Given the right equipment and content strategy, digital signage networks can build customer loyalty, increase revenue streams and enhance a hotel’s image.
By David Wilkins
Digital signage networks provide hotels with the opportunity to build customer loyalty, increase revenue streams and enhance their image by embracing the latest technology. As a result, more and more high-quality hotels around the world are keeping their guests feeling welcome, on track and well-informed by implementing digital signage systems.
Digital signage networks allow guests to access information about scheduled events, facilities, concierge services, amenities, airline arrivals/departures and much more. The relevance of the information can be increased with interactive digital signage.
 |
| Interactive touch-screen wayfinding systems can help guests easily locate conference rooms and hotel amenities, adding to their sense of well-being. |
For example, a conferee attempting to navigate an unfamiliar hotel encounters a touch-screen. With a simple tap of the organization’s name, which appears on the continually updated menu, the digital sign responds with a timely list of sessions and an easy-to-read 3-D wayfinder map highlighting the route from here to there.
The ability to run promotions and ads on the screens provides the hotel with a new revenue stream. Facilities within the hotel, as well as local businesses and nearby attractions, can be promoted on the digital screens.
There are several factors that need to be considered when choosing a digital signage solution. It is important to choose a digital signage platform that displays content at top quality. The content itself must be eye catching with a keen sense of design to attract, engage, and retain viewers.
But how will this content be updated? Solutions should allow even non-technical staff to update content quickly and easily so that the programming and data is always fresh and relevant to visitors. An effective digital signage system should be easy to manage and allow multiple users to perform real time updates with ease.
When selecting the best package, it is critical to look at ways to simplify the content updating process. Integrating live data feeds such as weather conditions, news, RSS feeds and flight arrival/departure data will allow screens to be updated automatically. In addition, integration with various other sources, such as Microsoft Outlook or hospitality management sales and catering solutions like Newmarket International’s Delphi, allows data to automatically be sent and displayed on screens.
These tools eliminate the need for employees to manage scheduling, freeing up more time for other tasks as well as improving operations and lowering costs by eliminating rekeying information — event details, meeting room updates and other announcements — while ensuring that the information posted to the digital screens is accurate.
Like marble floors or a mint on the pillow, attractive digital signage represents an amenity that adds a touch of class to a hotel. Unlike the marble or mint, however, the extremely functional signs actually increase a guest’s sense of well-being, thus stimulating customer loyalty.
David Wilkins is president and CEO of X2O Media, a Montréal-based provider of end-to-end solutions for digital signage and recipient of a Digital Signage Expo (DSE) 2010 Content Award for Best Information Content - Interactive for its customizable 3D hotel wayfinding solution developed in partnership with PSAV. Wilkins led a how-to discussion on proven strategies for effective digital signage deployment in hotels, including choosing the right equipment and developing the appropriate content strategy, as part of the DSE 2010 Lunch & Learn educational program.