Time to redesign your hotel's website in 2012

Technology is the way of the future, and has been for years already. According to a new study by The University of Portsmouth, if your hotel's website looks like this, you can expect a drop in bookings and profitability:

Poor web design is like wearing jeans and a t-shirt to a major job interview, it is a first impression that could make or break a booking. Customers want accessibility in a website in order to be able to navigate as well as learn information easily, because nobody wants to spend hours on the hotels website.

The researchers say the four key elements of good hotel website design are:
1. Promoting good website usability, including using ‘accessible’ typefaces, easy and intuitive navigation and key information can be found within three clicks of the mouse;
2. Providing a good user experience; should be visually pleasing and encourage users to return
3. Promoting trustworthiness; the website is safe and secure and ‘feels’ safe to customers.
4. Ensuring that reservations can be made online and an email system to facilitate customer queries.

Dr. Alice Good, a graduate from The School of Computing, says, “Hotels that rely upon web bookings are undoubtedly going to face a drop in bookings if they fail to keep pace with website design and the importance of it to customers. There is extensive research in how poor web design impacts upon both usability and accessibility in relation to e-commerce websites, with numerous examples of companies going out of business because of poor website design."

It should be clear, easy to navigate, and easy to read, and visually pleasing to the eye.

Hotel websites should have an option to book online, as well as have a security risk management plan to help keep customers' information safe, and give them peace of mind when they're booking a stay.

A hotel websites should also have tourist information for customers, a one stop website where customers can find information about the location they are staying at, and learn the local attractions and places of interest.

“People quickly form impressions of web security and a website that engenders a feeling of trust will inspire customers to be more confident about booking and paying online," said Good.

  Courtesy of Trapp Family Lodge

Hotelmarketingstrategies.com lists Trapp Family Lodge's website as one of the 15 Well-Designed Hotel Websites.