Work / Vazduh
Vazduh: a stay in Sokobanja, straight from the hosts
A first website for two apartments on the edge of Sokobanja, a Serbian spa town. Until now they existed only as a listing on a platform that takes a fee on every stay, and guests saw the room but not the place. The goal: guests get to know Sokobanja and the hosts, and book direct next time.
CONCEPTNot made for a client. The business, prices and reviews are made up.
What's wrong and how I think about it
The numbers on the image mark four decisions that take a guest from the listing to a direct inquiry. For each one: what's wrong, what I decided and why.
The place before the room
What's wrong
On a listing, every apartment in Sokobanja looks the same: bed, kitchen, price. Nothing says why this one.
Decision
The first screen sells the stay: the big word Vazduh (air), the sky and mist over Mount Ozren, one sentence about the place and a ten-minute walk to the center.
My thinking
People come to a spa town for the air and the quiet. Once they feel that on the first screen, they compare prices differently.
Direct or through a platform
What's wrong
Guests have no reason to contact the hosts directly. They don't know the same stay costs more through the platform.
Decision
Under the button, one line: “Same apartment, about 13% cheaper”, and further down a sample bill for 4 nights: about 25,300 RSD through the platform, 22,000 RSD direct.
My thinking
A difference in actual money convinces better than “no commission”. The hosts keep the guest, and the guest keeps the difference.
Serbian and English
What's wrong
Guests from the diaspora and from abroad look for places to stay in English, and outside the platform all they had was a phone number.
Decision
The whole site in two languages, with an SR/EN switch in the header. Serbian is the default, and in the form guests choose which language they want a reply in.
My thinking
A foreign guest who understands the site writes directly. One who doesn't goes back to the platform.
A guide from the front door
What's wrong
The platform knows nothing about Sokobanja. Guests don't know what's waiting for them when they arrive.
Decision
A route from the front door: on foot to the center, Banjica, Lepterija and Sokograd, then by car to the Ripaljka waterfall, Bovan Lake and Mount Rtanj, with times for each.
My thinking
The guide is what the platform doesn't have. Guests get hosts who know where to send them, and a reason to bookmark the site.
Before and after
Drag the slider across the phone: the apartment as a platform listing and the same apartment on the new site, with a bill for 4 nights.
The listing, platform and site were made up for this example and don't show any real business.
How I'd measure success
This is a concept, so there are no results yet. With a real client, I'd track this:
Direct inquiries
How many inquiries come in each month through the form, WhatsApp and Viber.
Fees saved
Total direct bookings times the fee the platform would have taken.
English-speaking guests
How many visits and inquiries come through the English version.
System
The colors of the sky, sage and Mount Ozren, with red only for the hiking trail marker. Spectral in thin italic for the name and headings, Onest for text and prices.
Razlika za vas 3.300 din