HAUS Hotel®
Designing a website for luxury, business-class digital experience for that connects professional guests through seamless, refined, and accessible design.
Role
UX Designer & Research
Industry
Hospitality
Duration
3 months (2023)
Overview
HAUS Hotel VI&P is a premium digital experience designed for elite business professionals seeking seamless event and hospitality services. This project aims to create a luxury-oriented, user-friendly interface that streamlines room reservations, event engagement, and brand interactions. Through carefully crafted visual language, accessibility-focused design, and simplified user flows, HAUS Hotel reflects sophistication, confidence, and efficiency. The result is a visually refined, purpose-driven platform that speaks the language of its exclusive clientele.
Problem Statement
Business professionals attending premium events or seeking luxury accommodation often encounter inefficiencies when interacting with hotel booking systems. These users, typically high-earning individuals with limited time and low tolerance for digital friction, require fast, intuitive, and elegant interfaces. However, many hotel websites fail to cater to this audience’s specific expectations around speed, trust, clarity, and premium service aesthetics. This can result in frustration, disengagement, and ultimately, lost bookings.
The HAUS Hotel VI&P digital experience addresses this gap by offering a refined, responsive, and visually sophisticated platform tailored to the habits and expectations of professional users. It integrates a polished design language, accessibility considerations, and streamlined task flows such as room reservation and account creation while preserving the tone of exclusivity, professionalism, and discretion. The system reflects the values of the target audience and helps HAUS establish itself as the go-to destination for business-class hospitality.
Challenge
Research, design, and develop a digital hospitality platform that provides business professionals with an elegant, intuitive, and time-efficient experience for reserving rooms, attending events, and navigating hotel services. The system must include tailored design elements that align with the target audience’s values, such as professionalism, confidence, and efficiency and incorporate clear call-to-actions, minimal cognitive load, and fast interactions. The design must uphold the HAUS brand’s tone of luxury, integrity, and trustworthiness.
Project Goals
Deliver a time-conscious platform for business professionals to book rooms, attend events, and access exclusive services with elegance and efficiency.
Enhance the digital guest experience through clear navigation, polished design, and intuitive interactions.
Reinforce the HAUS Hotel brand as a trustworthy, professional, and luxurious choice for business class guests.
Ensure accessibility and inclusivity in design, making the platform usable across devices and accommodating varying levels of digital literacy.
Research
Initial target audience research identified key characteristics and preferences of HAUS Hotel’s ideal users. While much of this information remained relevant throughout the design process, select insights were updated to better align with user behaviour, values, and expectations. These adjustments ensured that the HAUS brand consistently communicated in a tone and visual language that resonates with its core audience.
Competitive Analysis
To position HAUS Hotel VI&P effectively within the luxury hospitality space, a brand-level competitive analysis was conducted using two major hotel chains, Hilton and Marriott, as benchmarks. This analysis focused on key branding components such as tone of voice, brand personality, visual identity, and design elements that influence user perception and trust.
Brand | Tone of Voice | Brand Personality | Colours | Imagery | Logo | Font |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hilton | Clarity, Professionalism, Warm and Welcoming | Sociable, Trustworthy, Sophisticated, Innovative | Shades of blue, Black, and White | High-quality, elegant images, well-designed spaces | Clean and distinctive “H” symbol, simple and recognisable | Loew Regular, Proxima-Nova Regular/Bold |
Marriott | Confident, Energetic, Secure | Reliable, Consistent, Quality-driven, Trustworthy | Dark red, Black, Grey | High-end interiors, inclusive and inviting environments | Stylised and elegant “M” symbol, easily recognisable | Effra Regular, Proxima-Nova Bold/Regular |
Insights for HAUS Hotel VI&P
Visual Sophistication: Competitors use high-quality imagery and refined colour palettes to project trust and elegance. HAUS builds on this with a more grounded, luxurious palette (forest green, camel yellow, navy) and editorial-style visuals.
Tone of Voice: While Hilton is warm and professional, and Marriott is confident and secure, HAUS adopts a refined, polished, and assured voice tailored for business professionals.
Typography & Branding: Both brands use clean, modern fonts and simple, symbolic logos. HAUS mirrors this with Helvetica and a minimalist, confident logo to reflect premium service and simplicity.
Differentiator: Unlike its competitors, HAUS emphasises time efficiency, QR-enhanced accessibility, and a streamlined booking experience, addressing pain points for older professionals who prefer minimal interaction but high service.
SWOT Analysis
This SWOT analysis helps identify where HAUS Hotel VI&P can differentiate and scale while remaining responsive to emerging user needs and competitive pressures.
User Demographics
The target demographic for this project is business professionals aged 45 to 60 who value time efficiency, luxury, and professionalism. This group is typically composed of high-income individuals with strong networks, limited engagement with emerging technologies, and a preference for refined, high-quality services. Often on the move for work and events, they require intuitive digital experiences that reduce friction and align with their expectations. By focusing on this demographic, the project aims to deliver a sophisticated and user-centric hospitality platform that embodies the values of confidence, discretion, and reliability.
User Persona
Two user personas were created to address the target demographic's diverse needs, preferences, and behaviours. These personas represent distinct segments of the user group, highlighting their unique characteristics, goals, and challenges.
Mood Board
The mood board was curated to reflect the lifestyle and preferences of HAUS Hotel’s core audience, high-income business professionals. Inspired by luxury interiors, tailored fashion, and premium environments, it set the foundation for a sophisticated and trustworthy visual identity.
To enhance accessibility and brand alignment, the cream colour was removed. The following refined colour palette was adopted:
Element | Description |
|---|---|
Tone of Voice | - Confident and clear - Professional and polished - Trustworthy and refined |
Brand Personality | - Efficient and time-conscious - Sophisticated and exclusive - Reliable and confident |
Color Usage | - Burgundy: Leadership and luxury - Forest Green: Calm and wealth - Black: Authority and elegance - Navy Blue: Professionalism - Camel Yellow: Warmth and refinement - Charcoal Grey: Neutral and structured |
Brand Imagery | - High-quality, editorial photos - Luxury interiors and business travel settings - Clean, minimal compositions - Mature, diverse professional subjects |
Style Tile
The style tile was developed using insights from the mood board, inspired by environments, vehicles, fashion, and accessories associated with HAUS Hotel’s target audience. These references informed the visual elements used throughout the design.
Element | Description |
|---|---|
Buttons | Subtly curved edges reflect elegance and familiarity in luxury product design. |
Icons | Simple and clear to align with the refined and minimalist tastes of our users. |
Colour Palette | Carefully selected from the mood board to reflect user expectations and habits. |
Imagery | High-quality visuals that convey professionalism, trust, and sophistication. |
Information Architecture
The information architecture was designed to ensure quick and intuitive access to key content, minimising user effort and decision fatigue. Navigation was structured around the priorities of business professionals, emphasising clarity, speed, and ease of use. This structure reflects a streamlined user journey, supporting fast task completion while maintaining a premium browsing experience.
Wireframe
The wireframes were developed with inspiration from both direct and indirect competitors, while placing strong emphasis on the time-conscious nature of HAUS Hotel’s target users. Throughout this phase, techniques such as Crazy 8 sketching were employed to explore various layout possibilities and determine the most effective positioning of visual elements.
A key design decision was the use of left-justified text, aligning with the professional reading habits of the audience. The overall wireframe structure prioritises clarity, speed, and visual hierarchy, ensuring the interface reflects both the refined aesthetic and usability expectations of business professionals.
Hi-Fidelity Wireframes
The hi-fi home page presents a clean, refined layout that aligns with HAUS Hotel’s luxury brand identity. It includes multiple language accessibility options and a QR code feature for quick mobile access to room availability, ideal for on-the-go users.
Key Booking Feature | Description |
|---|---|
Interactive Map | Allows users to easily locate the hotel during the booking process. |
QR Scan-to-Contact | Enables instant communication for support or inquiries via mobile. |
Progress Bar Navigation | Offers step-by-step visual guidance throughout the booking flow. |
HAUS Logo Reset | Serves as a fallback to return users to the homepage in case of navigation errors. |
To support clarity and reduce cognitive load, call-to-action buttons are consistently styled using the HAUS primary colour, with no surrounding distractions. This ensures actions remain prominent and instantly recognisable on every page
Task & User Flows
Guided by user research insights, the task and user flows were designed to minimise the number of steps required to complete key actions. Given the target audience’s preference for speed and simplicity, each flow emphasises efficiency and clarity.
Task Flow: Create an account
User Flow: Create an account
Task Flow: Reserving a room
User Flow: Reserving a room
Whether booking a room or creating an account, the user journey is streamlined to reduce friction and enhance usability, ensuring that every interaction feels seamless, purposeful, and aligned with the habits of busy professionals.
Overview
HAUS Hotel VI&P is a premium digital experience designed for elite business professionals seeking seamless event and hospitality services. This project aims to create a luxury-oriented, user-friendly interface that streamlines room reservations, event engagement, and brand interactions. Through carefully crafted visual language, accessibility-focused design, and simplified user flows, HAUS Hotel reflects sophistication, confidence, and efficiency. The result is a visually refined, purpose-driven platform that speaks the language of its exclusive clientele.
Problem Statement
Business professionals attending premium events or seeking luxury accommodation often encounter inefficiencies when interacting with hotel booking systems. These users, typically high-earning individuals with limited time and low tolerance for digital friction, require fast, intuitive, and elegant interfaces. However, many hotel websites fail to cater to this audience’s specific expectations around speed, trust, clarity, and premium service aesthetics. This can result in frustration, disengagement, and ultimately, lost bookings.
The HAUS Hotel VI&P digital experience addresses this gap by offering a refined, responsive, and visually sophisticated platform tailored to the habits and expectations of professional users. It integrates a polished design language, accessibility considerations, and streamlined task flows such as room reservation and account creation while preserving the tone of exclusivity, professionalism, and discretion. The system reflects the values of the target audience and helps HAUS establish itself as the go-to destination for business-class hospitality.
Challenge
Research, design, and develop a digital hospitality platform that provides business professionals with an elegant, intuitive, and time-efficient experience for reserving rooms, attending events, and navigating hotel services. The system must include tailored design elements that align with the target audience’s values, such as professionalism, confidence, and efficiency and incorporate clear call-to-actions, minimal cognitive load, and fast interactions. The design must uphold the HAUS brand’s tone of luxury, integrity, and trustworthiness.
Project Goals
Deliver a time-conscious platform for business professionals to book rooms, attend events, and access exclusive services with elegance and efficiency.
Enhance the digital guest experience through clear navigation, polished design, and intuitive interactions.
Reinforce the HAUS Hotel brand as a trustworthy, professional, and luxurious choice for business class guests.
Ensure accessibility and inclusivity in design, making the platform usable across devices and accommodating varying levels of digital literacy.
Research
Initial target audience research identified key characteristics and preferences of HAUS Hotel’s ideal users. While much of this information remained relevant throughout the design process, select insights were updated to better align with user behaviour, values, and expectations. These adjustments ensured that the HAUS brand consistently communicated in a tone and visual language that resonates with its core audience.
Competitive Analysis
To position HAUS Hotel VI&P effectively within the luxury hospitality space, a brand-level competitive analysis was conducted using two major hotel chains, Hilton and Marriott, as benchmarks. This analysis focused on key branding components such as tone of voice, brand personality, visual identity, and design elements that influence user perception and trust.
Brand | Tone of Voice | Brand Personality | Colours | Imagery | Logo | Font |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hilton | Clarity, Professionalism, Warm and Welcoming | Sociable, Trustworthy, Sophisticated, Innovative | Shades of blue, Black, and White | High-quality, elegant images, well-designed spaces | Clean and distinctive “H” symbol, simple and recognisable | Loew Regular, Proxima-Nova Regular/Bold |
Marriott | Confident, Energetic, Secure | Reliable, Consistent, Quality-driven, Trustworthy | Dark red, Black, Grey | High-end interiors, inclusive and inviting environments | Stylised and elegant “M” symbol, easily recognisable | Effra Regular, Proxima-Nova Bold/Regular |
Insights for HAUS Hotel VI&P
Visual Sophistication: Competitors use high-quality imagery and refined colour palettes to project trust and elegance. HAUS builds on this with a more grounded, luxurious palette (forest green, camel yellow, navy) and editorial-style visuals.
Tone of Voice: While Hilton is warm and professional, and Marriott is confident and secure, HAUS adopts a refined, polished, and assured voice tailored for business professionals.
Typography & Branding: Both brands use clean, modern fonts and simple, symbolic logos. HAUS mirrors this with Helvetica and a minimalist, confident logo to reflect premium service and simplicity.
Differentiator: Unlike its competitors, HAUS emphasises time efficiency, QR-enhanced accessibility, and a streamlined booking experience, addressing pain points for older professionals who prefer minimal interaction but high service.
SWOT Analysis
This SWOT analysis helps identify where HAUS Hotel VI&P can differentiate and scale while remaining responsive to emerging user needs and competitive pressures.
User Demographics
The target demographic for this project is business professionals aged 45 to 60 who value time efficiency, luxury, and professionalism. This group is typically composed of high-income individuals with strong networks, limited engagement with emerging technologies, and a preference for refined, high-quality services. Often on the move for work and events, they require intuitive digital experiences that reduce friction and align with their expectations. By focusing on this demographic, the project aims to deliver a sophisticated and user-centric hospitality platform that embodies the values of confidence, discretion, and reliability.
User Persona
Two user personas were created to address the target demographic's diverse needs, preferences, and behaviours. These personas represent distinct segments of the user group, highlighting their unique characteristics, goals, and challenges.
Mood Board
The mood board was curated to reflect the lifestyle and preferences of HAUS Hotel’s core audience, high-income business professionals. Inspired by luxury interiors, tailored fashion, and premium environments, it set the foundation for a sophisticated and trustworthy visual identity.
To enhance accessibility and brand alignment, the cream colour was removed. The following refined colour palette was adopted:
Element | Description |
|---|---|
Tone of Voice | - Confident and clear - Professional and polished - Trustworthy and refined |
Brand Personality | - Efficient and time-conscious - Sophisticated and exclusive - Reliable and confident |
Color Usage | - Burgundy: Leadership and luxury - Forest Green: Calm and wealth - Black: Authority and elegance - Navy Blue: Professionalism - Camel Yellow: Warmth and refinement - Charcoal Grey: Neutral and structured |
Brand Imagery | - High-quality, editorial photos - Luxury interiors and business travel settings - Clean, minimal compositions - Mature, diverse professional subjects |
Style Tile
The style tile was developed using insights from the mood board, inspired by environments, vehicles, fashion, and accessories associated with HAUS Hotel’s target audience. These references informed the visual elements used throughout the design.
Element | Description |
|---|---|
Buttons | Subtly curved edges reflect elegance and familiarity in luxury product design. |
Icons | Simple and clear to align with the refined and minimalist tastes of our users. |
Colour Palette | Carefully selected from the mood board to reflect user expectations and habits. |
Imagery | High-quality visuals that convey professionalism, trust, and sophistication. |
Information Architecture
The information architecture was designed to ensure quick and intuitive access to key content, minimising user effort and decision fatigue. Navigation was structured around the priorities of business professionals, emphasising clarity, speed, and ease of use. This structure reflects a streamlined user journey, supporting fast task completion while maintaining a premium browsing experience.
Wireframe
The wireframes were developed with inspiration from both direct and indirect competitors, while placing strong emphasis on the time-conscious nature of HAUS Hotel’s target users. Throughout this phase, techniques such as Crazy 8 sketching were employed to explore various layout possibilities and determine the most effective positioning of visual elements.
A key design decision was the use of left-justified text, aligning with the professional reading habits of the audience. The overall wireframe structure prioritises clarity, speed, and visual hierarchy, ensuring the interface reflects both the refined aesthetic and usability expectations of business professionals.
Hi-Fidelity Wireframes
The hi-fi home page presents a clean, refined layout that aligns with HAUS Hotel’s luxury brand identity. It includes multiple language accessibility options and a QR code feature for quick mobile access to room availability, ideal for on-the-go users.
Key Booking Feature | Description |
|---|---|
Interactive Map | Allows users to easily locate the hotel during the booking process. |
QR Scan-to-Contact | Enables instant communication for support or inquiries via mobile. |
Progress Bar Navigation | Offers step-by-step visual guidance throughout the booking flow. |
HAUS Logo Reset | Serves as a fallback to return users to the homepage in case of navigation errors. |
To support clarity and reduce cognitive load, call-to-action buttons are consistently styled using the HAUS primary colour, with no surrounding distractions. This ensures actions remain prominent and instantly recognisable on every page
Task & User Flows
Guided by user research insights, the task and user flows were designed to minimise the number of steps required to complete key actions. Given the target audience’s preference for speed and simplicity, each flow emphasises efficiency and clarity.
Task Flow: Create an account
User Flow: Create an account
Task Flow: Reserving a room
User Flow: Reserving a room
Whether booking a room or creating an account, the user journey is streamlined to reduce friction and enhance usability, ensuring that every interaction feels seamless, purposeful, and aligned with the habits of busy professionals.
Design System
The initial design system was minimal, with limited colours, font weights, and input fields. As the design evolved through iterative user testing, additional components were introduced to improve clarity, consistency, and overall user experience.
Key Consideration | Description |
|---|---|
Typographic Hierarchy | Established clear levels of headings and text to guide user focus and readability. |
Grid and Layout Structure | Applied standardised margins and column grids for visual consistency. |
Paragraph Formatting | Refined structure to improve content clarity and flow. |
4X Spacing System | Implemented consistent spacing to convey simplicity, professionalism, and elegance. |
Design Prototype
The interactive prototype was designed with a consistent navigation system to ensure a smooth and distraction-free user experience. Every interaction was crafted to be intuitive and efficient, supporting the needs of time-conscious users.
Key Interaction | Description |
|---|---|
Backward Navigation | Enables users to return to the previous step on any page effortlessly. |
HAUS Logo Reset | Clicking the logo returns users to the homepage, acting as a default reset. |
Booking Summary Overlay | Displays a summary with clear options to close or adjust the booking flow. |
These interactions were implemented to enhance usability, reduce friction, and maintain a polished, professional flow across the platform.
Improvements
This project reaffirmed the value of thoughtful design in shaping how users perceive and engage with a brand—especially in high-end, professional contexts. With further development, integrating AI and accessibility at a deeper level would elevate the experience even further.
Area | Improvement |
|---|---|
Visual Exploration | Expand on layout options and design variations to push creativity and innovation. |
Accessibility Enhancements | Conduct formal accessibility testing to ensure content is inclusive and compliant. |
Prototype Interactivity | Add realistic transitions and microinteractions to simulate a live product experience. |
Content Strategy | Polish microcopy and refine tone across all screens for stronger brand alignment. |
AI Integration | Incorporate AI-driven features such as a smart booking assistant or live chat support to personalise the user experience and reduce task time. |
Reflections
This project offered a valuable opportunity to create a premium digital experience tailored to the needs of high-level business professionals. I particularly enjoyed the challenge of aligning visual design with user expectations around clarity, speed, and sophistication.
User research played a crucial role in shaping decisions, from layout structure to tone of voice, and reinforced the value of designing with empathy. The process also deepened my understanding of balancing visual elegance with usability, especially for a demographic less engaged with emerging technology.
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View Prototype
—————————————————————————————————————————————————
Improvements
This project reaffirmed the value of thoughtful design in shaping how users perceive and engage with a brand—especially in high-end, professional contexts. With further development, integrating AI and accessibility at a deeper level would elevate the experience even further.
Area | Improvement |
|---|---|
Visual Exploration | Expand on layout options and design variations to push creativity and innovation. |
Accessibility Enhancements | Conduct formal accessibility testing to ensure content is inclusive and compliant. |
Prototype Interactivity | Add realistic transitions and microinteractions to simulate a live product experience. |
Content Strategy | Polish microcopy and refine tone across all screens for stronger brand alignment. |
AI Integration | Incorporate AI-driven features such as a smart booking assistant or live chat support to personalise the user experience and reduce task time. |
Reflections
This project offered a valuable opportunity to create a premium digital experience tailored to the needs of high-level business professionals. I particularly enjoyed the challenge of aligning visual design with user expectations around clarity, speed, and sophistication.
User research played a crucial role in shaping decisions, from layout structure to tone of voice, and reinforced the value of designing with empathy. The process also deepened my understanding of balancing visual elegance with usability, especially for a demographic less engaged with emerging technology.
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View Prototype
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