The reopening of the hospitality sector is a golden opportunity for hotels to rethink how they should invest to stay competitive in the market for years to come. After labor shortages and evolving safety protocols set the industry back last year, a main theme among hoteliers now is “how do we get guests to come back?”
Research across industries shows that outdoor digital signage can help with just that. The addition of one on-premise sign results in, on average, a 4.75 percent increase in annual sales for businesses, which makes outdoor LED signage an attractive and profitable strategy for hotels.
Attract passersby, who become new customers
Outdoor LED signage has the potential to boost hotel revenue. Sixty-three percent of people say that digital signage catches their attention. Once you have their attention, you can entice consumers with messages of free Wi-Fi, complimentary breakfast, plentiful parking, discounted nightly rates or seasonal partnerships with local restaurants and wineries.
This outdoor LED signage can also communicate relevant messaging about the hotel’s cleaning standards and protocols to keep guests safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. The benefits of digital signage is that hotels can adjust and push timely content quickly. It opens a new world of internal promotional possibilities, increasing revenue in the moment and opening future revenue opportunities.
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For small venues, including boutique and family-owned hotels, LED displays have long been thought of as an unattainable luxury. But outdoor LED signage is now more accessible and affordable than ever, and the technology is scalable to suit businesses of any size, says Shawn O’Connell, director and head of hospitality for Samsung Display.
Many small hotels are finding that a blend of traditional static signage and outdoor LED signage is ideal. They can modernize their hotel’s exterior with video displays and maintain their brand with a static logo sign.
Connect guests with local businesses
Adding a new revenue stream is a clear way for hotels to increase the ROI of hotel digital signage.
With an outdoor LED sign, hotels can sell ad space to local restaurants and bars, retailers, museums and other local attractions. This takes it a step above placing brochures for local services and products in the hotel lobby.
Digital signage on the hotel premises opens up the option for programmatic advertising, which is the automated process of buying and selling ad space. Hotels can either manage ad sales on their own or hire another company to do it.
Create consistent messaging, from anywhere
A common struggle for hospitality brand operators is maintaining consistent messaging across different locations. With hundreds or even thousands of local franchisees in the mix, this can be a huge undertaking — but a reliable content management system (CMS) can streamline the process.
“Hotels that focus on the hardware but underestimate the importance of the CMS miss out on the full benefits of digital displays,” O’Connell says. “The network and CMS are equally important parts of the solution, and must work in harmony with the hardware to maximize efficiency.”
Currently, it’s standard to use a separate CMS for the guest room, bar, concierge and outdoor signage. This fragmented approach makes it difficult to communicate to guests and push content simultaneously to all the end points, and it doesn’t result in an engaging experience for the guest. They often aren’t aware of the messaging that would be valuable to them.
Samsung’s proprietary MagicINFO CMS empowers operators to create content quickly and easily, then push it to devices instantly — even across thousands of locations.
With dashboard analytics, operators can remotely view and manage on-screen content and check the health of their displays. Content can also be scheduled in advance to ensure all locations present the same promotions and amenities in a timely manner.
Travelers are eager to resume their adventures, and they’ll expect brands to deliver many memorable moments. Outdoor LED signage lets hoteliers do more with less, creating the unique, unified and convenient guest experience that consumers are looking for.
To help ensure a successful display rollout, learn how to configure and tailor real-time messaging using an integrated CMS — like Samsung MagicINFO — with this complete guide. And see what kind of signage best suits your needs by browsing Samsung’s versatile range of innovative hospitality displays.
