What is a Digital Compendium?

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Digital compendiums for the accommodation industry, are an interactive technology upgrade to a printed hotel compendium, which contains both concise and detailed information for the many resources, facilities and services available to guests, both on-site and in the local area.

Multiple Guest Access Options

Digital compendiums are commonly accessed by guests via their own smartphones, in addition to any tablets and laptops they also bring to use during their stay.

Offering a digital hotel compendium to your guests that has multiple access options, allows them to use the device type, platform and format of their own choice.

You can offer your guests multiple access options, including:

• Mobile App (exclusive to Hinfo)
• Mobile Website
• Progressive Web App (PWA)

Each of these access options can be promoted to guests in multiple ways, including but not limited too:

• QR Codes on Promotional Material at Reception and/or Guest Rooms
• Booking Confirmation Emails
• Pre-Arrival SMS
• Pre-Arrival Emails
• Guest Wi-Fi Splash Page

The Benefits of Embracing a Digital Compendium

Printed compendiums were the go to solution for decades, but they struggle to hold up in the fast paced digital world we live in today.

Here are several aspects of both printed and digital compendiums and how they are significantly difference.

Aspect	Printed	Digital (Hinfo)
Finding Details	Guests flip through many pages to find what they need.	Quick keyword search and easy navigation by section.
Keeping Up To Date	Hours of manually reprinting and updating in each room.	Instant updates sent to all guests automatically.
Ease of Access	Only available inside each guest room.	Accessible anywhere on guests' smartphones.
Interactive Elements	Limited to text and basic images.	Videos, Maps, Keyword Search, Food Ordering, One-Tap Calling, Web Browsing and Directions.
Property Services	Lists contact information only.	Guest to Staff Messaging, Food and Beverage Ordering, Guest Service Requests, Immediate Notifications etc.
Supporting Multiple Languages	Expensive and time-consuming to translate and implement.	Automatic Translations with minimal time and cost.
Dynamic Font Size	Fixed font size for all readers.	Font adjusts to each guest's preference.
Environmental Impact	Replacements needed often due to wear.	Low energy use on already charged devices.

Upgrading to a digital compendium brings with it multiple major benefits, irrespective of their format or device type used.

1. Easily Accessible and Convenient

Instead of having to carry around a physical printed compendium, guests can simply access your compendium details and on-site services on their own device, at anytime from anywhere, including beyond your guest rooms.

2. Increased Engagement and Interactivity

Digital compendiums should be more than just static text on a TV or website.

Your property can take advantage of images, PDFs and videos in addition to interactive elements like scrolling, pinch to zoom and keyword search.

3. Updating Details Easily

Being a digital upgrade, digital compendiums allow hotel managers to update any number of details, big or small, at any time for all rooms immediately.

This is typically possible via an online account based system, including a CMS (Content Management System) and reduces resources and hours of labour, down to just a few minutes.

Gone are the days of delaying information updates until you have enough to justify the costly and time-consuming exercise.

4. Complement Property Branding

Printed compendiums are limited in the branding they convey to guests, which are typically limited to a property logo and the type of font used.

Digital solutions can include a personalized interface, based on the colours from your property logo and website, to create a consistent experience.

5. Cost Savings

Going digital allows you to eliminate numerous resources previously needed to deliver details in each guest room, in addition to the numerous hours of labour to assemble and deliver traditional solutions.

Digital compendiums do not need to be more expensive than traditional options.

6. Individual Guest Access

Not only do digital solutions reduce your operating costs, but they also allow every single guest to have their own access on each of their own devices.

There is no longer the limitation of waiting your turn or huddling around the single printed compendium.

7. Multilingual Support

Offering your hotel compendium details in multiple languages, allows all of your guests to be informed and independent during their stay.

Be sure to look for solutions with auto language detection on a per guest device basis and also options for seamlessly adding support for any language listed, without the need for manual labour.

8. Eco-Friendly

Traditional compendiums require paper, ink and other materials, in addition to the energy for printing and distributing.

In contrast, digital compendiums do not require any more than a fraction of the battery in your guests already charged smartphones.

9. Keyword Search

Every digital solution today has a built-in keyword search function, with the first well-known option being Google.

Your guests can now find the exact details they are looking for instantly, with no need to spend minutes flipping through numerous pages to find the exact details they're looking for.

10. Guest Usage Analytics

With traditional hotel compendiums, you would have no idea how many guests are actually using them.

Not only are digital solutions more enticing for guests to use, but you will be able to see the exact number of guests using the service and each section individually.

Everything listed above and more contributes to an overall improved guest experience and is all available with our affordable digital hotel compendium, called Hinfo.

Hinfo is the leading guest digital compendium for all property types and sizes. Our service is available to guests via a native mobile app which takes advantage of powerful mobile technologies and is complemented with our web-based offering.

In conclusion, a digital compendium for hotel guests is an digital resource that provides important information for the property and local area they are staying at.

Digital compendiums can be accessed on a range of devices, particularly smartphones, which is not only more eco-friendly to traditional printed compendiums, but is more convenient, interactive and practical for guests.

Date of Publishing: 24th February 2023

Date Last Updated: 8th May 2025

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