CASE STUDY — AQUA-ASTON HOTELS
Transforming a Hotel Brand’s Relationship to Consumers
By engaging vacationers as they plan and dream, we are helping Aqua-Aston remake its business model—and turbocharge its direct revenue.
3X
Cross Platform Direct Bookings
2X
Conversion Rates
Business Environment
In the highly competitive lodging market, hospitality brands have struggled to win direct booking and loyalty from their customers as “sharing economy” disruptors such as Airbnb, Homeaway, and VRBO continue to grow. Online aggregators including Expedia and Orbitz have only amplified the difficulties, transforming the consumer’s planning cycle and owning the relationship with customers. Aqua-Aston, a Honolulu-based destination expert that provides management services to hotels and resort condominiums, recognized that it needed to rethink its digital commerce approach to thrive in today’s environment.
Challenge
Strategy
Examining Aqua-Aston’s digital footprint against traditional competitors and online disruptors, our team immediately spotted ways to drive new and repeat business, build brand relationships, and enhance channel loyalty. Primary was dramatically re-envisioning the digital commerce experience for mobile, socially connected consumers. Despite more than 50 percent of hospitality customers shopping via tablet or cell phone, none of Aqua-Aston’s web properties were mobile-optimized. The company’s dozens of standalone sites forced users to toggle awkwardly between properties to research, plan, and book vacations—hardly ideal in an industry with one-stop shops like Expedia. Plus, Aqua-Aston’s legacy sites, with dated imagery and minimal storytelling, didn’t emotionally connect with vacationers dreaming of once-in-a-lifetime getaways.
Execution
The results
3X
Cross Platform Direct Bookings
2X
Conversion Rates
52%
Increase In Direct Bookings
54%
Year-over-year revenue increase
