A refreshingly local™ stay
Coast Hotels spans across Canada and the U.S. and prides itself on celebrating the unique identity of each property in their group. They needed a fresh update to their current site and a better user experience. They also requested a mobile-first layout that was flexible enough to work for all properties, highlighting their unique characteristics while maintaining a consistent brand identity. The new site also needed to be scalable as the brand grows over time. Additional functionality such as a rewards login, site search, live chat, and language selector needed to be considered as well.
Roles: UI Design, User Experience
Creating a solid foundation
This project took careful planning to ensure all pieces of the site came together for a seamless layout and user experience. A secondary navigation was used to house valuable hotel-specific content, important corporate links, as well as the site search, language selector, and rewards login. The live chat has a fixed position in the lower right corner of the screen so it is always available to the user without restricting access to any important content, such as CTAs. The booking funnel has a prominent location in the hero space and has a fixed position on scroll so it is always within reach. Each element was thoughtfully positioned for an effortless transition from corporate to individual property sites, creating a consistent experience across the brand.
A modern upgrade
Visually, the site was to be modern and exciting with a focus on travel. The client favored an open, airy feel, and wanted a design that would appeal to a younger demographic. Their bold brand colors and iconography are used throughout the site to anchor content and draw the eye to new sections of the page. These elements create a consistent brand identity across distinct properties, while imagery is used to highlight the unique identity of each hotel. This allows each property to show off its local flair, creating a visual journey for the user. Strong imagery and video are also used to highlight the hotel itself, engaging users by immersing them in their destination.
Form and function
Imagery is also customizable within the booking funnel, rooms filter, and booking CTAs throughout the site. This gives each property the opportunity to connect with their specific demographic; Whether the hotel attracts families, couples, or business travelers, the client can strategically use these areas to engage their audience and increase conversions.
A site that's scalable
As the brand grows and adds more properties, the rapidly growing set of options will make it challenging to determine which hotel is the right destination for the user. To offset this, filters were included in the hotels page, allowing users to make easier choices when searching for a place to stay. They can filter based on destination, amenities, interests, and pet-friendly accommodations. On mobile, the filters are relocated to a popup menu which creates space on the hotels page and also within the filter menu. As the brand grows the list can easily expand and accommodate more filters as needed.
The property sites include additional filters where appropriate. The rooms page allows the user to search by amenities, guest occupancy, and accessible accommodations. The offers page includes an option to display only member offers for those who participate in the rewards program. On the local experiences page, users can search for events based on their stay dates.
Experience it for yourself
