If you’re a hotelier, you’ve probably heard the phrase “best practice” bandied around in the context of designing and building a website. Typically it’s nothing more than a buzz phrase in an industry that’s littered with them.
At best, it’s a self-serving way for businesses to make their process sound more legitimate. At worst, it’s designed to make people believe that it’s endorsed by the larger community of companies who serve businesses in your industry.
Instead we adhere to a set of principals we’ve developed through trial and error, refined by our experience designing and building websites for tourism and hospitality clients. This is an evolving list that we adapt to the ever-changing technical and social landscape. We hope you find it useful.
When you are putting together your packages, specials, and promotions, make sure you follow some general rules. Use language that suggests urgency (“book now”, instead of “reservations”), position it on the page so users will always see it (above the fold [sic] on the most common monitor resolutions), make it accessible on every page if you can, and add a visual accent with colour or motion.