BEST WESTERN HOTELS GB
Redesigned for Revenue: Driving 32% year-on-year digital growth
Overview
Best Western Hotels GB faced a critical commercial challenge. Their existing website was underperforming—slow to adapt, difficult to manage, and leaking revenue to OTAs due to a clunky user experience.
We partnered with them to deliver a complete, UX-led transformation focused on three commercial outcomes: improving user experience, driving direct conversion, and growing the brand.
Industry
Hospitality / Hotels
Length
14 weeks
OUTCOME
+32% Online Revenue
+20% Conversion Rate
Activities
- Research + Discovery
- UX Design
- User Testing
- Art Direction
- UI Design
A Strategy for Scalable Growth
To modernise the Best Western website, we defined a clear strategic roadmap focused on two core outcomes: defining a next-generation customer experience that meets the expectations of the modern traveller and increasing the value of the logged-in experience.
Our plan was to move beyond a cosmetic refresh and fundamentally re-architect the entire user journey. We devised a rigorous, evidence-led process that prioritised deep discovery and iterative testing before high-fidelity execution.
By aligning stakeholders around a user-first strategy, we aimed to engineer a scalable system designed specifically to convert lookers into bookers.
Insight Before Interface
We began by interrogating the business challenge. Using a combination of analytics data, stakeholder workshops, and qualitative user research, we identified the critical barriers to growth: a dated UI, a multi-step booking journey that caused drop-off, and limited incentives for users to log in.
- UX Audit: A forensic analysis of the existing platform’s performance gaps.
- Benchmarking: Analysing best-in-class competitors to define the new standard.
- Journey Mapping: Visualising the “As-Is” versus “To-Be” booking flows.
- User Interviews: Uncovering the unmet needs and behavioural patterns of real guests.
This data defined our strategic roadmap, ensuring we solved the right problems first.
Optimising the Path to Purchase
OOur UX team redefined the core user journeys with a single focus: maximising conversion velocity. We restructured the site architecture to make hotel search intuitive and streamlined the booking flow to minimise steps-to-checkout.
We also enhanced the value proposition for logged-in users, creating clearer pathways to Rewards benefits to drive loyalty. Early concepts were rigorously tested as interactive wireframes, allowing us to validate structure and ensure effective user flows.
Designed with Users, Not Just for Them
TTo guarantee the new platform would deliver the required uplift in conversion, we validated every key journey with real travellers. We deployed high-fidelity prototypes to stress-test the new search, selection, and checkout flows, measuring user confidence and task completion rates before development began.
- Confirmed significant efficiency gains in the booking journey.
- Identified and removed points of confusion in the hotel selection process.
- Validated the new “Rewards” hierarchy with both new and returning guests.
This iterative feedback loop ensured the final design was not just beautiful, but commercially effective.not only beautiful but also intuitive and effective.
Evolving The Visual Identity
We evolved the Best Western visual language to balance “Modern Warmth” with “Booking Clarity.” We created a fresh, accessible visual style that feels welcoming while prioritising the practical decision-making needs of the user.
Our direction focused on an elevated use of imagery to drive emotional engagement, paired with a high-contrast, accessible colour palette to guide users effortlessly through the conversion funnel.
Designing for Impact and Scalability
We delivered high-fidelity UI designs for all key templates, backed by a modular digital design system. This ensures scalability and maintainability, allowing the Best Western internal team to spin up new pages and features rapidly without breaking consistency.
- Comprehensive design specs to ensure pixel-perfect implementation.
- Fully responsive UI mockups (Mobile, Tablet, Desktop).
- Interactive component library for rapid development.
Since its launch, the new platform has transformed Best Western’s digital performance, rapidly becoming the primary driver for direct revenue:
- +20% Conversion Uplift: Year-on-year conversion rates are up 20%, with continued month-on-month growth driven by improved booking functionality.
- +32% Year-on-Year Online Revenue: A massive uplift in digital sales driven by the optimised booking flow.
- +18% Website Traffic: The improved experience and SEO architecture have significantly increased visitor volume.
- Shift to Direct: A tangible move away from costly OTAs towards higher-margin direct bookings.
More about the project’s success can be read in this article.
“LION+MASON kept our guests at the centre of every decision, helping us create a platform that meets today’s needs and supports future growth. With them as our design partner, we’re confident in delivering ongoing improvements.”
Chris Bowling
Head of Digital & Consumer Marketing
Best Western Hotels GB
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