Horizon House
Case Study
A wonderful seafront villa with swimming pool along the coast of Scoglitti in Sicily offers accommodation for seasonal vacationers.
Challenge
Considering the location influenced by a predominantly local tourism, for the short-term rental activity, it was requested to enhance the visibility of the marvelous villa with a right strategy that led to the planned goal: increase direct bookings using additional channels and digital media in addition to that of simple word of mouth, reducing the high commission costs due to brokerage platforms (Booking.com, Airbnb, Expedia etc.).
Solution
The planned activities were to give an identity (logo), a reputation (reviews), develop a marketing strategy and above all organize the photographic material and communication media on the digital channel (website, SEO, social media, mailing, chatbot etc.) in order to improve the experience in terms of quality and interaction between the service provider and the final consumer. All respecting the requirements, agreements and financial budget made available by the client.
Impact
Service design allowed us to deal only with the things that really matter. It is done by simplifying the details: emphasizing the service of the exclusive swimming pool, the feature of the "10 meters distance from the sea only". A responsive, minimal, photographically appealing site with features such as direct booking, support via chat, multilingual support (English / Italian), description and traditions of the seaside resort were the aspects most praised by customers. Above all, foreign customers have increased, the occupancy rate has exceeded 85% per month and the rates applied are higher than the average of the accommodation in the area. The platforms, such as the giants of Airbnb and Booking.com visibility, were only opened to fill last-minute availabilities.
We reduce the relative cost of service on customer care and increase lead generation. www.horizonhouse.itFuture Ideas
The car rental was provided as an extra service on the site through a digital connection with an external supplier, but it is planning to expand the package of services and experiences/activities that can be practiced with ad-hoc partnerships all managed digitally.