Salt House
A concept destination story and direct-booking journey for a fictional 24-room boutique hotel on the quieter side of the island.
This is a concept. Salt House is a fictional business created to demonstrate our approach. It is not a paid client engagement, and no results are claimed.
Challenge
Boutique hotels are often discovered on online travel agencies, then checked on their own website. If that website is slow, generic or hard to book on, guests return to the OTA to book — and the hotel pays commission on a guest it effectively won itself.
Strategic approach
Sell the place, not only the room: the quieter coast, the slow mornings, the walk to the beach. Then make the website the easiest and most rewarding place to book, with clear direct-booking benefits and a short, mobile-friendly path to the booking engine.
Deliverables
- Destination story and messaging
- Photography and video direction (demonstration)
- Website structure and booking-journey wireframes
- Direct-booking benefits framework
- Pre-arrival and post-stay email templates
Creative execution
A destination-led narrative and photo direction — light, architecture, rituals — rather than a catalogue of room types.
A redesigned booking path: rates and availability visible early, fewer steps, and benefits for booking direct shown at decision points.
Search and AI-search content answering the questions guests ask when choosing between areas of the island.
Pre-arrival and post-stay emails designed to earn reviews and future direct bookings.
Why this concept
Reducing dependence on third-party channels is a common goal for independent hotels — and one of the most frequently oversold. This concept shows a realistic approach: improve the product story and the direct path, measure the booking mix honestly, and improve over time.
What we would measure
Booking-engine sessions and conversion, direct enquiries, the direct-versus-OTA booking mix (where the hotel is comfortable sharing it), and review scores across platforms. No results are shown because this is concept work.