StayUK Hotels Bath – Direct Booking Engine

Project Overview

StayUK Hotel Group, operating 5 boutique hotels across Bath, Bristol, and the Cotswolds, was paying over £180,000 annually in Booking.com and Expedia commission fees — money that could fund property improvements and staff.

The Challenge

Despite offering exclusive benefits for direct bookings, guests continued to book through OTAs out of habit. The hotels lacked the technology and brand confidence to convert OTA browsers into direct bookers.

Our Solution

We built a compelling direct booking ecosystem that competed with OTA convenience while offering superior value:

• Best Rate Guarantee engine automatically checking OTA rates and displaying the savings for direct booking
• Exclusive direct booking perks: room upgrades, late checkout, complimentary breakfast, and early check-in
• StayUK Rewards loyalty programme with points accumulation across all 5 properties
• Flexible room comparison with rich photography, virtual room tours, and guest review integration
• Package builder allowing guests to add spa treatments, dining, and local experiences at checkout

Key Results

• OTA commission payments reduced by £140,000 in the first year — delivering immediate ROI
• Direct booking share grew from 18% to 47% of total reservations within 12 months
• Average Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) increased by £12 driven by direct channel margin recovery
• StayUK Rewards loyalty programme reached 6,200 enrolled members in its launch year

Technologies Used

PHP 8, MySQL, Stripe, Channel Manager API Integration, iCal Sync, Email Automation, Loyalty Engine, Figma