How to: Managing Your Hospitality TV Guidebook: A Step-by-Step Guide
Introduction
The Lynx Guidebook Categories Management system provides full control over the content displayed to guests on their Smart TVs. This guide explains how to add, edit, and configure your guidebook templates to create a customized and engaging digital experience for your guests.
The article is categorized into the following sections:
- When to use this Guide
- Benefits of using this Guide
- Step-by-Step Resolution
- Overview Layout Type & TV Layout Style Enhancements
- Key Features
- Related Articles
When to use this Guide
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Promote on-site amenities (e.g., pool hours, gym access codes, or restaurant menus).
1. Use categories to make your property’s features easy to find on the TV screen.
2. Pool & Gym: To list operating hours, access codes, or towel locations.
3. Dining: To showcase on-site restaurant menus or room service options.
4. Parking: To explain permit requirements or designated spots. -
Provide local recommendations (e.g., acting as a digital concierge for local attractions, dining, or emergency services).
1. Use categories to act as a digital concierge for the guest.
2. Local Attractions: For nearby parks, museums, or landmarks.
3. Restaurants & Bars: To categorize staff-recommended dining spots (e.g., "Best Breakfast" or "Late Night Eats").
4. Emergency Info: To provide locations for the nearest hospital, pharmacy, or grocery store. -
Drive revenue by promoting upsell opportunities like late check-outs, room service, or equipment rentals.
1. The guidebook is a primary tool for upselling. Use it when you want to
2. Offer Services: Promote late check-out, mid-stay cleanings, or equipment rentals (like bikes or beach gear).
Benefits of using this Guide
• Real-Time Content Agility
Update menus, pricing, or local attractions across hundreds of rooms simultaneously via a central dashboard.
• Increased Revenue Generation
Facilitate direct bookings and create new advertising revenue streams by selling "listing space" to local businesses.
• Operational Efficiency
Reduce labor costs for maintenance and support eco-friendly initiatives by eliminating the need for printed, physical binders.
Important Notes:
- Obfuscation: Please ensure you obfuscate any live guest or sensitive business data before taking or sharing screenshots of your configuration.
- Character Limits: Custom menu titles are limited to 16 characters.
- AI vs. Manual: TV Layout Style settings are only applicable to AI-generated business listings. Manually added businesses follow a fixed template defined by Lynx.
Step-by-Step Resolution: (click on the orange text for links to other solution articles)
| Step | Actions |
| Step 1: Visit the "Groups" Tab |
Navigate to the "Groups" tab at the top of the Lynx portal. |
| Step 2: Select Group | Click to select the Group whose Hospitality TV settings you want to update, then click the "Smart TV White Label" section to expand it. |
| Step 3: Edit Settings | Click the "Click here - to see the settings" link to open Hospitality TV White-Label Settings for the selected Group. |
| Step 4: Select Guidebook Tab | Navigate to the Guidebook tab. |
| Step 5: Configure Options |
Configure basic settings for your Hospitality TV Guidebook:
Important Notes: |
| Step 6: Update Categories and Content |
Click the slider to select which Guidebook options to edit:
|
| Step 7: Manage Content" section. | Click and expand the Manage content section to manage the Guidebook Templates and Listings. |
| Step 8: Manage "Category" section. |
Lynx offers 21 default categories to select from. You can select the category from the available list and then click on select category.
We also have the option to add categories manually with relevant images. |
| Step 9: Edit "AI generated field" section. |
Once you click and expand the manage category content section, you can see the following columns below:
|
| Step 10: Manage and edit "Content name "section |
Content name: Shows the name of the content template assigned to the category, defaulting to either the category name or a fixed string. |
| Step 11: Manage and edit "number of business "section |
Number of Businesses: Indicates how many businesses are set to appear on the public screen for the category.
|
| Step 12: Manage and edit "Actions "section. |
Action: Contains two action icons
Clicking the preview icon opens a window showing dynamic business details fetched directly from Property AI Fields, offering a realistic simulation of the content guests will see on public displays. |
| Step 13: Edit content setting |
Click on the Edit button under the Manage Content to edit and customize content display settings per category. Category Name: |
| Step 14: Edit and manage "AI field" settings. |
Select Tags (AI-generated fields): AI-generated tags from Property AI Fields. Default selection matches the category's current tag. Changing this alters which businesses are shown. |
| Step 15: Edit and manage "number of business to show". |
Limit Number of Businesses to Show: Dropdown with options like “Top 2,” “Top 3,” etc. Default is “Top 2.” The system ensures the number of displayed businesses does not exceed the available count. |
| Step 16: Edit and manage "Content name". |
Content Name: You can change the default name selected here and can add a personalized name. Click on save on the top right side once you are done making the changes. |
| Step 17: Edit and manage "Content display settings". |
Content Display Setting:
|
Overview Layout Type & TV Layout Style Enhancements
The Guidebook feature in Lynx has been enhanced with two new display configuration options:
Layout Type (To display the number of categories on TV) and TV Layout Style (To display the content style of nearby places). These settings give host more control over the visual experience guests see on TV screens when browsing the Guidebook.
Layout Type determines how the Guidebook category grid appears on TV. How many categories are shown and how large the tiles are. This applies to all Guidebook setups.
TV Layout Style determines how individual business content is displayed within a selected Guidebook category on TV. This setting is exclusive to AI-generated businesses, as manually added businesses follow a customized content template defined by Lynx and can be customised through this setting. For AI-generated businesses, the template can’t be customized, hence this can be controlled through these settings.
Both settings are accessible from the Guidebook and any changes are reflected instantly in the Live Preview on the right-hand side of the screen.
Process 1: Configure Layout Type
| Actions | Who Does It | |
| Step 1: |
Go to the Guidebook section and navigate to Category List, then expand Manage Categories. |
Host |
| Step 2: |
Select either Content Impact view (3x3) or Visual Impact view (2x3) under Layout Type. Selection auto-saves instantly. Verify everything on screen via the Live Preview. |
Host |
Process 2: Configure TV Layout Style
| Actions | Who Does It | |
| Step 1: |
Within the Guidebook section, navigate to Category Content, expand Manage Category Content, and select a category containing AI-generated listings. Click on the Edit Icon. |
Host |
| Step 2: |
Locate the TV Layout Style section and select either Information Focus or Visual Focus. The selection auto-saves immediately and can be confirmed using the Live Preview. |
Host |
Manual vs. AI-Generated Businesses — Key Distinction
| Feature Criterion | AI-Generated Businesses | Manually Added Businesses |
| TV Layout Style Impact | Fully affected. Toggleable between Information Focus and Visual Focus. | Not affected. Layout remains locked to predefined custom designs. |
| Template Control | Managed by Host via dashboard configuration choices. | Governed entirely by standard content templates provided by Lynx. |
| Recommended Use Case | Properties utilizing rapid bulk AI content population. | Properties displaying custom-curated local listings and unique partnerships. |
Key Features
Explore the key functionalities built into these visual upgrades:
- Real-time Live Preview: Instantly check how layout adjustments appear directly on the right-hand side of your configuration window before serving it to live screens.
- Auto-Save Functionality: Layout configuration styles save immediately upon selection without requiring any manual save actions.
- Layout Type Views: Choose Content Impact (3x3 grid up to 9 tiles) for extensive categories, or Visual Impact (2x3 grid up to 6 tiles) for bigger, premium image layouts.
- Targeted TV Layout Styles: Toggle AI listings between Information Focus (compact images with detailed panels) and Visual Focus (large dominant image layout).
- System Safeguards: Manually added listings strictly retain customized template designs managed via Lynx, safely separated from bulk AI layout toggles.
Related Articles
| Learn more: FAQ: Lynx Hospitality TV |
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