, but aren’t as  energy efficient, and if one screen fails, your display will become an eyesore.

LED walls are long lasting and much easier to maintain. They’re easy to see from close up and far away, so all guests can see the same messages no matter what their proximity to the screen.

Size: Large

Purchase cost: ££-£££ (NB: depends on display size and type)

Ongoing costs (energy, maintenance): ££-£££

Where to use hotel digital signage solutions

Lobby

The lobby is where your guests will have both their first and last impression of their visit, and it’s a perfect opportunity to make  a good impression with digital signage. This can show video footage of both in-house facilities, such as a gym, restaurant or spa and local attractions.

Your display can be used to give important information, like times for check-in and out, and promote the quality of your breakfast offering. It can also be used to promote forthcoming events, promotions and loyalty schemes. 

It’s vital to make this display useful and engaging since the lobby is a place where your guests may need to wait for a while. This waiting period offers a valuable opportunity to educate and excite guests since they’re effectively a captive audience, but it also makes high-quality content vital to make any wait time seem to pass quickly.

Conference spaces

It you’re hosting conferences, it’s important that delegates have all the information they need. When delegates are likely to be arriving, your lobby display could be repurposed to provide event information and directions for them, reverting to other standard content when the conference has begun.

Digital signage for the conference area itself can help make the event a premium experience for both organisers and delegates. Screens can indicate which rooms are being used by which companies. They can also show the conference’s agenda, as well as reminders when lunch or coffee breaks are coming to an end, to aid the smooth running of the event.

Lounge/Bar

A digital overhead screen at the back of the bar can show menus and special offers that you’re able to change at the touch of a button to suit different times of the day. For instance, you could be promoting mimosa for brunch, cocktails for early evening and premium whisky or brandy for after-dinner drinks.

Elsewhere in the lounge/bar, the emphasis can be on entertainment and information. If you have appropriate content management software, you can split the screen so you can also show entertainment content, such as live TV, alongside other information.

If your hotel is near an airport, for example, you could show up-to-date flight information. You could also display local taxi numbers, reducing the pressure on your staff to order taxis for guests, or else show hotel details, such as spa availability or dining room closing times. Screens can also show drink and/or food promotions to encourage take-up, or promote other services available within the hotel.

Lift Areas

Guests using the lifts are a captive audience and are therefore easy to engage, so why not provide content on smaller screens in the lift lobby or even inside of lifts. For example, remind them of times for check-in and check-out, promote your breakfast, lunch and evening meal offerings, as well as paid-for in-hotel facilities, events and your current promotions.

You could also encourage guests to leave reviews on TripAdvisor. Remember that most lift wait times and journeys will be short, so messages should be simple.

Outside The Hotel

Digital signage for hotels doesn’t have to be restricted to inside the building. Displays outside the building will offer a premium, luxury impression before a guest has even entered.

Messages could include availability, latest deals and upcoming events. You could also show a video of services such as weddings or conferences, making it clear what you offer to passing motorists and/or pedestrians. 

Smaller outdoor digital signage screens should be protected within enclosures, and use screens that are designed to withstand high and low temperatures — not all models are. Make sure you consult a specialist before you buy any hardware, especially if it is for outdoor use. 

Choosing Hotel Digital Signage Solutions

It’s easy to overspend and underspend on the wrong things so it pays to get advice from an expert. A good consultancy will work with your budget and help you get the right equipment for your needs.

They will also be able to help with screen placement. They will identify where your guests will see screens most clearly, whilst them also being out of the way enough to reduce the risk of them getting damaged – any warranty you get with your hardware won’t cover accidental damage.

Budgeting For Your Hotel’s Digital Signage Solutions

When considering how much you have to spend on digital signage, don’t forget to factor in the ongoing costs for content creation and software. These will be critical to your success and aren’t something to be skimped on.

Impressive-looking content is key to getting your messages over through your hotel’s digital signage. Furthermore, if your on-screen information looks cheaply made or underwhelming, it will devalue your whole hotel offering – especially if it’s the first thing that a new customer sees when they arrive. 

Software might seem like an optional extra, but it gives you the ability to do smarter things with your screens. For example, it can allow you to split your on-screen displays so you can show more than one message at once. It will also enable you to show different messages at different times of the day — just when they’re most likely to resonate and deliver results.

Get in touch with us to find out more about hotel digital signage solutions, and how they can help you inform, entertain and reassure your guests — without breaking the bank.