Introduction
Gwynne House B&B is a beautiful new bed and breakfast located in Tenby, Wales. Right on the sea, it is a great location for a lovely relaxing break, surrounded by the serene views of the local harbour.
What they needed
As a brand new venture, Gwynne House required not just a website, but a complete online presence. They needed somewhere to not only attract new potential guests, but also to allow them to make booking enquiries online.
What we delivered
Social Panda delivered a staggering new website that not only shows off the gorgeous and idyllic rooms of the B&B, but also boasts a powerful booking calendar. Each room has its own unique calendar showing what dates are currently available for booking. As soon as guests make a booking with the hotel then the website calendar can be instantly updated through the client’s Content Management System.
Being responsive, this website was designed and built with smartphones and tablets in mind. With over 50% of internet traffic now coming from a mobile device, this was something that was integral to this project. There is a photo gallery on the homepage, as well as a specific gallery for each bedroom. All of these galleries can be operated using a mobile device’s touch and swipe gestures; giving guests the ability to browse the fascinating architecture and fixtures & fittings of the B&B with ease.
How we did it
The Brief
As always, we endeavoured to find out as much as we could about both the client and their requirements before any work is undertaken. It was clear that simplicity was the key to this project, with the intention of allowing guests to browse and book rooms as easily as possible.
Upon receiving and discussing the brief at length, Social Panda researched the latest technologies, and came back to the client with some ideas and proposals. We believe the perfect website does not come from either the client, nor the website agency; it comes from the careful collaboration of both parties. Once all our ideas were in the air we were able to come up with what we all believed to be the optimal solution.
Wireframes
It’s our belief that all websites should be sketched out before any design or development takes place. To this end we proceed to do so for all the various pages on the website until we land on something that remotely resembles a website. We do this first in a notebook, and keep altering until we are happy we have everything laid out correctly.
It’s only at this stage that we convert these into electronic wireframes. The wireframes are useful to both our clients (for visualising how all their features will be laid out on the website and how they will function) as well as to ourselves. There is usually a few back and forths with the client to ensure that the final wireframe correctly depicts the desired layout and functionality. With Gwynne House there was no exception, and with good cause! It is better for everyone that as many kinks are ironed out at this stage as possible, before the time and cost of making amendments can quickly spiral out of control.
Moodboard
Producing a moodboard can be an invaluable tool for any web design project. This is where the design team creates a collage of images, photos and logos. The idea here is to produce the look and feel of the company’s brand in a way that can be translated into a web design.
Getting this right means the first web design concept is more likely to be closer to the client’s desires.
Styleguide
A styleguide is useful for both web designers and developers. This is where all the design components are listed, showing how elements, such as page headings, are styled. This can be used moving forward to quickly and easily create new pages, whilst ensuring the design stays consistent across the site.
Concepts
The creative team gets moving, and before too long a full website design comes to life. We package this up and send it over to the client for review. As with the previous step we offer the client plenty of time to consider and feedback before we continue to the development phase of the website. We were delighted that Gwynne House were blown away by the design and it wasn’t too long before we achieved sign-off.
Build
We developed the website using WordPress; a ‘Content Management System’ that allows website owners to update their website without the help of us or any other website agency.
The final website is beautiful, stunning and really shows off the quality of the B&B as well as the aesthetics of its surroundings. Already taking regular bookings, this new website has helped Gwynne House B&B to kick start their new adventure, and it has done so in style.
