Five hotels from all over Greece give us smart signage ideas that can lead to an enhanced guest experience in a direct and highly creative way.
Hotel signage has always been a decisive factor not only for the upgrade of the properties’ operation, but also for the increase of their customers’ satisfaction during their stay. In both large and small accommodation types, proper signage helps travelers orient themselves, not only in relation to their room, but also in relation to basic accommodation facilities such as restaurants, Spa, swimming pools, etc. Evidently, such easy navigation within the hotel’s grounds can lead to increased in-hotel sales from these divisions, supporting the hotel's upselling strategy.
The designation of a hotel's signage is directly influenced by the overall Hotel Concept as well as its Design aesthetics. Ideally, the design of the signage should be decided in collaboration with the Interior Designer, in order for the result to be aesthetically compatible with the entire hotel style and ambiance. Apart from the proper design, the process of signage specification is also a necessary step, as it is during this phase that the materials, the way of installation, but mainly the location of each signboard, depending on the purpose we want it to serve, are decided.
In this article, we have collected five unique hotels from Greece, whose signage has turned into a real case study. Through these examples, it becomes clear how the right signage specification can lead to the optimum outcome, while the resulting ideas can be an important source of inspiration for hoteliers who want to specifically upgrade this part of their business.
Signage Design that is fully harmonized with the hotel’s surrounding space and aesthetics
The ideal experience of staying in a hotel should be utterly peaceful and comfortable, making the guests relax and have a good time without burdening themselves with anything unnecessary. In this context, the appropriate hotel signage plays a crucial role in allowing travellers to 'find' their way inside the property easily and quickly, and, most importantly, without having to go through the process of searching for what they want to find.
Beyond the functional part, however, aligning the signage with the rest of the hotel is equally important as it allows visitors to perceive it as a part of the surrounding space and not as something that serves only to inform them. The inscriptions should be a natural continuation of the design, which complements the aesthetics of the hotel and provides useful and necessary information to the travellers.
‣ Hotel Case: Serenissima Boutique Hotel & Spa, Chania
Using semi-transparent signboards and a modern and simple font, the Serenissima Boutique Hotel & Spa utilizes the color of its walls to highlight its signs. Instead of choosing a colored background, the hotel preferred to let the transparent surfaces 'color' the signboards, thus incorporating them into its overall design in the most harmonious way.
Semi-transparent signs are also a particularly safe option, as in a future refurbishment of the hotel (including changing the color of the walls), they will 'adapt' to the new aesthetics, without requiring additional investment expenses from the hotelier.
The hotel logo as a key design element for the signboards
Branding should 'follow' the hotel in all facets of its presence — from its online placement to its documents and its signage. A strong branding helps travellers identify themselves more easily with the hotel, while providing visual stimuli, which help them recognize it immediately, even after departure.
In addition to the aforementioned identification potential of the existing customers, a dynamic incorporation of the hotel branding into the accommodation's signage also helps to reinforce its overall identity. For example, a highlighted point with the hotel's logo can be a special Instagram spot, in front of which customers will be photographed, while advertising your hotel "for free" through their social media.
‣ Hotel Case: Summer Senses Resort, Paros
At Summer Senses Resort, all signboards are designed to include the central logo of the hotel in their graphic design. The same logo is repeated in various places within the accommodation, for example on the glass doors, while the impressive construction on the reception wall attracts the visitors’ attention from the first moments of their arrival.
The power of simplicity translates to impressive signboards with minimal design
In addition to being functional and beautiful, hotel signage does not need to be complex. Although the trend of minimal design is no longer so popular, simplicity, in some cases, still works positively and serves its purposes optimally.
A signboard with many letters, colors, patterns, and symbols can be eye-catching and impressive, but can often confuse a visitor looking for easy information or worse, fail to get the message across. Depending on the hotel’s concept and aesthetics, the interior designer should develop the most efficient signboards, which will be both beautiful and functional.
‣ Hotel Case: Istoria Hotel, Santorini
To keep up with its overall aesthetics, the Istoria Hotel Santorini chose to use a dark gray background, highlighting the message in legible, white fonts. This choice is, of course, in harmony with the overall design concept of the accommodation and seems to be a decorating element, while fulfilling its most important purpose, which is to inform and guide the customer around the premises.
The importance of signage in hotels with special space planning and layout
In many areas of Greece, especially in smaller islands or mountainous areas, accommodations are developed in accordance with the natural space planning, while the construction of their facilities often follows the natural slope of the ground. In these cases, proper signage is not only necessary, but it should also be much denser, taking into consideration all the possible paths travellers can take.
At the same time, as in most similar cases the signboards are placed outdoors, special study should be done to make their fonts and messages readable in daylight, especially in areas with intense sunlight. At the same, time, smart lighting methods should be used during the night, which will not disturb neither the destination’s overall aesthetics nor the visitors’ experience.
‣ Hotel Case: Cliff Side Suites, Santorini
An example of a destination with hotels that are bound to follow the natural landscape is, of course, Santorini. Here, the Cliff Side Suites in Firostefani has managed to seamlessly integrate its signage into the surrounding environment, whilst showing the way to travellers trying to reach it through the village's straits. Taking advantage of the shiny white walls of the accommodation, as well as the fact that most exterior surfaces of the buildings are irregular, signage consists of individual black letters, which are placed directly on the wall surface.
The exterior signage on a hotel’s facade signifies the 'threshold' of the accommodation
The hotel's central signboard, (usually) on the facade of the building or resort, is considered one of the most important signage pieces, not only because it makes the property easily detectable from the road, but also because it signifies its central entrance, welcoming travellers who have just arrived and triggering their first — positive — feelings.
At the same time, we must not forget that besides signage on the facade and inside the accommodation, it is also necessary to place signboards outside, which will indicate the hotel’s entrance — especially in hotels that are not directly visible from or tangent to the road. Moreover, if the hotel is in a remote or isolated area, it is necessary to place signage along the route to the property grounds (always, of course, after obtaining the relevant permission by the local authorities).
‣ Hotel Case: Euphoria Resort, Chania
Euphoria Resort is a large resort in Kolymvari, Chania, the central signage of which adjoins the main road. Utilizing its distinctive logo, the hotel manages to be instantly recognizable by travellers trying to reach it, even from a distance.
Conclusion
Through these five hotel examples, it becomes clear that proper signage study is absolutely essential for any modern hotel, regardless of its size or location. Even for the most obvious signage applications, such as facade signs or hotel room numbering, the appropriate design and specification ensures a result that is fully in line with the concept, the design, and the overall aesthetics of the hotel.
For a specialized signage study for your hotel, you can see the relevant bratti services here, or contact our representatives directly at info@bratti.eu or by filling in the contact form.
The article on hotel signage ideas was developed by Hotelier Academy in collaboration with bratti.