Why Digital Signage Is Essential to Hospitality

Please speak to the benefits of digital signage for hospitality brands. (We’re interested in both customer-facing signage and workforce/operations. Feel free to address signage for restaurants or hotels or both.)

As travelers and guests continue to flow into restaurants, bars, hotels, casinos and cruise ships, the hospitality industry is increasingly experimenting with new digital display technologies that can be woven into architecture and interior design plans to offer unique, memorable spaces and experiences, as well as provide a new advertising medium to generate revenue.

These opportunities abound for property owners of all types, with various sizes of DVLED displays lighting up bars and cruise ship patios and ultrawide displays bringing previously unused wall space to life.

DVLED – direct-view light-emitting diode – displays are not the same as the LCD or LED TVs commonly found in homes, hotel rooms, bars and virtually everywhere else. With no solid glass front, no bezel border and virtually no limitations on size, shape or even curvature, DVLED displays are creating new opportunities to integrate show-stopping visuals in all spaces. 

Each pixel in a DVLED display is its own light emitting diode, which has led to incredible gains in brightness, color consistency and true blacks thanks to the ability to control or turn off each diode individually. 

With models designed for interior and exterior use, there’s virtually no location a DVLED display can’t fit. It can be an ideal solution for pool-side entertainment, movie theaters, lobby welcome boards, digital artwork installations, stage production backdrops, picture-perfect sports bars and so much more. 

Plus, advanced content systems can increase the utility of larger displays by offering split-window options to turn a single display into a multi display feature wall, all with no bezels or differences in brightness or color. 

How can upgraded IT solutions such as monitors and cloud-based platforms enhance operations?

Up-to-date IT solutions are critical to any operation, especially hospitality venues who rely on the technology to manage several moving parts. If a hospitality enterprise can get the right information to the right people at the right time, the organization will be equipped to make informed decisions. More informed decisions often result in a smarter, agile and efficient enterprise. 

The cloud facilitates improved enterprise communications, while monitors and advanced operating systems allow hospitality businesses to capitalize on the cloud more cost-efficiently and securely than previously imaginable.

Robust IT solutions are not only necessary for hotel staff, but also for guests. Both leisure guests and business travelers increasingly use high-end IT solutions at their homes and workplaces, so it has become increasingly important for hotels to meet guests’ expectations through premium monitors and displays with smart conferencing capabilities and convenient business-focused spaces.

Please speak to the benefits of intelligent robots for the customer experience and improving workforce efficiency.

Using robots such as the LG CLOi ServeBot, hotels and restaurants can reduce their food delivery times and even increase purchases or upselling by freeing workers to spend more time on guest interactions and less time moving dishes or drinks from point A to point B. Items delivered by robots must be loaded and unloaded by a human worker, so customer interaction is still likely and servers can dedicate greater focus to questions or additional orders without the burden of armfuls of hot dishes. 

Furthermore, “tour guide robots” like the LG CLOi GuideBot can greet, inform and entertain customers in a variety of settings and situations, tackling complex user interactions like answering voice questions, accompanying guests to their destination, and displaying visual information about facilities and services.

The flexible nature of these robots provide many advantages for hotel operators looking to create new revenue streams or enhance services. They include an advertisement feature that can be used virtually anywhere the public is present, so hotels can host ads for nearby attractions, or a movie theater can advertise its food and beverage offerings to people waiting in the ticket line. 

Both types of intelligent robots provide guests a futuristic experience that encourages repeat visits and word-of-mouth promotion via social media. 

What are some critical considerations for hospitality brands building new properties — how can they optimize opportunities for digital signage, IT infrastructure, and intelligent robots?

As consumers increasingly adopt advanced technologies in their daily lives, their tech expectations for vacations and commercial experiences are likely to evolve. Hospitality businesses that offer elevated experiences not available elsewhere can keep guests coming back and improve brand recognition. After all, these types of installations essentially promote themselves through guests’ social media posts and word-of-mouth excitement. 

Whether a hospitality business is looking to introduce new revenue streams through advertising, create immersive attractions, build theaters or help guests navigate their property, modern digital display technologies and autonomous robots can provide solutions for every location and desire. When combined with the latest software and content delivery products, hospitality companies can implement automated third-party advertising platforms, expand signage networks and easily manage any number of displays through a single interface. 

Michael Kosla is the Senior Vice President of LG Business Solutions USA. He has been with LG North America for nearly 30 years and headed up LG's lodging business from 2012 to 2023. He previously served as hospitality vice president for LG and a regional hospitality account manager at Zenith before merging with LG.