In the past decade, digital signage in the hotel industry has grown exponentially. Modernizing their facilities and saving time and money by updating frequently changing information has been the primary use of this technology for hotel owners.

The first generation of digital hotel signage was mainly used for daily events notifications and wayfinding, replacing printed signs with digital screens which update easily through a content management system. Several larger hotels have installed interactive touchscreen "wayfinders" to assist guests navigating the property. Additionally, meeting rooms were retrofitted with signage outside for event details and inside as part of the conference space's overall AV system.

Digital Signage 2.0

"While plenty of digital signage is still being installed to inform guests about the hotel and its daily activities, increasingly, digital is being used to elevate the experience – what I'll call hotel digital signage 2.0.", says David Drain of Hotel Management. 

Drain points out some of the latest strategies in his recent article, chief among them being to attract paying customers and curious visitors. Prime examples are the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino's guitar-shaped building in Hollywood, Florida, and Resorts World's LED façade that covers 100,000 square feet of the building's exterior in Las Vegas, providing ambient entertainment, promoting events, and displaying static and moving images.

The hotel digital signage revolution isn't confined to just outside. There is plenty of awesomeness inside hotels as well. One example Drain points to is the Damac Paramount Hotel in Dubai, which features a lobby guests won't soon forget. Various ambient scenes, from ocean waves to cityscapes to floating gears, are displayed on multiple screens in the hotel's lobby by Los Angeles-based StandardVision.

What About Digital Signage 3.0?

Believe it or not, the digital signage bringing the 'wow' factor today will be old hat tomorrow. So what does the future hold for visually immersive experiences in Hotels?

"For years, holograms have been used in the music business so all fans can "see" their heroes perform long after they're gone, but the technology has practical use in the hotel industry, such as for hybrid meetings and the check-in process." Remarks Adam Perkowsky of Hotel Business. 

ARHT Media, a pioneer in holograms for hospitality, is using the technology to create a "holopresence" for events and meetings, where panelists, who may be on the other side of the world, can be in the room interacting with attendees. 

Likewise, Fácil by Arribatec Solutions and Holo Industries have created a holographic check-in kiosk.

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