Why Traditional Guest Books Are Holding Your Hotel Back (and What to Use Instead)
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4min read
In hotels, a guest directory is traditionally a printed in-room reference that helps guests quickly understand available facilities, local places/services and important hotel information.
While these points of reference have been quick and easy for guests, this traditional printed approach still has problems to this day.
Problem 1 - Outdated Information
Printed hotel compendiums are notorious for being out of date, due to the lengthy time and substantial cost to do simple updates.
When it takes a few minutes to replace the corresponding sheets in each guest room, managers and staff feel inclined to delay this process until there are several updates to distribute.
These delayed updates can confuse guests in the interim, if certain details have changed such as the Wi-Fi password, a new policy or any inflated price on your restaurant menus.
Not only may it take several months or even years to reach this stage, but it disrupts the seamless guest experience that all guests expect, regardless of when they're staying at your property.
For costs, changing details in each room manually requires a great deal of staff time and effort, which can be better spent towards all types of requests from your guests that cannot be streamlined.
There is also the cost for printer ink and paper which quickly adds up with multiple page updates per room.
Problem 2 – Limited Accessibility
There are 3 different types of accessibility issues that a printed hotel guest book has never been able to address:
Only Access in Guest Rooms: Since printed guest books are only available in each guest room, there is no way for guests to access the details before check-in or outside of their rooms during their stay.
Guests may struggle to pack appropriately or plan nearby outings.
Limited To One Compendium Per Room: Families planning daily activities often have to share a single compendium, which slows planning and reduces time spent enjoying their stay.
Vision Impaired Guests: Guests that need larger text sizes to be more legible for them to read, are not catered for with printed material, as they are only printed in a single font size.
Not Catering for International Guests: With the time and cost to print compendiums in English only, doing the same for multiple other languages would be both time and price prohibitive.
Problem 3 – Hygiene & Sustainability
Cleanliness expectations have increased since the global pandemic, requiring printed compendiums to be cleaned after every guest stay, adding extra time and effort for already time-constrained cleaning staff.
Problem 4 – Lost Upsell Opportunities
Printed directories are static and offer limited upsell opportunities, with no easy way to support seasonal updates, short-term partner promotions, or in-room dining to grow RevPAR.
Problem 5 – Lacking Usage Analytics
Because paper and leather folders are standalone, guest usage analytics—such as which details or sections are most accessed—cannot be collected.
The Solution
Hinfo is the leading digital guest compendium, accessible via your guests own mobile devices and is the modern upgrade, to address all of these problems, along with creating new opportunities.
There are several key benefits by upgrading with Hinfo:
- Deliver Unlimited Information Updates to All Guests in All Rooms Instantly
- Individual Mobile Guest Access
- Guest Access Anywhere, Anytime
- Improved Personalization to Complement Your Branding
- Guest to Staff Messaging
- Keyword Search for Guests to Find Details Faster
- Integrate your own F&B ordering service
- Interactive buttons for viewing menus, webpages, calling locations and getting directions.
- Deliver Details to Guests to Access Offline (via Mobile App)
- Time and Cost Savings with our affordable service
- And many more benefits.
More importantly, how does Hinfo address each of the problems above?
Problem 1 - Outdated Information
- Hinfo lets you update information anytime at no extra cost.
- Updates are quick and easy through the online Hinfo CMS (Content Management System).
- All guests receive updates instantly, no staff distribution needed.
- No more printing is required for updated room information.
Problem 2 – Limited Accessibility
- Guests can access Hinfo anytime, even before check-in or while exploring locally.
- Each guest has individual access on their own device.
- The app adjusts font size to each guest's device preferences.
- Supports 18 languages with an affordable Auto Translate option.
Problem 3 – Hygiene & Sustainability
- Hinfo is fully contactless, using guests' own devices.
- No in-room tangible compendiums need cleaning, saving staff time.
Problem 4 – Lost Upsell Opportunities
- Properties can use their own mobile food ordering within Hinfo or the built-in zero-commission system.
- Guests can request items and services on demand, such as spa bookings.
- Managers can instantly notify all guests, wherever they are at the time, to promote specials and boost bookings.
Problem 5 – Lacking Usage Analytics
- Hinfo tracks how guests use the service.
- Analytics show which sections and features are used, like local attraction websites.
- All data is anonymous, keeping guest privacy intact.
Implementation Tips
Upgrading to our mobile digital solution is simple, with express setup options available.
After contacting our team, we'll create a Hinfo CMS account for your property or vacation rental group, allowing you to start adding property and local area details.
To save time, you can send us your existing property documents and lists of local places/services. Our staff can enter all the details for you.
In conclusion, Hinfo solves the key issues that traditional in-room guest books cannot and provides your hotel with a full digital transformation.
To access our demo or beginner's guide at your convenience, submit an enquiry below.
Date of Publishing: 27th January 2026
