Hologram receptionist, digital standee or a person?
A standee shows information, a person handles people, and an AI hologram receptionist does some of both. Here is what each does at a reception, and how to pair them.
A digital standee shows information, a human receptionist handles people, and an AI hologram receptionist does some of both. A standee is a screen that plays videos or takes taps. A person brings judgement and warmth, but only for the hours they work. An AI hologram receptionist, such as a HoloBox911, greets visitors at life size, answers questions aloud from your own documents and can tell a host their guest has arrived. Most companies get the best reception by pairing an AI host with staff, not by choosing one.
Side by side
The standee and human columns describe general traits, not any product or company.
| Digital standee | Human receptionist | AI hologram receptionist (HoloBox911) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A floor-standing LCD or LED screen, with or without touch | A member of staff at the front desk | A 7-foot unit with an 86-inch transparent 4K panel, running a life-size AI host |
| How visitors use it | Watch, or tap a menu on touch models | Talk | Talk to it, or tap the 10-point touch panel |
| Greets visitors by name | No | Yes, once they know them | Yes, where face recognition is switched on, as at Race Eco Chain |
| Answers open questions | No; it shows what's been loaded | Yes, with judgement | Yes, from the documents you approve first |
| Languages | Whatever the content is in | Whatever that person speaks | English, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Urdu, Punjabi, French, German and more |
| Tells the host a guest is here | Not usually | Yes, by phone or message | Yes: at Race Eco Chain, the host gets an email at gate registration |
| Presence | A screen | A person | A full-height figure that appears to stand in the box |
| Handles the unusual | No | Yes | Passes it to staff |
| Between visitors | Plays ads and videos | Other front-desk work | Plays your videos and ads, or hosts a live presenter |
| Best for | Directions, menus and promotions | Judgement, security and difficult conversations | A memorable welcome, routine questions and brand presence |
Which do you need?
- For a directory, a menu or a looped brand film: a digital standee does the job. If no one needs to talk to it, a standee is enough.
- For a front desk that handles security passes, deliveries and difficult visitors: you need people, and no screen replaces that judgement.
- For a reception that should greet visitors, answer the same ten questions all day and show the brand at full height: an AI hologram receptionist. See AI hologram receptionist for how one is set up.
- For most corporate offices: both. The AI host takes greetings and routine questions, and staff take the rest. That's how we recommend it, and how most teams use it.
Race Eco Chain: a receptionist who knows your name
Race Eco Chain has a gold-finish HoloBox911 in its reception. It runs Maya, a life-size AI receptionist built by HoloBox911. A visitor registers once on a tablet in the guard room, gives their name, company and host, and looks at the camera. The host gets an email straight away. When the visitor reaches the lounge, the HoloBox camera recognises them, and Maya greets them by name and says their host knows they're here. She answers from Race's own documents and staff directory, in English or Hindi.
Two details matter for any reception. First, gate photos and the visitor log delete themselves after 30 days by default. Second, between visitors the same box plays Race's videos and product ads, the job a standee would do. Race's staff run it from a phone app that works as the remote.
Anaptyss: a host that frees the team to present
In the client lounge of Anaptyss's Gurgaon office, a full-height AI avatar introduces ANA, the company's control assurance platform, through ten touch questions. Anaptyss chose the questions and approved every answer. Visitors walk up, tap and listen, while the Anaptyss team presents across the room. The last answer sends the visitor to the team for a live demo. This is the hybrid model at work: the hologram handles the repeat questions, and people handle the conversation.
NatWest Group: a hologram with a real person in it
At NatWest Group's X Stock Elevate 2026, run with Virtusa as partner, a 6-foot HoloBox911 in Bengaluru and another in Gurugram offered a touch menu, an AI avatar and a remote banker who was live in both. More than 550 visitors used them. It shows that "AI or human" is a false choice: one unit can carry both.
Capgemini: reception as an experience centre
Capgemini's Mumbai and Hyderabad Experience Centres each run a HoloBox911 that brings leaders from France in at full height. The units are also used for architecture walkthroughs, digital-twin demos and bid sessions, and both still run today. For an office that receives clients rather than couriers, the lobby can do more than greet.
What to settle before you choose
- Data and privacy: face recognition is optional: visitors can simply speak to the AI host or use the touch panel. HoloBox911 is ISO 27001 certified. Its AI can run on-premise and offline, with models trained on-premise, so visitor data and your documents can stay in the building. At Maruti Suzuki's vendor conference, an on-premise avatar answered questions on more than 750 DigiLib projects, and nothing left the building.
- Where answers come from: the avatar answers from the documents you approve first. It uses the web only if you turn that on.
- The room: the 7-foot unit is 213 cm high, 128.2 cm wide and 60 cm deep. Where the ceiling is low, the 6-foot model has a 65-inch panel and a 93.45 x 60 cm footprint. Either needs an earthed single-phase socket, a level floor and an indoor spot away from direct sun and glass roofs. See what a venue needs.
- Content and time: a receptionist built for you usually takes 2 to 4 weeks. You decide the character, the voice, the languages and the questions it should answer.
- Rent or buy: reception is a daily job, so most offices buy, which includes installation, training and a one-year warranty. Purchase and lease are by quote. See rent, buy or lease.
- Other formats: transparent display or hologram display, and holographic digital signage for a lobby that mainly runs campaigns.
Questions, answered.
Can an AI hologram receptionist replace a human receptionist?
It can take greetings, routine questions and telling hosts their guest has arrived. Staff are still needed for security, deliveries and anything unusual. Most teams run the two together.
Is a hologram receptionist better than a digital standee?
For a conversation, yes: it talks back at life size and answers from your documents. For a menu or a looped film, a standee is enough. A HoloBox911 can also play your videos between visitors.
Which languages can a hologram receptionist speak?
English, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Urdu, Punjabi, French, German and more. Tell us the languages your visitors use.
Does a hologram receptionist record visitors?
Only what you choose. Face recognition is optional. At Race Eco Chain, gate photos and the visitor log delete themselves after 30 days by default, and the AI can run on-premise and offline.
Can a hotel use a hologram receptionist as a concierge?
Yes. A life-size, multilingual avatar can greet guests and answer questions on directions, timings and offers, from the hotel's own approved information.
Can I see a hologram receptionist before I decide?
Yes. Book a demo at our Experience Centre in Noida, or at our offices in Thane, Bengaluru or Wokingham in the UK.
Last reviewed 5 November 2026.
See one greet you.
Tell us about your reception, the visitors you get and the languages they speak, and we'll show you a receptionist built for it.