9 Hotel Website Design Tips to Increase Direct Bookings
When was the last time you thought about your hotel website’s design? As many hospitality marketers are tasked with doing more with less, it can be challenging to keep up with the constantly-changing website trends.
The key to driving more direct bookings just might be moving past the standard Brand.com website or freshening up that website that is 3-years-old and counting. An optimized hotel booking website design attracts more of your target audience, leading to more bookings and repeat customers.
Interested in optimizing your hotel website’s design for more direct conversions? Let’s look at five important tips that can put you on the right path.
1. Make sure your hotel website has a responsive mobile design
Responsive designs are key to conversions
Each year, more than 100 million people book hotels online, and those bookings are increasingly occurring on a number of different devices. According to 2024 travel data, 80% of travelers worldwide prefer to book trips online, and the online travel market is expected to increase to $1.2 trillion by 2027. The customer journey often begins on mobile devices, with 48% of US smartphone users completing all their planning and researching on their phones.
That is all to say that having a responsive hotel website is at the top of the list of luxury hotel website design musts. 86% of Millennials and 83% of Gen Z believe it’s important to be able to book a trip entirely online. That trend will continue, which is why Google has put emphasis on mobile speed.
The customer journey begins on mobile devices
When building your hotel website for now and the years to come, it’s important to keep mobile top of mind and ensure the page and its elements adapt to not only a desktop but also a tablet and smartphone. Choose mobile optimization tactics like large buttons and simplified forms to make it user-friendly.
Mobile page speed became an even bigger factor in 2020 when Google switched to mobile-first indexing. The search giant now prioritizes these mobile scores to rank your website in search results.
2. Keep your site and navigation options simple
Simple sites are faster
With all the third-party integrations and modules available, it can be tempting to overload your website with interactive elements and content for the user. But sometimes, less is more. Keeping your website design simple ensures that the important information stands out, and it can also keep your site running fast. Test your site’s speed.
Optimize your navigation bar
The navigation bar is one of the most important elements of your website, so make sure it’s distinct from the rest of the page, yet simple. Only include the most important pages rather than stuffing every sub-page for your rooms or hotel features. Drop-down menus—and on mobile a hamburger menu—are your friend.
It’s important to have navigation consistency across all pages and make placement decisions strategically. Consider which pages are most important and order based on the customer journey.
3. Showcase your hotel and your location’s unique personality
Don’t be afraid to stand out
As consumer behavior has shifted and hoteliers have been pushed to further stand out against competitors and other hotels down the street, many have moved on from the cookie-cutter Brand.com websites in favor of more lively and custom websites that show off their property’s personality and the features of the surrounding area.
Keep your target audience in mind
It’s no secret that having photos and videos help drive higher engagement and increase booking inquiries. But just as important as having vivid imagery is a design that matches your typical guest’s buyer persona. Is your hotel geared toward leisure travel? Including design elements that show off nearby attractions and restaurants is important. Is your hotel more business-oriented? Maybe you should include information about your shuttle service, Wi-Fi availability and fitness center.
See The Mountain Club’s personality in this case study
The Mountain Club case study is a perfect example of a hotel website designed with the target audience in mind. A ski resort in New Hampshire, the hotel website shows off the scenery as well as nearby dining, attractions in the area, and the hotel’s spa. The result was a more engaging website that drove increased conversions.
4. Immerse potential guests with virtual tours
Give people an experience before they book
While you’ve been told to keep your hotel website simple, there is a fine line between simplicity and providing travelers with the dynamic content they’re looking for.
In a recent blog about hospitality marketing trends for 2021, we discussed the takeoff of virtual tours. This immersive experience became more prevalent during the pandemic and is becoming an important conversion tool for hotels.
Not quite ready to unleash virtual tours of your rooms and other property amenities? Photos and videos are still great ways to add personality and draw in travelers.
5. Make booking a room simple
Make your Calls-to-Action (CTAs) stand out
The ultimate goal of your hotel’s website is to drive direct bookings. So more than anything, when thinking about your website’s design, it’s important to keep that end goal in mind and not lose sight of what will help get you there.
Mobile speed, a clean navigation and a simple design all lead to this. It’s important to provide users with design cues and make your CTAs stand out. You can do this with color as well as actionable content that leads the traveler through the customer journey.
Find a user-friendly booking engine
This is especially important for smaller and independent hotels. A cumbersome booking engine and poor user-experience can lead to drop-off right when a user is ready to convert. Make sure your booking engine is simple (the fewer steps the better) and secure.
6. Prioritize user experience (UX)
Why UX matters
Intuitive navigation, fast loading times, and accessible designs can all improve user experience. A good user experience can increase engagement and bookings, while a difficult-to-use website might drive your target audience away.
Mobile-first approach
Every year, more people book hotels solely on mobile devices. Make your hotel website design user-friendly on phones by implementing large buttons, simplified forms, and responsive pages. Website visitors will be able to seamlessly book a room without assistance on a mobile-friendly website.
Practical example
The Goodwin is one of many hospitality industry websites benefitting from a new, user-friendly design. Since the boutique hotel got a new site, they experienced a 31.8% increase in conversion rate and a 43.7% increase in bookings.
7. Incorporate visual and interactive features
Interactive elements
Increasing user engagement, building brand loyalty, and gaining more conversions are just a few benefits of interactive content on hotel websites. Add features like availability checkers and price comparison widgets so visitors can get all the information they need in one place.
Example website
The Ashore Resort & Beach Club incorporated a direct booking agent on their site. Website visitors can easily browse all the information they need, such as availability, prices, and room types, without having to leave the site. These convenient features lead to five times more direct bookings.
8. Use current design trends to stay competitive
Minimalist aesthetics
Sometimes, less is more for your digital marketing strategy. The layouts, typography, and navigation should be simple and easy for all guests to browse. Including some well-produced video content, adding high-quality images, and making call-to-action buttons large and easily visible are just a few hotel website design trends to increase engagement.
Sustainability features
Highlighting the eco-friendly features of a website often leads to more bookings. Energy efficiency, water conservation, waste reduction, and sustainable sourcing are just a few sustainable practices highlighted on top hotel websites.
Personalization
Incorporating personalized booking recommendations and pop-ups can lead to more conversions. Many popular hotel sites also set up automated messages to connect with visitors who begin the booking process but don’t complete it to encourage more bookings.
9. Use social proof and guest reviews
Building trust with reviews
Integrating guest testimonials and ratings into your hospitality website design helps build trust and credibility for potential guests. The best resort website design includes third-party widgets from TripAdvisor and Google reviews, inviting visitors to see the guest’s satisfaction for themselves.
User-generated content
Embedding social media posts from former guests is another great way to provide credibility and increase engagement. Encourage guests to post about their stay using branded hashtags.
Transform your hotel website into a direct booking powerhouse
Optimizing your luxury hotel website design is the best way to provide a user-friendly experience that leads to more bookings. If you’re looking for a hotel website redesign to help your business reach more conversions and revenue, O’Rourke Hospitality Marketing is a hotel website design company that offers digital marketing strategies and website design tactics. Take advantage of our consultative approach today.