The story of how we developed a hotel website to sell the dream of a relaxing luxury experience

It was a challenge. A new, coherent online service for Dr Irena Eris SPA Hotels embodying the philosophy of a top-class hotel. A hotel that delivers more than its guests could expect. One that is uncompromising about superior standards and luxury. And on top of all that, a classic sales strategy that was to be developed in a way that reflected the character of the brand. Neatly present luxury hotels surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty to support direct sales. And find a common denominator that would bring together the image of three hotels located in different places across Poland, and create their websites to produce a coherent image while also showcasing their distinct characters. These were the challenges we have successfully met. Immediately associated with superior quality and style, Dr Irena Eris Hotels are in a class of their own. The three exquisite Dr Irena Eris SPA Hotels are located in Krynica Zdrój, Polanica Zdrój and Wysoka Wieś in Masuria (Dylewskie Heights). With these extraordinary locations, luxury brand, and closeness to nature, any stay in Dr Irena Eris SPA Hotels is a memorable physical as well as spiritual experience. As could be expected of a brand so closely involved in modern cosmetics, the Hotels embrace the philosophy of holistic beauty, offering a full range of SPA treatments and cosmetic rituals, and taking care to offer sophisticated and healthy menus.

5 key distinguishing characteristics of the brand

Each detail of the hotel interiors and services embraces 5 key distinctive characteristics of the brand, namely Professionalism, Trust, Superb Quality, Luxury, and Strength. These defining characteristics also had to be embodied by the Hotel’s website, which had to be redesigned as a result of some major changes on the hotel and online markets.

New online communication philosophy

Since the development of the previous version of the website in 2013, the mechanism used in the hotel industry for booking has changed significantly. The dynamic growth in online sales, and recently especially in mobile traffic (over 50% of all online traffic in the industry), has transformed the approach to website development. In the mobile era, responsiveness has become a must, as did intuitive interface and solutions supporting successful direct sales. We had to take all these elements into consideration while developing the new website. Our innovative approach to the design of the website for Dr Irena Eris Hotels was necessitated not only by the desire to satisfy the expectations of potential guests, but also by the requirement to implement modern marketing tools. Between 2000 and 2016, the number of hotels in Poland nearly tripled, and 2016 saw at least 40 new high-standard hotels. This increased competition among luxury hotels and expansion-oriented marketing and sales efforts by agents are now the major challenges for Premium hotels. So, while designing the website, we had to carefully select the tools in our toolbox to support effective direct sales across the three locations and to help them become more independent of OTAs. And in building the Hotels’ competitive advantage, we had to take into account latest trends in technology and communication. We wanted to provide personalised content and unique photographs to support the brand image, and use use eye-catching videos and animations to showcase the available products and services, and ultimately encourage booking. To achieve this, we focused on three major elements:

• Developing a direct booking strategy aligned with the brand’s requirements. This involved the implementation of a series of technologically advanced solutions to generate increased direct bookings.
• Supporting Mobile-First philosophy. This meant approaching design with mobile devices in mind, as mobile users generate the highest website traffic and, consequently, are the leading prospective clients. And we also accounted for the fact that this trend is likely to grow exponentially.
• Creating a new website to holistically cater to the brand’s image and sales needs. The new website was to be truly unique in terms of its graphics, and to subtly but clearly demonstrate the brand’s values, while also meeting the expectations of modern users in terms of online experience (unique and breathtaking visuals, videos, and animations).

A true gem in our portfolio

We are proud to say that we have successfully delivered on all the goals, and created a website that is a true gem in our portfolio. http://drirenaerisspa.pl is a lush atmospheric site with modern design and intuitive navigation that facilitate effective sales. Perfect in every detail, its visuals reflect the brand’s philosophy and create an image of hotels in which you simply want to stay to enjoy their unique combination of luxury and closeness to nature.

• We have created a single landing page for all three Dr Irena Eris SPA Hotels. By doing so, we explicitly introduce users to the brand’s philosophy right from the start to create in them a need to make a booking and visit one of the hotels. The next step is the choice of their preferred destination.
• This design focuses also on promoting Dr Irena Eris SPA Hotels brand. When a user enters the website, all the Hotels stay in the background until the user clicks one of them to explore the individual options.
• By putting together elements that allude to luxury and nature, this website design gives you a promise of an amazing experience, and at the same time clearly embodies the brand’s philosophy.
• Visually appealing and based on the latest trends, this unique design is coherent with Dr Irena Eris brand identity and crafted in compliance with current trends in web design, based on state-of-the-art technology.
• And all this is to boost direct sales and reduce agent involvement.

Let's take a closer look

Website design – the secret to our success:

• Minimalistic design – beauty, simplicity, and excellent choice of individual elements.
• Arrangement based on the golden ratio for enhanced, more user-friendly website experience and gentle guidance.
• Subtle animations for visually pleasing and original content presentation
• Top-quality multimedia – lightweight films and photographs of excellent quality to effectively capture the user’s attention while also demonstrating the brand’s philosophy.
• User-friendly interface for an intuitive and enjoyable online experience, and successful achievement of the Hotels’ business goals.

Solutions used:

• Minimalistic design for easy website navigation.
• Clearly legible and beautiful typography to support brand identity.
• Personalised content to meet the requirements of modern users.
• Visual content that follows latest trends and emphasises the luxury character of the brand.
• More elaborate sales modules to boost direct sales and support price-list management and booking.
• Social media integration.
• Testimonials from previous guests, which are very often important for prospective guests.

Technology used:

• The website was built on the basis of the latest versions of technologies such as HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript
• The website uses Responsive Web Design (RWD) to automatically adjust content presentation and arrangement to mobile screens.

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Feedback from the Hotel Owner: “We started our cooperation with Profitroom in 2010. Since then, they have provided us with the tools and services necessary to manage our website and booking system. We have used their Profitroom Booking Engine, Profitroom Channel Manager, and SEO services. In July 2018, they launched a new version of our website, which meets all our expectations and professionally showcases our brand. The website is characterised by attractive design and modern technology. We are happy with our long-term cooperation and can recommend Profitroom as a business partner”. Wojciech Sporek, Dr Irena Eris SPA Hotels

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Author: Paulina Załęska, Project Manager