Conversion-First Design: What Every Hotel Website Must Fix in 2025
Intro
In today's highly competitive hospitality market, a hotel's website is far more than a digital brochure. It is a key sales tool, brand ambassador, and often the first impression a guest has of your property.
This article covers common web design and content mistakes and offers practical solutions to improve conversions of your website and boost your online presence in 2025 and beyond.
Technical Foundations: Speed, Mobile, and Security
Ensure Fast Loading Time
Studies show that websites loading longer than three seconds experience significantly higher bounce rates. Many hotel sites still use large, uncompressed images or outdated booking engines that slow them down. Compressing images using modern formats like WebP and implementing lazy loading can speed up your site and improve guest retention.
Ensure Fast Loading Time— Source: Exely
Optimize for Mobile Devices
Over two-thirds of bookings in Asia come from mobile devices. Websites that are not fully responsive or hard to navigate on small screens lose potential revenue. That's why mobile-first design, with thumb-friendly buttons and simple booking steps, is extremely important. For example, some hotel groups saw nearly 20% more mobile bookings after making navigation easier to use.
Optimize for Mobile Devices— Source: Exely
Secure Your Site with Certificates
Security warnings scare off potential guests. Still, many hotel websites in CIS countries don't have proper SSL/TLS certificates. By automating certificate renewals and ensuring all third-party widgets use secure protocols, hotels can prevent browser alerts and build trust with visitors.
Secure Your Site with Certificates — Source: Exely
User Experience: Navigation, Booking Engine, and Scarcity Signals
Create Clear, Intuitive Navigation
Confusing menus make visitors give up. Research shows many hotel websites bury crucial information like room rates under multiple clicks. Using sticky menus with persistent 'Room Rates' and 'Special Offers' tabs helps guests find what they need fast and without hassle.
Integrate the Booking Engine
Booking engines that redirect guests to external pages or look different from the main site lead to lost bookings. Embedded booking widgets showing real-time availability and matching the website's style make the process smoother. For example, some hotels managed to increase booking by more than 30% after investing in a booking engine.
Use Genuine Scarcity Signals
Messages like 'Only 1 room left!' when plenty of rooms are available hurt trust. Synchronizing scarcity cues with PMS data makes urgency credible and encourages bookings without pushing guests away.
Content Strategy: Localization and Visuals
Localizate for Markets
Many travelers want to see prices in their local currency and read content in their local language. Offering geolocated content that switches currency and provides payment info based on where guests come from significantly improves user experience and boosts conversion rates.
Leverage High-Quality Visuals
Professional photos matter. According to the study, hotels that show more than 20 high-quality photos per room see up to 136% more bookings. Pictures help guests imagine their stay and often make them willing to pay more. Adding video tours and virtual walkthroughs further immerses visitors and deepens their interest.
How to Make Your Hotel Website Special
Even with a fast and easy-to-use website, standing out in crowded markets requires creativity. Here's how to make your property different.
Create Location-Specific Guides
Build free practical guides that solve guest pain points.
City hotels: Offer downloadable PDFs like '5 Hidden Cafés Locals Love' or 'Weekend Walking Tour Map.'
Beach resorts: Share guides on snorkeling spots, sunset views, or family activitie.
Example: A hotel in Baku increased bookings by 18% after adding a '24 Hours in Baku' guide with metro tips and restaurant highlights.
Highlight What Makes You Different
Most hotel websites use the same words like 'luxurious' and 'excellent service.' Instead, highlight what makes your hotel special.
Heritage properties: Share the building's history in a video.
Eco-resorts: Show certifications like Earth Check or Green Key and explain how guests support local communities.
Boutique hotels: Introduce staff, for example, with a 'Meet Our Chef' activity
Leverage Local Partnerships
Guests often book tours through others that you can offer yourself. Work with local businesses and share special deals.
Mountain hotels: Promote private hiking guides with lunch packs.
City hotels: Partner with museums for skip-the-line tickets.
Resorts: Offer discounted spa packages combined with nearby restaurants.
Conclusion
Improving your website's technical performance matters, but true success comes from creativity. Unique content, personalized experiences, and genuine local partnerships turn your site into more than a booking tool. They help you engage guests, build excitement, and earn loyalty. Focus on these elements to make your hotel stand out and attract more bookings.
At Exely, we specialize in creating hotel websites that combine effective conversion strategies with memorable branding. Whether you choose a template site or custom development, we make sure your website captures the unique spirit of your property.
Anna Belash
Chief Marketing Officer
Exely
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hospitality Net
5 days ago
- Hospitality Net
Reviewpro Reputation Supercharges Its AI Responses Feature to Boost Hotel Efficiency and Personalization
BARCELONA, Spain – Shiji, the global hospitality technology leader is announcing a significant upgrade to Reviewpro Reputation's AI Responses feature, turning what was once a tedious task into an efficient, consistent experience. With a single click, hoteliers can generate context-aware response drafts aligned with tone preferences, property insights, and guest feedback so they can redirect valuable staff time toward meaningful guest service. The result: faster, more consistent engagement and elevated trust with prospective guests. Just one month into a trial, HM Hotels used AI responses to respond to over 82% of 661 reviews received, with a response time for negative and neutral reviews under 2.7 days, with a 100% response rate on key platforms like Google, and Tripadvisor. Responding to online reviews is a key driver of reputation performance, but operational pressure often leads to delays or inconsistency. Reviewpro Reputation's enhanced AI Responses feature tackles the root challenge: the blank response box. By automatically generating a polished draft, complete with acknowledgment of both praise and critique, hotels maintain a high standard of responsiveness. Clients define their tone (formal, friendly, empathetic, and the new 'Business Casual'), preferred length, and signature template, and the tool seamlessly integrates 'Property Insights' to ensure replies feel aligned with the brand's voice. AI Review Responses is not just about responding fast. It lets hotels to efficiently respond in a brand aligned voice and frees staff to focus on delivering remarkable guest experiences. The new bulk generation option takes efficiency to the next level. It allows teams to generate responses for multiple reviews at once. This helps staff save valuable time and maintain full control over the responses sent. Rafael Patiño, Senior Director of Product Management at Reviewpro Reputation Key upgrades: Tailored Tone & Structure: Users now choose from enhanced tone options—formal, friendly, empathetic, and the versatile 'Business Casual,' which blends professionalism with warmth and ensures proper pronoun use across languages. Users now choose from enhanced tone options—formal, friendly, empathetic, and the versatile 'Business Casual,' which blends professionalism with warmth and ensures proper pronoun use across languages. Workflow Visibility: The new 'AI Response Generated' icon and dedicated filters enable managers to track which reviews are draft‑ready and which are live, eliminating oversight and promoting accountability. The new 'AI Response Generated' icon and dedicated filters enable managers to track which reviews are draft‑ready and which are live, eliminating oversight and promoting accountability. Bulk Replies: One-click bulk response capability enables hoteliers to generate contextual replies for 20+ reviews simultaneously, ideal for busy teams or large properties. One-click bulk response capability enables hoteliers to generate contextual replies for 20+ reviews simultaneously, ideal for busy teams or large properties. Intentional Co‑Pilot Design: Hoteliers retain full editorial control, with every draft reviewable and editable before publishing. These enhancements arrive at a time when guest expectations are higher than ever. As travelers increasingly pay attention to how hotels respond to feedback, consistent and thoughtful replies have become a key differentiator. And since the average response time globally has dropped from 10 days in 2021 to just 3.2 days in 2025, hotels looking to stay competitive need to align with this new standard. To learn more about AI Responses, visit About Shiji Shiji is a global technology company dedicated to providing innovative solutions for the hospitality industry, ensuring seamless operations for hoteliers day and night. Built on the Shiji Platform—the only truly global hotel technology platform—Shiji's cloud -based portfolio includes Property Management System, Point-of-Sale, guest engagement, distribution, payments, and data intelligence solutions for over 91,000 hotels worldwide, including the largest chains. With more than 5,000 employees across the world, Shiji is a trusted partner for the world's leading hoteliers, delivering technology that works as continuously as the industry itself. That's why the best hotels run on Shiji—day and night. While its primary focus is on hospitality, Shiji also serves select customers in food service, retail, and entertainment in certain regions. For more information, visit View source
Hospitality Net
5 days ago
- Hospitality Net
Sasindu Don has been promoted Director of Finance at Sofitel Dubai Downtown
In the ever-evolving symphony of Sofitel Dubai Downtown, a new crescendo has been reached. With quiet determination and a mind sharpened by precision, Sasindu Don has journeyed from Financial Controller to Director of Finance, orchestrating success with the kind of clarity and calm that defines true leadership. Since joining the luxury property in the heart of Downtown Dubai 7 years past, Sasindu has been the silent force behind its financial finesse. Under his stewardship, the hotel has seen record-breaking gross operating profit, a streamlined procurement process that trimmed costs without compromising luxury, and the implementation of a real-time forecasting model that transformed the decision-making landscape across departments. But numbers alone don't capture Sasindu's legacy. A respected collaborator and mentor, he introduced dynamic reporting tools that empowered department heads with greater financial autonomy, building bridges between finance and operations in a way that felt both modern and human. His ability to balance bottom-line focus with top-tier guest experience made him not just a financial steward, but a true custodian of the brand's soul. In his new role, Sasindu will continue to chart the financial future of Sofitel Dubai Downtown, aligning commercial strategy with the hotel's audacious spirit and refined elegance. He will oversee forecasting, budgeting, compliance, and investment strategy, with an eye on long-term growth and resilience. With this new chapter, Sofitel Dubai Downtown reaffirms its belief in cultivating talent from within, honouring those who don't just manage luxury, but who live it.
Hospitality Net
13-06-2025
- Hospitality Net
Why legacy PMSs are holding hotels back and how cloud technology solves it
As hospitality evolves, hotels must streamline operations, harness data more effectively, and enhance efficiency to stay competitive. The Property Management System (PMS) is at the core of hotel management, an essential tool connecting various hotel functions. As more business shifts online and seamless digital experiences become the expectation, PMSs must integrate with internal and external systems, including POS, front desk, and housekeeping. Yet, most PMSs were built for a different era, making it difficult to support the growing web of integrations required in today's digital-first environment. Traditional property-based legacy systems are cumbersome to use and maintain. These old systems often require hotel staff to navigate complex menus and wade through irrelevant options just to retrieve information that should be readily available with minimal clicks. Additionally, new rollouts and upgrades come at a very steep cost to hotels in terms of time, personnel, and resources. In contrast, cloud-based software updates are completed remotely, delivering greater efficiency and enhanced functionality without disruption. The shift toward digital marketing and personalized guest experiences further emphasizes the need for more agile PMSs. Integrating with loyalty programs, guest marketing, CRMs, and mobile apps wasn't envisioned when legacy PMSs were first implemented. These aging systems have reached the end of their functional lifespan. Unlocking greater agility with a cloud-native PMS A modern, cloud-native PMS offers far more than just streamlined operations; it empowers teams with intuitive, real-time control over every aspect of property management. Designed for today's dynamic hospitality environment, intuitive, user-friendly displays reduce staff training time and increase productivity, allowing teams to focus on the guest experience instead of clunky system navigation. Leveraging the cloud's scalability and flexibility enables centralized access to critical functions, like front desk operations, housekeeping, and maintenance. In addition to greater insights, it allows teams to stay connected and responsive no matter where they are on the property. Real-time reporting and analytics further equip hotel leadership with the information they need to make fast, informed decisions that improve performance and guest satisfaction. Facilitating seamless integration with other hotel systems eliminates the friction of disconnected data and disjointed processes, resulting in a more agile, efficient operation. Simplifying access to data across systems while enriching functionality unlocks new capabilities, like real-time rate and availability management through integrated channel managers or inline RMS capabilities to optimize revenues. Unified platform, unlimited possibilities Delivering the modern, digital experiences guests expect hinges on seamless systems integration and single-source data to unlock data´s full potential. iStay, IBS Software's unified hospitality management platform , doesn't just upgrade how hoteliers manage their properties and enhance guest experiences – it completely transforms them. iStay's cloud-native PMS integrates seamlessly with the platform's CRS, PMS, RMS, Booking Engine, distribution, and loyalty software, eliminating traditional data silos across disparate systems that complicate hotel operations and personalization efforts. This holistic approach enables hotels to grow their business, deliver exceptional guest experiences, and allow staff to focus on personalized service rather than complex system workarounds.
