Picture it: Your hotel compendium binder is open on the coffee table. A guest thumbs through it with their morning coffee. It’s a peaceful scene — until the mug is accidentally knocked over. While not enough coffee spills to create a mess, a splash lands on the first page of the binder, seeping through and staining the rest.
And just like that, another compendium needs to be replaced.
This scene isn’t unusual — in fact, it plays out in countless hotel rooms on a daily basis! That’s why we’re here to tell you about digital hotel compendiums, a digital hub for hotel guests. With a digital compendium, you can replace in-room binders with a modern solution that lasts.
A digital hotel compendium does everything an in-room binder can do, just better! Offering a tech-forward alternative to paper guidebooks, a digital compendium gives you a place to put all the information about your property — no printer ink required.
Guests simply scan a QR code or click a link to visit the compendium from their phone. No app download required! From checkout times to details about your hotel’s history, guests can easily get all of your property’s highlights at their fingertips. And, because it’s so customizable, you can lay out all the information exactly as you like while elevating your brand and saving yourself time.
Not only is this convenient for you as a hotelier, but digital guest services like these are increasingly what guests expect. In an Oracle survey, they found a whopping 73% of guests are more likely to stay at a hotel with self-service technology. That’s a huge slice of the market share that would likely love to see a digital compendium in their room.
Whether you’re transitioning from paper to digital or you haven’t historically offered a compendium at all, it’s good to remember just how useful they can be. Think of it as a one-stop-shop for everything your guests might need.
In your compendium, you can house any and all features of your hotel, including:
Even old-fashioned paper compendiums can do a great service to your guests, but going digital amps up the capabilities and makes in-room resources easier to manage. Here’s how:
Hoteliers know that the “time is money” adage rings especially true. Creating paper compendiums takes time, but also printing, distributing and maintenance can really add up (even for boutique properties!). With a digital compendium, you can get set up in minutes, distribute instantly and stop worrying about booklet maintenance. Plus, you can take that printer paper off your weekly supplies order!
Speaking of paper, traditional compendiums can use a lot of it. If you have a large number of rooms or a lot of information to share (or both!), the volume of pages you have to print and reprint over the course of a week can add up fast. Going digital eliminates this paper waste immediately, boosting your sustainability alongside your efficiency.
Add-ons and upgrades are a great source of ancillary revenue for hotels, but guests can only purchase what they know about. The digital compendium gives you a place to house upsells and promotional offers alongside the information about the service. For example, if your hotel offers a spa, you can include a link to book a massage alongside information about the hours of operation. Or, for limited service hotels, guests can book late checkouts right from their phones — and since upsells from digital compendium can be charged right to a guest’s reservation, it’s never been easier to tally up the total at the end.
Communicating with international guests has never been easier. A digital compendium can be automatically translated into hundreds of languages in an instant. This way, you can be sure that every guest receives the same personalized experience, even if their native language is different from yours.
Digital compendiums provide a prime opportunity to show off your brand and share what makes your property unique. By adding photos, brand colors and more, you can promote everything you have to offer guests in a visually appealing way. Plus, you can include links to other existing collateral, such as the history of your property or videos about what makes your hotel unique.
Traditionally, an update to your hotel’s information or new local attraction would require an entire update and reprint of your paper booklet. With a digital compendium, you can make these changes in seconds, meaning up-to-date information is just a QR code scan away. Guests always get the most up-to-date information and you never have to worry about any discrepancies between new and old editions of your binder.
We saved the most important one for last! Every aspect of a digital compendium works to enhance the guest experience. Keeping guests informed is a vital part of creating a great experience, being able to access information from their device is a boost to convenience and seeing everything the property has to offer at a glance guarantees that they can get the most out of their stay.
You’ve decided it’s time to switch to a digital compendium — hooray! So, where does one begin? Here’s how the implementation process works:
Choose your software
The first step is finding a hotel digital compendium provider that suits your needs. A good digital compendium should be user friendly for both you and your guests and have the capability to store every piece of information you’d like to share. Additionally, you may want to look for a solution that gives you the ability to implement other guest management features such as upselling, guest messaging and more.
Plan your content
Because you’re not limited to a physical booklet, the possibilities are endless! Now that you’ve chosen your software, you can begin to think through the content you’d like to include. Of course you’ll include the basics, like amenities and operating hours, but going digital gives you the chance to go further. Examples can include high-resolution images to add visual appeal, such as photos of your restaurant’s dishes or of guests enjoying their added-on poolside service.
Build your (virtual) book
Now for the fun part! Building out your digital compendium gives you the chance to amplify your branding and create a beautiful resource for every guest that stays with you. An interactive interface makes it easy to drag, drop and rearrange modules so you share your information, your way.
Start the rollout
Finally, it’s time to begin rolling out this new feature! Give staff a training session so they know what to expect, then begin your launch plan. QR codes in the room are one of the most popular ways to introduce the concept, but you can also use guest messaging to send travelers the link at check-in.
We vote yes! Investing in a tech-forward guest experience is one of the most notable trends in hospitality right now, and guests are driving this change.
Savvy hoteliers are evolving to meet this demand, and digitizing compendiums is a great way to participate. The guest experience is one of the most important ways that the hospitality industry is evolving, and implementing a modern solution like a digital compendium showcases that your brand is ahead of the curve.
You can use Canary’s Digital Compendium to communicate with travelers in the exact way they prefer — and cut down your costs, too. See it in action by booking a free demo today!
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