The hotel group’s current website was relaunched by sitegeist in August 2011 and is based on TYPO3 Version 4.5. At the time of the redesign particular attention was paid to the issues of “usability” and “flexibility”.
The objective was to make the website as well-structured and easy to use as possible for users. In this context a generously proportioned drop-down navigation menu was used for the first time. It not only provides links from the first to the third level but can also include space for hotel offer teasers and additional information. TYPO3 is all the customer’s editor requires to manage this navigation menu. The website remains an absolute benchmark when it comes to navigation-related best cases.
Another innovative approach which must be mentioned is the relocation of the central hotel data. Addresses, hotel directors, APIs, hotel rating interfaces and geo-data or weather information for all the hotels are managed in a central TYPO3 table – not as content elements on the individual hotel websites.
The advantage of this single source principle is obvious – hotel data can be edited quickly and simply from a central location and is automatically updated wherever mentioned on the company’s Internet platform. This data is used, among other things, in the hotel home page module, a form of compact cockpit including all the key information and links to the hotel, such as ratings, weather, photos, videos, contacts or offers. Dedicated TYPO3 plug-ins were also created for competitions to allow the editor to compile and publish competitions without agency support. The same applies to the photo and video galleries, for which a dedicated plug-in was compiled, making management much easier and allowing flexible publication and operation. The website still continues to meet increased expectations regarding up-to-date communication with the target group. Acceptance and visitor figures are fantastic and the conversion has exceeded all expectations. This is clear proof of TYPO3 CMS’ fitness for the future and the value of investing in it.
Travel Charme Hotels & Resorts AG, headquartered in Zürich (Switzerland), currently operates twelve four to five star hotels in the quality and premium segment under the brand. The umbrella brand Travel Charme includes nine hotels and resorts in Germany and three sites in Austria.
sitegeist is a full service internet agency and since more than 25 years an expert for TYPO3 projects. With experience in over 200 projects, certified developers and passion we are one of the leading TYPO3 agencies. With 70 employees and certified developers sitegeist has successfully realized over 200 projects for prestigious clients.
