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Lodging Enginefor Hotels
Websites 2 min read

How do I choose a hotel web design agency?

Short answer

Choose a hotel web design agency on evidence, not portfolios alone. Look for live hotel sites they've built that load quickly on mobile, integrate well with booking engines, and are easy for hotel teams to update. Ask how they handle SEO during a rebuild — especially redirects from old URLs — as well as analytics and cross-domain tracking, accessibility, and multiple languages. Make sure the contract gives you ownership of the domain, content, and design, defines support after launch, and doesn't lock you into one provider without an exit route.

By Lodging Engine Editorial Team· Reviewed by Eric Zwanenburg· Last reviewed

What to check in their work

  • Live hotel sites, not just screenshots — test them on your phone.
  • Speed: run a few through PageSpeed Insights.
  • Booking path: try booking on mobile.
  • Editability: ask a client hotel how easy updates are.

Questions to ask

  1. How do you protect search visibility during a redesign? (Look for a URL inventory and a redirect map.)
  2. How do you integrate our booking engine and set up GA4 with cross-domain tracking?
  3. Which accessibility standard do you design to? (WCAG 2.2 AA is a sensible target.)
  4. How do you handle language versions and hreflang?
  5. Who writes content, and how do you capture details about our property?
  6. What's included in support after launch, and for how long?

Red flags

  • No plan for redirects.
  • Proprietary platforms you can't leave without losing your site.
  • Domain registered in the agency's name.
  • Promises of guaranteed rankings — Google's advice on hiring SEO help applies here too.

The contract

  • Hotel owns the domain, content, photos, and design files.
  • Clear scope: pages, languages, integrations, revisions.
  • Launch checklist including redirects, tracking, and removing staging noindex.
  • Support terms and costs.
  • Exit terms and data export.

See should my hotel redesign its website?.

Common mistakes

  • Choosing on visual design alone.
  • Forgetting post-launch support.
  • No SEO involvement before launch.

Checklist

  • Live hotel sites tested on mobile
  • Redirect and SEO plan explained
  • Booking and analytics integration covered
  • Accessibility standard agreed
  • Ownership and exit terms in the contract

Sources

  1. Site moves and migrations — Google Search Central
  2. Web Vitals — web.dev (Google)
  3. WCAG 2 overview — W3C Web Accessibility Initiative
  4. Do you need an SEO? Tips for hiring an SEO — Google Search Central

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