It’s no secret that, on vacation, most people don’t want to do any work at all.  They want to relax, take it easy, and be entertained.  The last thing you want to do at your resort is to make people work to find their way around it.  That’s why appropriate signage isn’t just for decoration and branding.  The signs you post on your vacation property are visitors’ most immediate connection to your resort, your company image and the environment they inhabit. 

Effective signage is signage which gives your visitors, at a glance, the following:

·         Information about the facility

·         Navigation information, including directions

·         Hours of operation and after-hours procedures

·         Rules and boundaries for behavior and personal safety

·         An image of your resort as a safe, welcoming and relaxing environment.

All of these needs come together at a certain topical point:  safety.  The best way to provide your guests – and your resort – with that protection is to make sure that they know where they are and what safety risks may exist.

Plainly put, guests need to know where they are on your resort, and to what purpose.  Good identification signs name a building, facility or location.  Rather than simply giving directions – which should be sufficient both in quantity and in quality of placement – effective signage also contains facts about the location, its hours of operation, Wireless accessibility if any, event information and scheduling. 

Another aspect you’ll want to address is one of proper behavior, guest safety and boundaries.  Whether they’re children, college students or retirees, people on vacation can have a tendency to take a vacation from the rules, as well.  Visitors to your resort still need boundaries, rules and regulations laid out for them.  More importantly both from a hosting and a liability standpoint, you need for your guests to understand and respect boundaries.  That will protect both guest and resort.

An excellent example of this arises from the devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  Some hotels along the shore lacked adequate signage warning of potential danger, putting swimmers and beachgoers at risk of exposure to the oil.

I am in no way suggesting that every resort poses a health risk as grave as the one we currently see in the Gulf.  But all resorts can present the possibility of personal injury if certain rules and boundaries are not respected.  Good signage plays an important role in a safe, enjoyable experience for your guests.

For assistance in determining the right signage program for your resort, please contact me at 800-727-6884 or visit www.southwoodcorp.com for more information.