User experience is an essential element of any website. However, the hospitality industry is one such industry wherein the importance of user experience grows multiple folds right from the word GO! The heart of the entire hospitality industry goes in providing an amazing experience to its customers, especially when it comes to hotels. As a hotel owner, you wish to provide a memorable stay and experience to the guests and also offer them amazing user experience right from the first point of contact, which is your hotel website. So, here are 5 tips to enhance the UX design of your hotel website and create unforgettable experiences.

1. Optimization Of The Booking Flow To Boost Conversions

Conversion is the key. No matter how divine your website looks, or how delicious your food tastes, if the conversion ratio of your website is low, it all goes down the drain. To ensure that your conversion ratio is in place, you must streamline the booking process on your website.
Focus more on usability rather than the aesthetics of the booking window. Always place the booking window at a clutter-free and visible spot on the website.
Clearly highlight the room types and rate differences between the rooms. Also, support it through relevant high-quality images. This helps the user to quickly make an informed decision.
Gather only vital information upon checkout and refrain from asking unnecessary questions. Make sure that you provide a clear summary of the booking so that the customer can review and confirm the booking.

Source: Holiday Inn

2. Design For Mobile First

This needs no detailed explanation. Majority of the people these days access the internet through their smartphones and thus it’s pivotal that you design your hotel website for the mobile screens first. Moreover, the importance of mobile first design grows more as the users predominantly make bookings while on the go. There’s a sense of urgency in these cases, which means the design should be focused towards usability rather than functionality. In case you’re not able to provide the complete functionality of the website to mobile users, at least provide a link to your full website to them.

3. Make Your Website Visually Compelling

Users crave for high- resolution photographs of the hotel property. They want to take a virtual tour of the entire hotel through the images. So provide them high-quality photographs of every nook and corner including the rooms, bathrooms, lobby, view from the balcony, interiors, exteriors, swimming pool, banquet and all other facilities available in the hotel. That said, ensure that your images are optimized, else the loading time of your website will skyrocket, only to push up the bounce rate and drag down your business.

Source: Gleneagles.com

4. Offer Delightful Customer Experience Through The Website

User experience and customer experience are very closely connected and go hand in hand. Your website user experience can heavily influence the overall customer experience of your guests. So, it’s best to provide a delightful customer experience from the very first touchpoint which is your website. Online travel booking websites like Booking.com, Expedia etc. can never provide a personalized guest service, which is an advantage for you as a hotel owner.
Ensure that there are multiple ways for a customer to get in touch with your hotel administration, straight from your website. A landline phone number, skype, contact form for reservation related inquiries and special requests, as well as a live chat are must-haves on your website.
Offer special add-on services, which are not available on any other sales channel. It can be a complimentary welcome drink, a bottle of wine or perhaps a special discount. This will make the user feel the difference when booking with a hotel directly and will ensure repeat purchase directly from the hotel website.

Source:thelincolnhotel.com

5. Add Reviews From A Trusted Source

A study showed that almost 77% of travellers do reference review before booking an accommodation. Social proof is one of the most important factors to influence a buyer’s decision. In order to enhance your website’s credibility and provide social proof for your guests, showcase reviews from a trusted and well-known source like Tripadvisor. While adding a Tripadvisor review widget might not add an aesthetic appeal to your website, it surely is much more convincing than your own website testimonials.

Source: West Side Guest House

Developing a hotel website which is great in terms of both UX and marketing is a daunting task, and it might take more than one go to achieve the feat. But, these tips really come in handy during the design process and smoothens the path towards the ultimate goal. Talk to our UX experts, and learn more on how you can revamp your hotel website.

admin