Brief

Alienation successfully launched the main Somerston Hotels websites 2 years ago, complete with web design and digital marketing for its suite of 35 hotel websites. As a result of this high quality work and outstanding results, Somerston wanted to continue their relationship with Alienation Digital in order to build a mobile site that would position Somerston as a strong competitor in the mobile market.

Solution

Each hotel utilises Alienation Digital’s multisite manager to oversee the mobile sites on the same platform as the main hotel websites. Each website detects the device a user is browsing on so that mobile users will be automatically directed to the mobile compatible site. Whilst the original site is accessible via mobile, the mobile site has been optimised, with simple navigation for users to easily access the information they need on the move. The mobile site eliminates the need to browse through menus, or enlarge the page to click on links, which can be tricky on mobiles. As the screen size is small on a mobile, the text is reduced to the minimum required, telephone numbers are prominently displayed and are linked to call the hotel directly with a simple click. In addition, mobile booking is available on the sites via the IHG booking engine.

Results

The new mobile site has optimised the user experience, predominantly used to access information such as address details, phone numbers and contacts on the move. 10% of all visitors to Somerston Hotels online now use the mobile website and this figure is predicted to grow in the coming months.

"As the traffic to our websites continues to grow we have seen a marked increase in the number of people accessing them from mobile devices. Our hotels are very much designed to offer convenience and so too should our websites. We want our guests to be able to book a hotel while they’re on the move and Alienation were tasked with the job of making our website suitable for people on the go."

Lesley-Ann Cardow, Marketing Manager,
Somerston Hotels

1. 2010 - Present
2. http://mobile.somerstonhotels.co.uk/
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