Website design and UX trends for 2023

By Eric Reece, Global Creative Director, Cendyn

Increasingly, we live in a deeply digital, ondemand world. As such, the interconnected realms of web design and UX are constantly evolving and growing, and 2023 is poised to be another year of massive change.

Given the realities of intense competition and the continued expansion of digital commerce, your hotel’s website is (somewhat ironically) faced with a binary choice: keep up or be left behind. Demand for travel experiences is only ramping up this year, which means your guests’ need for a fast, intuitive, and personalised website experience is also growing. Here’s an overview of what we see as emerging website design and UX trends hoteliers should be aware of for 2023.

First impressions count and so does easy navigation!

Many hoteliers assume that the classic landing page or ‘home page’ of their property (the initial content that appears when a user navigates to the website) is a perfunctory throwaway; just a place to post a few photos and a short introduction to the hotel. This may be the first time a guest interacts with you. And first impressions count! So don’t think of your property’s home page as the cover of a book. Current trends indicate that users expect it to be more like a table of contents. You want guests to be able to find links to the content they need immediately, whether that’s room types, amenities, an image gallery, or a booking link.

An engine for revenue

And speaking of the booking link, it should be prominent. It’s important to remember that a hospitality website serves as your hotel’s core revenue generation engine. An optimised online presence is a powerful storefront and converts the hotel website into its most important sales channel. Since many guests are hoping to decide about where to stay quickly, they may want to skip ahead to the end of their experience not long after starting it. So having a ‘Book Now’ or ‘Check Availability’ link displayed right up top serves as a convenient call to action, and of course, that’s the action you want them to take.

Incorporate your hotel’s USPs

Let’s face it: if your hotel is in a destination people want to travel to, chances are you’re in constant competition for bookings. This means your hotel’s website needs to distinguish your property from others in the area by offering something unique. Reason being, while it’s tempting to assume a guest will always simply opt for the lowest price, that doesn’t necessarily wind up being the case. Because of this, your property’s online presence also needs to prominently offer what’s often referred to as a “unique selling proposition”, (or USP). In essence, that means letting your prospective guests know what sets your property apart; giving them an indication of what they can look forward to when they arrive.

This can take several forms such as location, amenities, intriguing features like themed rooms or sharing stations with food area, historic interest, or guest comforts; don’t be afraid to lean into the luxury if your hotel is a prestige property. Regardless of what makes your hotel distinct from others, it’s a certainty that whatever it is will appeal to the guests you most want to attract.

Build trust with your brand

Since your website is most likely the first and most frequent avenue through which prospective guests will interact with your property (at least, until check-in) it’s crucial to foster peace of mind ahead of time. If guests don’t feel secure or appreciated, they’ll look elsewhere. Your hotel can take several steps to help build this trust.

Does your property offer secure parking, or key-restricted lobby access? That’s worth mentioning for the security conscious. Do you offer flexible rescheduling or cancellations? It’s important to highlight this so guest can book with confidence. Even employing soft language in the copy and calming colour theory in the branding palette helps guests to feel good about selecting you. Remember: despite any available extras, the primary products any hotel offers are comfort, rest, and safety. So, the more guests understand that your hotel is their best choice when it comes to satisfying these conditions, the more likely they are to book.

Prioritising personalisation

Another way to build trust is via personalisation, which is shaping up to be one of the most prominent emerging trends for the future of hospitality. Guests always feel valued when they understand they’re more than just a booking. Permitting guests, the ability to customise certain aspects of their stay affords a level of warmth that will be remembered (which means thinking beyond just extra pillows or turn-down service). Many properties are now building in portals that allow guests to ‘tweak’ aspects of their stay to their liking either during, or after the reservation. By offering features like custom toiletry menus, preferred types of snacks or beverages in the minibar, baby or child extras (cribs, changing tables or activity books) or even tickets to local attractions offered as part of a premium package, your hotel can extend a level of welcome any guest will appreciate.

Engage at the point of inspiration

Overall, offering the information your guests are looking for is all in service of a clear goal. Specifically: to earn their business. So, affording guests simple and direct ways to view the spaces you have available and make booking decisions is absolutely key. Several ways to do this align with what guests have come to expect and with emerging design and navigation trends. Among them are option comparison, clear pricing, or clean imagery. Also, sharing options; guests may want to share their search with friends, co-workers, or family; or permit guests to click an icon that designates a ‘favourites’ functionality to easily pick up where they left off any time prior to making a final booking decision.

Simplify & summarise

Booking a stay at your hotel should be a direct and simple prospect for guests. Still, since making a selection is often a multi-step process, it’s important to offer a summary of the guest’s experience prior to asking them to confirm the booking. That way, if they made any mistakes during the selection process, they have an opportunity to correct them before locking in their choices. This not only works toward further trust-building, but also saves potential hassles on the hotel end that could arise from guests needing to make changes after the fact. That means concisely reiterating information like:

• The dates of the stay.

• Type and size of room booked.

• Payment method used.

• Total of charges, and when they’ll occur (immediately, or at check-in).

• Reference number.

Overall, it’s important to think like a guest for the purposes of this part of the process. Offering a rundown of their choices and what they’re about to agree to prior to closing the transaction helps to avoid issues and confusion later.

Mobile still matters

Although hardly a new trend per se, cross-platform considerations remain key. When crafting your online presence, thinking only of how your content appears on large screens is an understandable pitfall. Reason being websites are developed on desktop or laptop computers. However, current digital traffic statistics overwhelmingly indicate that your prospective guests are far more likely to both discover and engage with you using mobile devices. So, it’s incumbent upon hoteliers to ensure that websites are just as fast to load and as easy to navigate and interact with in a palm-sized format as they are from a desk. If your site takes too long to load, or has clunky navigation on mobile? Guests will look elsewhere, and you’ve potentially lost a booking.

Final thoughts

Ease of experience and personalisation has emerged as the most crucial components of any online interaction in 2023, especially as it pertains to transactional traffic. Because of this, it should be a top priority of any hospitality entity to ensure that prospective guests are able to enjoy a hassle-free undertaking when navigating an online presence.

Admittedly, there are a lot of moving parts to consider when it comes to streamlining a given guest’s interactions with your website. That’s why it’s so essential to align with a partner that intrinsically understands what it takes to craft an end-to-end effective online presence.

Seedling Sole Biodegradable Slippers

It’s time to create a better world, one step at a time with all-natural, 100% plastic-free, biodegradable plant-based slippers your guests will love. With just three sustainably sourced materials - flax, linen and cork - used to make each cruelty-free, vegan slipper, guests can feel connected to nature even in an urban setting and float out of your property with a clean conscience knowing their luxurious footwear experience won’t leave a mark on the earth. Combining warm, natural colours with a soft, gentleon-the-skin feel and tread, Seedling Sole is the perfect choice of slip-on for ultimate comfort and peace of mind. Will you walk with us? Enquire now.

C Swisstrade P 02 9979 1500 E info@swisstrade.com.au W swisstrade.com.au

Eva Clean Waterproof Range

The protection of your mattresses, pillows & quilts is of the utmost importance. Always offer your guests comfortable, hygienically clean beds and bedding. Not only will bedding protection safeguard against stains, odours and dust mites, it will also ensure the longevity of your pillows, quilts and mattresses. Jason Commercial offer an innovative range bedding protection - Eva Clean. Eva Clean is a waterproof proof range of mattress, pillow & quilt protectors, made from soft jersey fabric, coated with thermoplastic PU, to make it fluid proof.

To receive 15% off the entire range of Eva Clean protectors, please email Vicki Lugg and quote code ACCOMMAYEVA23. Offer ends 31.7.23.

C Jason Commercial P 0423 598 240 E vicki.lugg@mcneil.com.au W jasoncommercial.com.au

Soundproof Your Hotel

Double-glaze your windows to create peaceful and quiet rooms, ensuring your guests get the sleep they desire, and you get more positive reviews and bookings. Magnetite offers a range of secondary glazing systems that boost the performance of existing glazing to reduce noise and heat gain or loss, providing a more comfortable indoor environment. For new buildings, the benefits of double glazing can be easily justified, but it often seems a more daunting task for refurbishment projects. Magnetite’s secondary glazing solutions allow existing buildings to reap the same acoustic, thermal and economic benefits.

C Magnetite P 1300 738 763

W magnetite.com.au

NARDI ‘NET LOUNGE’ CHAIR

Introducing the Net Lounge from Nardi, it encompasses all you have come to expect from Nardi. Italian made with Italian flair, designed, and built for commercial use featuring fiberglass reinforced polyprop for maximum strength and durability. The ‘Nardi Net Lounge Chair’ is stackable and perfect for home use or even more importantly it’s quality and durability lends itself to commercial environments. Enquire now about the Net range or any of our resort focused products.

C Daydream Furniture P 07 5493 4277 E sales@daydreamleisure.com.au W daydreamleisure.com.au

Unique Christie Barbecue Hood

The unique Christie barbecue hood is designed to complement the functionality and performance of our industry leading cooktops. It protects the cooking surface and remains cool to the touch at all times. The sleek, curved design lets you cook with the hood closed, trapping heat and flavour and improving cooking efficiency by up to 25%. Like all Christie products, it is designed for ease of use and ultimate durability.

C Christie Barbecues P 03 9708 2999 E sales@dachristie.com W dachristie.com

Lockable Soap Holder

With its innovative magnetic lock function, our lockable bathroom amenities provide secure and convenient dispensing, reducing the risk of tampering or accidental spills. Available now at trade rates in 300ml and 500ml single, dual, or triple configurations.

W designstuff.com.au

A Compact Cleaning Companion

High-traffic areas can be tricky to clean, and as a result, are often overlooked or only cleaned sporadically. The Vispa 35 from Comac will revolutionise the way you scrub small, congested areas. This machine replaces manual cleaning systems and floors are scrubbed, dried and hygienised in a single movement making them immediately safe to walk on. Designed for cleaning hotel foyers, restaurants, and wellness centres, the Vispa 35 offers all the advantages of a professional scrubbing machine, with compact practicality. Suitable for maintenance cleaning of floors up to 1000 sq.m. this machine is available in various battery-powered and cable-powered versions.

C Godfreys Commercial P 1800 314 580

E commercial@godfreys.com.au W www.godfreys.com.au