100+ Direct Bookings Every Month for a Lake District Hotel

The Whitewater Hotel, located in Lakeland Village near Newby Bridge, is a luxury retreat in the Lake District. Steeped in history, the building was once both a Victorian cotton mill and the world-famous Dolly Blue pigment factory.

Today, the hotel combines heritage with modern comfort, offering a range of spacious rooms, a riverside restaurant, and the Cascades Leisure Club & Spa. Just a mile from Lake Windermere and close to the historic town of Ulverston, it’s a popular choice for visitors seeking a memorable Lake District experience.

The Challenge

When the Whitewater Hotel first approached Blue Sky Web Design, their website was dated and underperforming, and their relationship with their previous provider was offering little value. They needed a professional online presence to match the quality of their hotel and marketing materials that would reinforce their brand.

After establishing this new presence, the hotel set us a bigger challenge: helping them generate direct bookings. At the time, nearly all bookings came via third-party platforms such as Booking.com, which charged substantial commissions. To grow profitability, the Whitewater Hotel needed to reduce its reliance on these platforms and encourage more guests to book directly.

Our Approach

We started by completely redesigning and rebuilding the hotel’s website. The new site combined a modern design with high-quality imagery and storytelling-driven copywriting, ensuring the Whitewater Hotel was portrayed at its very best.

We also supported the hotel with newly designed marketing collateral that matched the website’s refreshed look and feel, creating consistency across all touchpoints.

To address the direct booking challenge, we integrated the new website with the hotel’s chosen booking system. The integration was designed to fit seamlessly into the user journey, making booking simple and intuitive. To further encourage direct bookings, we introduced a special offers section, highlighting exclusive deals that guests could only access by booking directly through the website.

The Results

The new website transformed the hotel’s online presence, replacing a dated site with a professional, modern platform that better reflected the Whitewater Hotel’s brand. Marketing collateral was refreshed to align with the website, ensuring a consistent and professional presentation.

Most importantly, the integration of the booking system delivered immediate results. The hotel now secures over 100 direct bookings every month, reducing its reliance on commission-heavy third-party platforms and boosting profitability. Direct bookings continue to grow month on month, creating a sustainable long-term benefit for the business.

Key Takeaways

This project shows how a well-designed website combined with seamless booking functionality can drive real business impact. By investing in storytelling, brand consistency, and user-focused design, the Whitewater Hotel has been able to reduce costs, increase profitability, and create a direct relationship with its guests.

Want to increase direct bookings for your hotel or hospitality business, or sales for your e-commerce store? Explore our Web Design and Digital Marketing services, or contact us today.