How to Promote Local Attractions in Your Hotel (and Why It Matters)

There are multiple reasons why someone might choose to stay in your particular hotel:

• They’re on holiday
• They’re on a business trip
• They need a place to stop over en-route to another destination

For all of these guest types (but especially holidaymakers), being able to tap into their host’s knowledge into the best places to eat, hidden gems, and local landmarks is such a useful tool.

In this guide, we’ll explore how to effectively use POS displays tools to promote local attractions and why it matters.

What are the benefits of promoting local attractions to my business?

Highlighting local businesses and experiences helps guests see your hotel as more than just accommodation, and could cement an ongoing relationship that boosts your revenue in the long run!

Enhancing guest experience

Guests remember hotels that help them make the most of their trip. Instead of simply seeing your hotel as a bed for the night, providing them with insightful local recommendations means you can be seen as a helpful insider.

That increased trust in your business often translates into repeat stays and glowing reviews, which in turn can boost overall booking rates.

Building community relationships

Partnering with nearby attractions or restaurants strengthens your connection to the local community. These partnerships can lead to mutual promotions that benefit both businesses.

For example, if you promote a show at your local theatre, perhaps the theatre can add your hotel to a list of recommended accommodation for their travelling customers and performers.

Driving ancillary revenue

Hotels can often earn commissions or referral fees for promoting local tours and activities. Even if this isn’t the case, if your guests enjoy the local experiences you have recommended, then they may stay longer, dine in your restaurant, or upgrade their room.

This all contributes to higher overall revenue. If guests feel like they've had an outstanding experience, they will also be more likely to recommend your hotel to friends and family - boosting revenue further.

How to identify and partner with the right local attractions

You need to make sure that the attractions and local businesses that you partner with align with your guests’ interests. For example, if your hotel is located in a summer tourist hotspot, such as Brighton or Blackpool, it is likely that a large part of your customer base will be families. Therefore, you would be smart to partner with family-friendly attractions such as theme parks and aquariums.

If your hotel is located in the business district of a city, such as Canary Wharf, it is more likely that your customers are going to be businesspeople, who may prefer cultural or culinary tours.

When reaching out to potential partners make sure to:

• Propose exclusive offers or discounts for your guests.
• Establish mutual promotion agreements. Offer to feature their brochures in your lobby, if they include your hotel in their guest materials.
• Look for opportunities to produce signage or digital promotions that highlight both of your brands.

How to turn your hotel into a local information hub

Empower your staff

It is important that your front desk staff are all on the same page and have been trained to be knowledgeable about local experiences. Authentic advice will be more trusted than over rehearsed pitches, so encourage staff that are living in the local area to share their genuine recommendations.

Use promotional tools

Visual communication plays a powerful role in guiding guest decisions. Using POS displays, such as literature stands and digital signage, are great at subtly influencing guest decisions.

Top 3 POS display ideas to boost guest engagement:

Effective signage and literature can turn a guest’s casual curiosity into an immediate booking or referral. It’s a simple, often underused strategy that transforms your hotel from a place to stay into a trusted part of the destination experience.

1. Interactive digital displays

Using digital totems, screens or tablet stands in your lobby is an eye-catching way to showcase nearby attractions, as well as other useful local information such as weather updates and transport timetables. You could include QR codes to make it even easier for guests to book tickets!

2. Tabletop signs

Place small, branded tabletop displays in your lobby, café and breakfast areas featuring local favorites, such as top-rated restaurants and scenic local walking routes.

3. In-room brochures

Provide curated recommendations within welcome leaflets in guests’ rooms that they can browse at their own leisure. You could list local attractions under a simple message of ‘Discover more during your stay’ and include QR links to partner offers and encouragements to speak with your concierge. Display alongside other useful information such as numbers of local taxi firms and locations of the nearest supermarket.

How can I measure the success of my local partnerships?

Partnering with other local businesses is only effective if it delivers measurable results. There are a couple of ways you can measure the success of your efforts:

• Track engagement through QR code scans, referral codes, or booking statistics.
• Ask guests to fill in a survey, which can reveal how many actually tried your recommendations, and how it impacted their satisfaction. You could even ask guests which type of business or attraction they would be interested in hearing about in future.

You can use these results to refine which business partnerships and displays deliver the best returns.