Applegate Inn
InsideOut had the pleasure of meeting Gloria and Len Friedman at the 2006 PAII conference. They came to our presentation of the Designers Challenge, where three different design companies used the same materials to design custom sites for an inn. (Here is our award winning design.) After the presentation, Gloria and Len were eager to talk with us. They wanted us to give them a new look, just as we did for the owners of Lookout Point in the Designers Challenge. In their own words: they were "VERY EXCITED TO GET STARTED!"
First Step: Branding
The Applegate Inn came to our company with a nine year old web site which was just not meeting their needs. The site's placement in the search engines was very lackluster to say the least and the owners where not able to change any of content on their web site.
The first step to building them a new site was looking through all their current marketing materials, from web to print. We quickly discovered they didn't have any consistent branding. Beth designed a logo idea that pulled their current materials together. And they kept in mind that an update to their print materials would be beneficial in the near future. They liked Beth's ideas, so InsideOut began to build not only their web site, but their branding look, which would be carried over into their future print materials and marketing.
An Elegant & Grand Design
When it came to their site design, Beth drew inspiration from the Inn itself. She wanted the same feeling of awe that a guest experiences when they walk through the tall pillars at the Inn's grand entry. The feelings to convey-that this was a special place, with attention to comfort and detail. Elegance, not stuffiness. The color palette was drawn from Inn photos in order to capture the ambience as closely as possible. Having chosen a rich color palette and her favorite photos, Beth created a design that captured the experience of visiting the Applegate Inn. In particular, large photos express the grandness of the architecture. Gloria and Len responded enthusiastically to the first proof: "IT LOOKS GREAT!!!! WE ARE VERY HAPPY!!! Keep up the good work!" Knowing we were on the right track with design, Beth and the web team completed the site, with the help of the innkeepers' feedback along the way.
After InsideOut completed their beautiful website, our next assignment was a new rack card. The owners wanted a piece that exuded "elegance and luxury"—a tall order for a relatively small 4" x 9" rack card. We also wanted to make sure we maintained a consistent experience between the website and this print piece.
A Look that Works
Onscreen & Off
We matched the look and feel of the website—always a good idea if you want to create a strong, memorable brand. Using the same fonts, colors, and patterns conveys a sense of integrity and consistency in quality.
Photographs Tell the Story
We let images do the talking since Applegate had excellent, professional photographs. An image of Applegate's stately, columned entry fills the rack card's front. The choice of photo and the uncluttered layout express "elegance" in a way no amount of text could. An inset room photo shows the luxury and comfort available to guests.
Details that Matter
When rack cards are displayed, they often overlap so only the topmost area is visible. This makes the top third prime real estate. Here, we used the rich, eye-catching red from the website. Over this background, the inn's name in white really stands out. On the back of the card, text and photos concisely highlight more of the inn's features. The map helps visitors understand where Lee is within the state and how to find Applegate Inn once they're in Lee.
Applegate Inn's new rack card works as a display or mailable marketing piece that matches the website well. Despite the limited space afforded by a 4" x 9" card, carefully chosen photos and text successfully express the inn's beauty and refinement.
Results
The site went live in early summer of 2007. In mid-September, the innkeepers wrote to tell us how things were going. Their email speaks for itself:
"We have been thinking of you... The website is great and we have received nothing but compliments on it. You may have noticed that I have been updating the site often, especially the specials page. It is a lot easier than struggling with uploading and downloading and playing with html. I also added another gallery in the photo gallery for fall foliage. The summer was good in occupancy.... September has already broken all records for previous Septembers and the month is only half finished. October is going very well also... our business is doing very well. I know that at least some of it is attributable to the website because guests tell us so. The phone is ringing much more than usual for this time of year. So thank you once more for the great job you did on our website. Now that the summer is over, we are ready to move into more ventures with you-in terms of internet marketing, rack cards, brochures and business cards."
Since the new site has launched we have been told that the Applegate Inn had their busiest year ever. The site's placement in the search engines has greatly improved and the sites now ranks #1 in Google for "Berkshires Inn" #3 for "Berkshires Bed and Breakfast" and #7 for Massachusetts Bed and Breakfast. Traffic to the web site has increase by 540%, the bounce rate has decreased to 18% and average view time on the web site is now over four minutes. These are fantastic numbers and they are are only going to get better.
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