Hotels tend to be right at the forefront of the user experience. They're our home from home, a place where we seek to unwind and enjoy ourselves, or often our oasis in a strange new place - so it makes sense that hotels and hospitality strive to make the experience as enjoyable and stress free as possible. 

Modern digital experiences have been part of the hotel experience for many years now. First with things like on-demand TV, and now increasingly with self-service or keyless entry.

More than ever, hotel digital signage is a big part of the guest experience. And it's not as difficult to roll out as you might think.

After all, hotel digital signage is the use of TV screens or monitors, powered by cloud-based digital signage software, to display information and media throughout a hotel. It’s particularly important fort the hotel experience today because it lets you share information quickly and seamlessly, adding to the premium luxury experience.

So how can you leverage digital signage in your hotel right now?

When it comes to check-in, the human touch is usually appreciated. We all like a friendly face and warm welcome. But in some situations, we just want to get to our rooms as quick as possible without needing to queue or waiting for the receptionist to finish explaining things.

Increasingly, hotels are using digital signage kiosks to enable guests to check-in, get their keys and even upsell them services such as breakfast or loyalty cards.

You don't even need an actual kiosk for this - a simple desk or wall mounted touchscreen with the correct software installed will do the job.

The beauty of digital signage is that when no one wants to use the screen (check in usually occurs within a short time period for most guests), it reverts to whichever playlists and schedules you’ve set up.

One screen: multiple great first impressions.

A great guest experience requires engagement. But taking each customer through the list of selling points could take a while. In peak periods, digital signage becomes another arm of staff members ready to fill  guests in on everything they need to know. 

Real time welcome information displayed on lobby screens, could include check in waiting times, restaurant opening hours, local travel updates and even upgrades or offers available. While guests are waiting to check in, or for a taxi, they get prime viewing seats on everything your hotel has to offer.

This information can be updated as often as needed, too. With a signage system like ScreenCloud, you could set up a Google Slides presentation  of key information. If something changes, there’s a delay or you’re  fully booked, it would take two seconds for someone to open the  presentation, update the information and get it showing on screen.

Technology like this is really easy to setup, and you don't need to run a smart hotel to use it.

Digital Signage Google Slides app on ScreenCloud

3. In-room services for a better guest experience

What do you expect when you turn on the TV in a hotel room? At best,  you might see a “Happy Anniversary Mr & Mr Smith” message, at worst a  simple “Welcome to the hotel” homescreen.

Hotels still using these bland, irrelevant displays are missing a trick. With the rise of cloud-based digital signage solutions every screen in the hotel can be controlled from one central system.

This makes grouping screens  and applying changes to them all simultaneously, super easy. On the  flip side, personalization is far more achievable. For example, wouldn’t  it be more engaging if, on entering your room, you saw a personalized  welcome message, plus the hotel’s Instagram feed, plus the latest  headlines, plus a live dashboard of travel information?

This information is genuinely useful. It could also be tailored  depending on the guest’s purpose. Staying for business? Show travel  information, the hotel’s conference and business facilities and the  latest world headlines. Arriving for pleasure? Why not list the nearest  restaurants, the hotel bar opening times and a list of Yelp reviews from  recent hotel guests.

In-room services should be tailored and above all, interesting, if you don’t want guests to turn the TV straight off.

The idea of the concierge service in hotels is that you have any  information you may need at your fingertips. But the concierge is only  human (at the moment any way). As much as they swot up, you could still  ask something that throws them. When you introduce a digital screen,  both the concierge and the guest, have the information they need at  their fingertips.

It also means that the right person is on hand at all times to answer  questions. The hotelier doesn’t have to worry about break times, or  having a concierge with specific expertise because the digital screen  has it all.

Many hotels and resorts offer a range of services, from a choice of bars and restaurants to spas, children's playrooms and entertainment venues. For your newly arrived guest, making sense of it all can be overwhelming - especially if they're at the end of a long journey.

Hotels try to make it easier with signs, but the rise of digital signage for wayfinding can make the entire experience much more seamless.

One central screen can display all of your services, with schedules for events, or real time display notifications for maintenance. 

Screens can also highlight locations of your services. A great example might be a screen for your main restaurant, showing opening times and a QR code for booking a table. Or you might also have a screen by your beauty spa highlighting treatments, prices and special offers.

And of course theres also the option of displaying a map to make it much easier for guests to get around and discover all that you have to offer!

By their very nature, hotels are part of the travel experience. And if you've ever found yourself in a hotel in a strange city, you will likely have wondered how easy it is to get to that big tourist attraction, or if there is a bus that goes to the nearest beach.

As hoteliers, you can make it easy for guests to venture out and discover local sights with digital signage.

Sharing real time travel updates or transit connections on digital signage screens can make a huge difference to the guest experience.

Stream live arrivals at the local metro, bus or train stations; display local traffic info; or simply highlight local attractions and the time it takes to walk to them.

Our own Transport app is great for displaying local public transportation options. Airport hotels might also want to display flight information using our Flight Schedules app. 

If you're setting up hotel digital signage then adding in travel information is a simple and very useful step for your guests.

Read More: Transportation digital signage

7. Emergency notices with digital signage solutions

Digital signage is a great emergency response tool, using an automated system to display local alerts. This can be especially useful in the case of adverse weather or breaking news issues which might affect your guests. 

Our Emergency Alerts app is designed to send out announcements as part of an existing Mass Alert Platform. This is triggered by a common alert protocol (CAP) and can also display useful information such as evacuation orders.   

With emergency alert digital signage, text displays can be combined with audio, to reach even those with  limited sight or hearing ability. Notices can be prepared in advance (for example, in anticipation of adverse weather), automated by the CAP or content can be launched in minutes using our Quick Post app. 

Hotels and resorts are in a unique position, playing host to hundreds or thousands of out-of-town visitors every year. This means that visitors are often looking for local services, the best restaurants, tours or event tickets - and they'll often ask hotel staff for help.

Digital signage offers a powerful way to display content from local partners such as:

There are several ways to present promotional content on your digital signage.

One method is to have specific screen, or screens, setup with the purpose or promoting these services. This would cycle through the content on a loop with the option to change screens or schedule content at specific times if needed.

Another way would be to have a 'zone' on your signage displaying the promotional content. For example, you might have a screen which displays animation schedules, but with a box advertising a local company.

You could also include a promotional slide (or slides) as part of your hotel information slideshow - for example displayed as part of your in-room welcome digital signage.  

We've all seen (and probably shared) Instagram or TikTok holiday shots. Why not use those to the advantage of your hotel business?

Social media walls are often used at events, in conjunction with a branded hashtag, to showcase all the fun that people are having. You can use this to share guest pictures on your in-hotel digital signage and, of course, to add to your hotel socials.

A great way to build more of an online buzz and show off your hotels best features online.

Instagram for Business: Our native Instagram integration which pulls content from your Instagram account.

Walls.io: A popular subscription based social media aggregator which can display content from various social media platforms.

Strea.ma: Our own social media wall app for Instagram, Facebook and Twitter(X).

Facebook Business Feed: An easy way to share content from your latest Facebook posts.

All of these apps are easy to use and give you the ability to curate content from socials to display on your hotel digital signage. 

Everyone knows that the hospitality world thrives on good reviews - especially guest reviews from hotel review sites. And hospitality digital signage offers a double pronged benefit.

For one, you can display your reviews on your signage, with our TrustPilot and Google Reviews apps giving you the option to show your latest and best five star feedback.

But these apps can also be used to encourage guests to leave their own feedback. 

Our TripAdvisor app includes a QR code for guests to scan and leave their reviews easily.

Many hotels offer additional services that might need reserving - whether thats a spa treatment, dance classes by the pool, or even a day trip. With digital signage you can easily display the schedule and a quick link to the booking page using a QR code.

One study found that diners in restaurants tend to book on the day - and we think that also applies to events. Especially those in hotels.

So make it easy to both see what is happening and to book in by using hotel digital signage. 

The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas recently installed eight floor-to  ceiling video walls that played a stream of mirrored videos, giving the  illusion of a much bigger space. This content is also paired with  photography and film from local artists, that tell stories and most  importantly, get all eyes on the screen.

While digital screens are great at providing information, we shouldn’t ignore their role as flexible art displays.

In healthcare, digital wall art is being used to inspire better health  and reduce nerves. Within a bar area, restaurant or ambient space,  screens are a great way to create a specific look and feel that will set  the scene for guests. Their flexible nature means you can create  seasonal displays, turn your walls into a specific setting depending on who is in the hotel at that time or change the look and feel of your  space as often as you like.

Check out our guide to setting up hotel digital signage.

Many hotels (and other businesses for that matter) stream live news to their guests. And while this is often seen as the best use of screens in public spaces, not everyone wants to be greeted by rolling news coverage.

This is where digital signage opens up a massive realm of possibilities. Connect to your choice of live broadcasts from a variety of sources, whether thats webcam footage of your locality, or specialist streaming news.

Webcam footage from the mountain in a ski resort

Connecting to NASA TV or National Geographic in a family holiday resort

Displaying highlights from curated channels during a sporting event

What are the best ways to use hotel digital signage right now? We look at some common and unique ways to improve the guest experience with digital signage.

Easy ways to get digital signage going in your hotel.

14 Uses for Hotel Digital Signage Right Now

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14 Uses for Hotel Digital Signage Right Now

14 Uses for Hotel Digital Signage Right Now

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