Crave Content Creation: Best Practice

Clear, concise and appealing content is essential for getting the most out of the Crave solution, and the best practice guidance below will offer experienced insight alongside tips and tricks to enhance guest experience and increase engagement.

Homescreens

Have a clear call to action visible to ensure guests interact with the homescreen and follow it to its linked location.
Avoid too much text & too many elements to not overwhelm the guest and keep the purpose of the homescreen clear.
Keep the wording concise and avoid any fonts that are hard to read
The quantity of homescreens should not exceed 8 slides to ensure all slides are seen and not missed by guests viewing them.
Use homescreens to promote revenue boosting products and services like spa offers and dining experiences.
Keep your homescreens engaging by including an occasional animated GIF slide, the more appealing the slide, the higher the chance of a guest interacting with it.

Messaging

Keep text short and snappy, you want the guest to understand the purpose of ther message right away.
Ask engaging questions to prompt a response .
Use eye-catching images to attract the guest to pay attention.
Where applicable, utilise GIFs to create a more dynamic experience.
Think about the timing of the message and tailor your schedule accordingly. There is no benefit to sending out breakfast messages at 3pm, or spa messages when your treatment book is full for the day.
Personalise your messages to guests celebrating a special occassion to add that extra special touch

Widgets

Widgets should be used across all tabs where possible to capture guest engagement.
Vary widget sizes to keep them interesting and to highlight more important ones.
Ensure 2x2 widgets are designed in-line with the branding surrounding it & keep text large and visible.
Use widgets to link to smaller items guests would find more useful or exciting like tray collection services or resort maps.
Ensure that all widgets have links to other locations on the device or to external sites. You want to promote movement around the tablet to keep the guest engaged for as long as possible.

Category Images

Category Images can, like homescreens, be animated Gifs to help keep things interesting and engaging for guests.
Category Images can be a great location to showcase images you may not get to use elsewhere. If you have images to be proud of, get them seen and enjoyed by guests.
Keep Category Images relevant to the category they link to, a category featuring restaurant details would benefit from a great restaurant image and less so from an image of the lobby.
Ensure all Category Images are filled, empty grey boxes don’t appeal to anyone!

Product Images

Every product needs a relevant image or an appealing placeholder to avoid blank grey areas.
A picture speaks a thousand words….enticing product images can sell a product Alignment is key!
Always ensure the subject of the image is captured within the frame displayed.
Keep layout type consistent within individual categories to avoid the page shape to vary too much as guests swipe through.
Make use of QR codes within image spaces to help boost guest engagement and keep things looking clean and modern.

Spa Menu Creation

Please ensure you include you have a description of the treatment which includes the products used.
You should include the duration of the treatment even if it’s the only option.
Make the most of the system's 'suggestions' functionality to take advantage of upselling opportunities.
Use attractive imagery to promote your spa services.
Make sure you are being consistent with language, layout and capitalization with the rest of the menu.
If the Spa is directory only, highlight how to book

In-Room Dining Menu Creation

When planning the menu, lay it out in a logical flow for ease of guest use.
Think about the order 'value' of the items, and ensure best sellers are in prominent positions within the categories.
Make the most of the system's 'suggestions' functionality to take advantage of upselling opportunities.
Try and include associated products together e.g drinks generally ordered with breakfast in that category so a guest can find them easily.
Make sure you are being consistent with language, layout and capitalization with the rest of the menu.
Highlight any allergens and dietary information
Add schedules to the menu to avoid orders outside of operating hours

Alterations

Make your menu fully customisable it comes to dish modifications. If the guest could request it in person, they should be able to request it via the tablet.
If you are using an alteration that includes pricing, always remember to hide the price within the product.
Make sure you test the alteration to know it makes sense and it works
When making alterations, think of the guest experience and decide if it would be better as an order level alteration
Make sure you are being consistent with language, layout and capitalization with the rest of the menu
Select the correct alteration - mandatory or optional dependent on the dish modifiers required

Attachments

When adding attachments, using a thumbnail would be optimal for the overall look. Ensure they match the company UI.
Be mindful of the order they will appear on the tablet as this can differ on CMS. It should be a logical flow – breakfast lunch dinner etc.
Make sure you are being consistent with the rest of the menu in terms of naming convention, such as 'View menu' or 'Click for menu'.
Check the attachment displays correctly and nothing is cut off when showing on the tablet.
If including timetables or activity programs make sure they are kept up to date

General Content Configuration

Ensure that you consider the location of the property when it comes to setting the time format and weather temperature metric. For example, USA properties use AM/PM time and °Fahrenheit while companies in Europe use 24/Hour Clock and °Celsius.
Ensure you use region specific language and spelling based on geography. Different regions use different spellings of the same words, such as color and colour, or program and programme.
When translating copy into another language, ensure all content is translated, including all widgets, customised system text, homescreens and messages.
Think about the general aesthetic of the property and ensure you select imagery accordingly. This is the chance you really showcase your brand and your 'vibe' and images are key to that.
Manage top tab structure in a clean and useable way to avoid over cluttering the main tablet navigation so guests can find what they are interested in finding.

Need Assistance?

Our team is always on hand to help you with any content requirements, so feel free to reach out to us and we could be delighted to assist.

You can email us by submitting the form and we'll be in touch to discuss your requirements.

Alternatively, you can reach out to us using Crave Video Services using the button below.