Redesigning the customer journey, for THE PIG, to grow online revenue.

The Pig Hotels, have redefined British hospitality with their distinctive "restaurant with rooms" concept. They have matured from founder-led start-up with one hotel to investor-owned multi-brand enterprise with a portfolio of 10 hotels and growing. Etch have been their partner from one hotel to the group they are today.

Amongst the wide range of projects we have completed with them, our initial focus was working to build online presence and booking capability to reduce their reliance on Online Travel Agencies.  The specific challenge in this are was to ensure that the booking journey supported the value proposition of “restaurant with rooms” which meant that guests needed to be able to simultaneously book their table reservations and room reservations to enable the full Pig experience.

• Drive combined room and restaurant bookings increasing booking value
• Drive increase in room occupancy and conversion ratio
• Position direct booking as the preferred booking mechanisms for the best guest experience

We created a digital booking journey allowing guests to book a table and a room at the same time. It was a first of it’s kind, as we connected multiple booking engine APIs together - to give the guest a seamless experience when booking direct. Over the years we have integrated Oracle OWS (Opera Web Services), Oracle Hospitality Integration Platform (OHIP), Quadranet and SevenRooms with Adyen Payment as well as extending integrations into Spa bookings.

This booking journey has remained a technical foundation for THE PIG, and we are continually hypothesising, refining and tweaking it - using analytics, guest and staff feedback to release both minor and major iterations fortnightly. This has led to us maintaining an industry leading conversion rate of over 3%.

An integrated booking journey delivering guest satisfaction and increased conversion

• Rich brand immersion in brochure site with strong call to action to booking journey
• User intuitive booking journey enabling seamless booking of table and rooms requirements through API integrations into multiple booking systems
• Analytical tracking and monitoring to facilitate ongoing metric improvement and optimisation

Methodology

• Composable technology architecture: building digital environments, integrating multiple technologies through APIs to deliver a seamless user experience
• User insight journey design: ensuring the user experience reflects how the user prefers to book to enable ease of conversion and ensuring the full experience is booked
• Measurement to enable optimisation and continuous improvement: ensuring tracking and monitoring of the user experience and conversion metrics to enable ongoing improvements and optimisation of the booking journey

The Pig exceeded its growth targets by leveraging customer insights and delivering a sophisticated digital booking journey. These initiatives showcase the power of data-informed, customer-centric design to drive growth, boost revenues, and reinforce The Pig’s reputation for exceptional hospitality.

• Replaced large majority of digital booking with direct bookings on the website, reducing reliance on OTAs and minimising strain on reservation call centre
• Delivered and sustained above industry average conversion ratio of over 3%
• Ensured guest satisfaction from complete booking experience of rooms and tables
• Enabled the sale of additional table covers to day visitors without compromising room visitors

To understand how Etch can support your digital hospitality growth objectives, please see the extended Pig case study or contact us for more of our hospitality insights and case studies.