Ulbster Arms Hotel & Lodges
The Ulbster Arms Hotel and Lodges (UAHL) is a home-away-from-home in the Highlands. Based in Halkirk, the hotel and lodges offer the perfect base for exploring the wonders of Caithness and Sutherland.
The Brief
When UAHL approached Dynam to develop and host their new website, we were happy to lend a hand. We were tasked with overhauling their website and bringing the brand to life through effective photography, UX, SEO, and copywriting to strengthen their offering to leisure and business visitors and grow their out-of-season tourist trade.
Our Strategy
Bringing the Brand’s Essence to Life
When creating the new brand, UAHL wanted to retain the essence of the former logo but refresh it with a modern twist. Our design team created a clean, modern logo with a nod to the hotel's history and architecture.
We combined two contemporary sans-serif fonts to create the wordmark, and the headline font has a geometric design to convey an air of style and luxury. The brand's colour palette reflects the natural environment, with blues, teals, and greens inspired by the banks of the River Thurso.
The variety of accommodation available at UAHL is unmatched in the region, and to highlight this, we designed a set of symbols for each site. In addition, to locate each site and give them a sense of place, we used an aerial photograph to lay out a unique illustrative and interactive online map.
New Photography
When we started researching UAHL's target demographics and offerings in the area, quickly discovering that strong photography on a website is essential to encourage customers to make a reservation. As a result, we selected and briefed a photographer to capture high-quality imagery of the rooms, cuisine, and people. Not only does the photography reflect the UAHL brand, but it has also provided them with a suite of imagery for future marketing materials.
Creating Memorable Web Experiences
Our web team embraced the opportunity to improve the booking process for UAHL. The information their off-site room booking system provided to would-be visitors was very limited. To address this issue, we made the website's design more interactive, using the new photography to sell the hotel experience to visitors before they clicked through to the booking system.
To ensure that users always have a single click to complete a reservation, we also made ‘Book Now’ a prominent component in the navigation bar. We also developed a section of the website that describes what you can do in the local area, enhancing their chances of ranking higher on search engines for often-searched SEO terms.
The Results
UAHL were thrilled with how their new branding and website turned out. The website highlights their premium accommodation and culinary experiences, helping them to stand out in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Their branding emphasises place and heritage whilst instilling in customers a sense of trust and respect.
