Hospitality — 2024
Palma Studio
A booking-first site for a boutique hotel that spent too long routing guests through third parties.
The Problem
Beautiful rooms, hidden calendar.
Palma's old site was a portfolio for the property, not a booking tool. 71% of reservations came through third-party platforms — with the commissions to match. Regulars didn't know they could book direct.
Process
01.
Two nights in-house
We stayed at the property, took the tour twice, ate at the restaurant. The site had to sound like the actual place — not stock hospitality copy.
02.
Calendar as hero
Availability lives in the hero, not a modal. Room selection is one step. Pricing is honest — no bait-and-switch on checkout.
03.
Direct-only perks
Booking direct unlocks a late checkout and a welcome bottle. Small carrot, clear preference for the direct channel.
"Guests who used to find us on Booking now find us on us."
Elena V. — General Manager, Palma
The Solution
A hotel that answers back.
The homepage is a booking widget wearing a magazine layout. Room pages read like short stories about staying there — not amenity checklists. Confirmation emails match the tone. Every touchpoint feels like the same place.
The Outcome
Direct rebooked, direct returned.
Direct bookings lifted 52% in the first quarter after launch. Third-party commissions dropped by a full percentage point of revenue. Guest reviews started referencing the site by name — a rare compliment.
+52%
Direct bookings
-1pp
OTA commission
4 wk
Design & build
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