Guest service and front desk
Digital guest directory
A digital guest directory is the online version of the hotel information folder found in guest rooms: hotel services, opening times, room guides, menus and local recommendations, opened on the guest’s phone or a screen.
1 min read · Updated: September 28, 2026
UK hotels traditionally leave a printed guest directory (or compendium) in each room. It quickly goes out of date, exists in one language and is rarely read. A digital guest directory solves this: the hotel updates it once, guests open it from a QR code, and it can include links to order services or book the spa.
How it works in practice
Example: a 45-room country house hotel in the Cotswolds replaces the leather-bound folders in its rooms with a small card showing a QR code. Guests scan it and see breakfast times, the Wi-Fi password, the spa menu with online booking, walking routes and pub recommendations. When the restaurant changes its hours, the team updates the text once and every room sees the change.
What a good digital directory includes:
- welcome message, Wi-Fi and key times,
- hotel services with the option to order or book,
- house rules and practical information,
- local attractions and partners.
How technology helps
The hotelspot Guest App works as a digital guest directory: it opens in the phone browser from a QR code, with no download or login, in the language of the guest’s phone. The same content is available on the Digital Pod screen in the lobby.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a digital guest directory?
- It is the digital version of the in-room hotel information folder, opened on the guest’s phone or a screen, often with options to order services.
- Do guests need to download an app?
- Not with a browser-based directory: guests scan a QR code and it opens straight away in the phone browser.
