How Digital Signage Can Benefit the Hospitality Industry

The hospitality industry is always looking for ways to increase their customers' satisfaction and enhance their experience. After all, it's a highly competitive industry and if you don't keep them happy, chances are that one of your competitors will!

Digital signage is a powerful tool in the pursuit of an elevated customer experience. There are many advantages to using digital signage no matter what part of the hospitality industry your company falls into. Let's look at a few of the best ways digital signage can benefit the hospitality industry.

Whether an intimate boutique hotel, a large ski resort, or an urban downtown location, hotels can use digital signage to provide unique benefits to their guests.

• Provides Simplified Check In and Out

The last thing a weary traveler wants to do at the end of the day is stand at the service desk in line waiting to be able to check into his room. Digital signage software eliminates this issue by empowering the guest to check in, gain access to his room number and key, and go on with his day. Digital signage also effectively manages a stress-free check out. An interactive kiosk shows the total bill and gives them options on paying. Smooth, easy, and seamless are what hotel guest want, and digital signage gives it to them during the beginning and end of their stay.

• Offers Helpful Amenity Information

People generally want to find out about their hotels fast and with little fanfare. Digital signage easily informs guests of important hotel amenities. Pool hours, spa specials, perks like dry cleaning, and scoop on the hotel bar’s happy hour are all things guests want to be able to know about easily. If a digital signage screen is located in an easy-to-view place like inside an elevator or as you walk into the hotel, guests are able to see information they need to know about.

• Updates for the Guests About Real-Time News

There may be location-specific information that’s essential for hotel guest to know about. For example, a Las Vegas casino that offers a roller coaster may need to inform guests if wind gusts are too high to open the ride. Beach resorts may need to let guests know that the tides are too rough to allow swimming. All hotels need to share the local weather forecast and any other real-time data that their guests would find helpful. Digital signage provides a way to share all of this to guests so they can make decisions about their stay.

• Makes Wayfinding Easier

Large, sprawling hotels are easy to get turned around in and little else is more irritating than wandering around aimlessly trying to find the restaurant or pool. Digital signage can supply an interactive map and showcase the main points of interest for guests. Accessing this easily not only lets them know what is offered (like a gift shop or spa that could create more revenue for the hotel), but helps them get where they want to go quickly. Digital signage may also highlight sights and eateries close to the hotel.

Restaurant need to be able to impart information to their patrons and do it in an impactful way. Digital signage gives them the ability to reach their audience in a sophisticated, modern, effective manner and keep their content up-to-date in ways a traditional sign or printed menu can’t.

• Lists Restaurant Menu Options

Attractively presenting menu items can tempt people to order appetizers, desserts, frothy drinks, or more expensive entrees than that had planned. Digital signage can show savory photos of plated food and chef videos, list the specials, and describe the high-quality ingredients that go into the food. Whetting your guests’ appetites while they wait for a table serves to increase the average sale and your profits.

• Displays Raving Reviews

What’s better than five-star reviews from happy customers with full bellies? Nothing! Peppering the other messages on your digital signage screen with quotes from previous diners can encourage people to try dishes they may have not considered otherwise and give them confidence in their decision to spend money at your establishment. You can even offer a small discount to the guests who are willing to write a testimonial and allow you to add it to your display.

• Share Details as They Evolve

Restaurants can get creative with their digital signage content. Instead of static menus and printed signage, there can be a rolling list of daily specials, fresh additions, and new discounts. Did the bartender make up a new drink last night? Add it to the signage! Are you open extended hours in the summer? Advertise it on your display. Are you adding a new deck? Promote it on your signage. The possibilities of how digital signage can inform and entice your guests are endless.

And, finally, COVID-19 is still active and has had a tremendous impact on the hospitality industry. For this reason, perhaps the biggest and most influential benefit of using digital signage in the hospitality industry, is it helps...

Digital signage provides a touch-less, contactless way for guest to still visit hotels and restaurants without requiring extended contact or risk. Instead of standing in line to check in, as mentioned above, digital signage provides an automated solution. Waiting for a table in a restaurant doesn’t require a long line if the person’s name is displayed on the screen when their table is ready. The bottom line is that digital signage is a timely tool to keep your business full of customers by helping them feel safe and maintain social distance.

The hospitality industry must strive to keep their guests happy and satisfied. With the environment being so competitive, hotels and restaurants can't afford to lose customers because of a bad experience. Digital signage can be a significant part of an initiative to keep every guest informed about various pieces of information and help smooth their visit, so it is pleasant and accommodating. The benefits of using digital signage in the hospitality industry could increase your revenue and decrease negative reviews.