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How the internet changes how we do business

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Example of a great tourism website

This works! An example of a great website

It’s easy to be critical about promotional activities that aren’t quite right. For some reason it’s much harder to find marketing that really works. Clients often ask for examples of good practice and they’re surprisingly hard to find. And of course it’s great to find good examples from smaller companies as we all like to know it’s more of a struggle on a smaller budget!

www.georgianhousehotel.co.uk is a great web site developed by a small family business. This is what we liked about it:

It’s personal – the Georgian House Hotel is a family owned business and they’re proud of that. There’s even a photo of the current owner, Serena. This sort of personal approach helps to differentiate this hotel from the many others in the area.

It’s easy to use – the menu is on the left hand side and generally uses terms that everyone can understand. Most of the content is exactly where you’d expect to find it. No point in trying to be clever – simple works best for most users.

It’s comprehensive with lots of enhanced content. The site doesn’t just offer info about the hotel. Serena understands the power of location. This isn’t a case of simply stating “we have a great Central London location” as many hotels do. The Georgian House Hotel site has what’s on information, lists of attractions, and descriptions of the local area so the prospective guest is absolutely clear what a “great Central London location” really means.

It does more than you expect – not only does the site include descriptions and photos of the rooms in more than usual detail, it also describes some of the extra services that can be provided such as assistance to arrange a special treat or buy a present for a loved one. These details might be expected in a five star hotel but are a pleasant surprise in a small family-run one.
It takes account of the needs of guests – offering many different language translations, an accessible version of the site and clear pricing.

It’s an action-oriented site, not just one that provides information – with online booking and availability checks.

We only have one small criticism – the site might be “lifted” and easier to read if there were more contrast between the background and the text itself. Some of the darker grey backgrounds make the text harder to read, although there is an “accessibility” version as well.

I met the owner of the Georgian House Hotel, Serena rather a long time ago when she came on one of my workshops and it’s great to see what’s she’s been up to in the meantime. Thanks to Serena for agreeing to this mini-review of her site.

Susan Briggs

Could your website benefit from a few improvements? Come along to our half-day training workshop on 3rd November? “Spring clean, improve and promote your website” costs just £59 + VAT per person. It takes place in Central London. Click here for more details

The Tourism Network also undertakes website audits, suggesting new ways to promote your site and add more inspirational content to make it more effective. Please email Susan Briggs or call 020 8947 4053 for more details.

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