HospisHospis
Back·Design

Our signage is unclear and unattractive

Guests ask at the front desk for the spa, the ski room and breakfast. On the walls hang laminated notes, three different typefaces and an arrow that has pointed the wrong way since the renovation.

Typical for: properties with extensions and several levels · operations after a renovation or extension · hotels with many additional areas such as spa, ski room or garage

Documented by Hospis

Updated: 24 September 2026

How you recognize it

  • Walk the main routes as a new guest would: from the garage to the front desk, from the room to the spa, from the ski room to breakfast.
  • Ask the front desk team what guests ask about most often. Each of those questions reveals a gap.
  • Collect every sign and note in the property and remove whatever is outdated or duplicated.
  • Decide which information is needed at which decision point, and limit yourselves to that.
  • Design signs in a typeface, material and colour that suit the house, with readable size and clear contrast.
  • Review the signage after every renovation and every change in opening hours or use.

Matching Hospi

GS

Gerhard F. Salmutter

F&B concept · Bar & beverage concepts · Spatial aesthetics · Vienna
Works with Novatouch · protel · Mews POS
AdviseImplement

Translates the property's identity into wayfinding, typeface and material so that orientation feels effortless.

Mapped to root cause
Thought out from the team's perspectiveThe design doesn't fit the house
View profilePersonally vetted · independent match

Which path fits your situation?

01

Diagnosis

390 € fixed price

A vetted Hospi analyses your situation in a structured way, in conversation and with a written result. Every statement clearly labelled: FACT, BENCHMARK, HYPOTHESIS or CONCLUSION. You get a concrete path, not a sales meeting.

  • A legitimate outcome is also: no engagement needed.
  • If an engagement follows, the diagnosis fee is fully credited.
02

Urgent support

Acute situation? Your case is reviewed with priority, with a response within 48 hours.

Cause fields and how to tell them apart

Signage is rarely planned. It grows with every renovation and every new rule, sign by sign. At some point the guest is looking for the way through a house only the team understands.

These fields are complete, and many properties get there on their own. That is what this page is for. The cost simply does not appear on an invoice: internal hours, a few attempts, and a season that keeps running in the meantime.

01

Grown sign by sign

How you spot it

Every change brought a new sign and the old ones stayed. Some routes are signed twice, others not at all.

The way out

Take down everything that is no longer accurate, once, and rebuild the system from the decision points.

02

Thought out from the team's perspective

How you spot it

Names like Wing B, old building or mezzanine are clear internally and meaningless to guests.

The way out

Name routes from a new guest's point of view: destinations rather than building sections, simple words, in your guests' languages.

03

Notes as a permanent fix

How you spot it

Opening hours, notices and rules hang laminated on doors and walls and partly contradict each other.

The way out

Move changing information into fixed holders or one central place, and keep rules short. Whatever works better digitally belongs in the room information or guest app.

04

The design doesn't fit the house

How you spot it

The signs come from the sign maker's catalogue and look like they belong in an office building.

The way out

Derive typeface, material and colour from the property's identity. Good signage is part of the staging and stays readable at the same time.

Frequently asked

How many signs does a hotel need?
As few as possible, as many as necessary. What matters are the points where guests have to decide: junctions, lift exits, stairwells.
What about emergency exit signage?
It follows its own requirements and is not affected. Coordinate the design with the relevant specialists so the two systems do not get in each other's way.
Does a guest app replace signage?
It complements it. Inside the property, guests find their way by the space around them. The app can take over opening hours and details so less has to go on the walls.

Describe your situation

The problem context is automatically included, you do not need to repeat anything.

Problem
Our signage is unclear and unattractive

Related situations

Guests don’t find their way intuitively

Unclear paths create friction and questions.

View solution

Lobby feels cold and people don’t linger

First room of the journey, and it's emptying every evening.

View solution

Our brand isn’t felt in the space

The experience tells no story.

View solution
See all problems