HOTEL DIRECT BOOKINGS: COMPARING 2 BOUTIQUE

HOTELS IN CHELSEA, LONDON

Gabrielle DesrochesMBA 2 Full Time

THE SYDNEY HOUSE CHELSEA

V.S.

THE 54 BOUTIQUE HOTEL

Choosing the hotels: by location and type of hotelRanks 5th on

Google Search Engine

Ranks 7th

By Hotel Name: Shortcuts for users to directly go to the

categories that interests them

HOW EASY WAS IT TO FIND THE HOTELS?THE 54 HOTEL THE SYDNEY HOUSE CHELSEA

HOTEL

Display on Google Search Engine

Directly under the paid adverts, next to a Google map showing its

location

Directly under the paid adverts, next to a Google map showing its

location

Info displayed when searching by

name

Short description of the hotel under its name on Google

Description of the hotel + shortcuts under its name: rates,

the rooms, how to find us, Food & Bar

Other information found in the search

results

The next 3 links down are reviews websites

The next 2 links down are reviews websites

Other facts If the key words are just “the 54 + hotel + London”, (no “boutique”)

no map shows on Google

N/A

3RD PARTY WEBSITES: The Sydney House Hotel

Sponsored Links:

3RD PARTY WEBSITES: The 54 Hotel

Sponsored Links:

OTHER COMPETITING HOTELSBoth the Sydney House Hotel and the 54 hotel are ranked along the

map on the search result page of Google.

The Sydney House is behind Myhotel in Chelsea (which is a

boutique hotel chain) and the Chelsea House

Hotel.

The 54 Hotel is ranked behind the Kensington Rooms Hotel and the Gainsborough Hotel.

Although both hotels are not ranked 1st, they still appear on the Google Map which is a plus for them.

THE 54 HOTEL: Ease of Access

Possibility to change the language with one click

Simple and efficient menu bar with the main categories for the users

Side-banner to quickly enter dates of travel.

Special Offers square for special prices.

Icons to identify the key elements of the hotel more quickly

Description of the main points of the room: short and factual list. No superfluous adjectives. Rooms AND facilities are gathered to gain time and space.

Icons are still there to identify and illustrate the hotel’s important points.

Booking is still possible on the left hand side of the window: the hotel facilitates bookings by giving the opportunity to book wherever the user is

Easy Access to the Location:

There is a tab « location » on the main menu

bar.

In this part, the user may find a list of all main

attractions nearby the hotel

(selling point) and also a map to illustrate the hotel’s location.

On the left hand side is the booking square again.

Easy access to Pricing:

Packages are part of the « special offers » category, but if the user puts his dates in the normal booking engine, they appear when applicable.

Once the user selects one package, he may choose the type of room. Each type is described along with its price

From this screen, the user has access to more details about the room and more importantly to the terms and conditions

BOOKING ENGINE & TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Hotel Booking Engine is EH BOX

All conditions for booking are clearly described for each package, possibility to cancel a booking when applicable

THE SYDNEY HOUSE HOTEL: Ease of Access

2nd booking possibility

Possible to get a quote sent to an email address

1st booking possibility

Quick menu bar with main categories for the user but also the 3rd possibility to book: « special offers »

HOME PAGE:

Easy Access to Rooms and Amenities:

Room Rates

General Room description

Booking Opportunity

Easy Access to Location:

No general map display when landing on this page, but different categories for directions, depending on which location the guest comes from

Possibility to view a map by clicking on the link

Still the possibility to book

Pricing:

When clicking on the « tariff » category, the website offers the possibility to book or to get a quote => no standard price displayed, contrary to what is shown on the « rooms » page

When the user enters his dates and number of guests, he is redirected to a new page with different types of booking: BAR, early bookings, standard Rates etc.

BOOKING ENGINE & TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Upon booking, users may find a summary of their preferences and room amenities.

The terms and conditions are given just before the guest confirms his booking and gives his CC details

No information is given regarding the type of hotel booking engine

CONCLUSIONThe 54 Hotel The Sydney House Hotel

- Good visibility on Google- Could do with more 3rd party sites

- Good visibility on Google- Good visibility on 3rd party sites

Problem with the key words (if no “boutique” then no Google Map)

Encourages bookings by displaying shortcuts on Google for rooms and rates

Booking is possible on each page of the website

Booking is possible on each page of the website

Rates are easy to find and clearly displayed by packages

Many opportunities to book throughout the site but rates are not consistent on

every pageTerms and Conditions clearly stated together

with the package chosenTerms and Conditions only available after

filling personal details

Easy to cancel a booking on the website if it is permitted by the package

Cancellation policy is obscure and no possibility to cancel online

The hotel which does a better direct sell effort seems to be the 54 Boutique Hotel.

Despite the fact that it could improve its visibility on Google, it still features some important strengths compared to the Sydney House Hotel:

Clear prices constant throughout the website Packages adapted to different vacation purposes: customer-

designed Clear cancellation policy from the beginning of the booking

process Possibility to book on each page of the website Special rates for corporate clients and travel agents Reservations are secured by Trustwave A plus: possibility to share info about the site on Facebook,

Twitter, Myspace