UniqHotels.com - Curious about your opinion!

[tetrapak]

The site has been in development for many months now. I have just recently launched it. It's about unique and unusual hotels: http://www.uniqhotels.com

I would like to hear from you how you like the design and whether it's easy to use or not. It's still in a phase where I could make adjustments. The biggest focus is in content creation, you can already read quite a few articles.

I'm also curious about simple opinions if you like it or not.

Thanks!

 

[pliddle]

i like it! maybe remove the google maps on the right though, looks a bit out of place

 

[tetrapak]

Probably I will go back to an earlier version where it was smaller on the right side, the point of it is here though:
http://www.uniqhotels.com/locations

 

[Charles Sweeney]

It looks a bit of a mess when I view it in my browser of choice, Opera. Hmmm, just checked it in Firefox and it looks the same.

There seems to be too much going on, on the first hit/above the fold view. The map breaks up the list of countries and partly obscures the word "map". The word "search" is partially obscured by the search box.

The main thing I see on the first hit is the Google ads, which tells me straight away it's an Adsense site, built for the webmaster, not the visitor.

However, when I scroll down it gets quite good. A lot cleaner and more logical.

It's a very good concept and it has a nice style to it.

I would tidy up the top half. Could have a good site on your hands.

I have grave worries about the domain name. If anyone passes that by word of mouth or says it on the radio, then people will look up "uniquehotels.com". Unless you get very lucky and people remember it for the deliberate misspelling...although you would still have the word-of-mouth problem.

 

[tetrapak]

Hey Charles,

Appreciate the feedback! There are a few minor design changes soon to be published on the site. I don't agree with the built for Adsense part though. We have one single Adsense ad per page. I don't think that it's very much, and most of the times the 336x280 serves image ads, which blends in to the design even more.

About the name: I'm not worried about radio tests, I don't expect people to come through voice ads, I expect them to come from viral links

The words that are partly hidden ("search", "world"), they are not mistakes, they are designed like that. I get that a lot from people purely in the business, but people with more artistic views appreciate it.

How do you like the image load on the pages (it's like on tumblr, facebook etc,)? E.g.: http://www.uniqhotels.com/marina-bay-sands

 

[Charles Sweeney]

The words that are partly hidden ("search", "world"), they are not mistakes, they are designed like that. I get that a lot from people purely in the business, but people with more artistic views appreciate it.

LOL! I had a funny feeling that might be the case! I'm just old-fashioned. So long as the intended audience appreciate it, i.e they are arty like yourself and not old-fashioned or in the trade. My feeling is that the site could appeal to all sorts of people, so you will get people thinking the words are obscured.

To me an image load is an image load. Yes it's quite a nice effect but I wouldn't become a regular visitor to a website because of the way their images load. The images are stunning though and the page looks fantastic, save for the map and Adsense at the top. Consider ditching the Adsense and sell the space yourself. I did that with a busy site I had, got a lot more money than Google paid me.

Superb job. I'll look you up if I want arty stuff done!

 

[tetrapak]

Thanks! Adsense most of the time is just a placeholder in my layouts. Once the site becomes popular you can use these placements for better monetization - e.g.: what you suggest, get direct advertisers. In the beginning it's not worth chasing people with lousy stats, when a site gets big, they will come contact you anyway. So it's pretty much automated, in the beginning Adsense can collect the dollars, and at later point you will get contacted for advertisement place.

The image load: appreciate your feedback, I was just worried that some people might hate it. Otherwise yes, it's only an effect, nothing more.

 

[tetrapak]

There have been some nice improvements, and now there are well over 100 unique hotels listed. You can check one example how it looks now: http://www.uniqhotels.com/eco-lodge-mancora

 

[amplify]

As you're not booking or providing a service yourself-- I like the subtle advertisements that entice me to click to book a hotel in which I'm viewing. I believe everything flows together good. Great job on development!

 

[tetrapak]

Thanks Amplify! Yes, the booking is part of the revenue model, it works with 4 different affiliates.

 

[Gerry]

Very, very nice. As appealing and as uniq as the URL itself. I certainly hope this site pays off for you.

 

[Gerry]

Whoa...after watching the film clip on King Pacific Lodge, I want to go there SOOOOOOOOOO bad!

 

[amplify]

Thanks Amplify! Yes, the booking is part of the revenue model, it works with 4 different affiliates.

I didn't see the book now button as I was focusing on the AdSense and hotel. I would switch and track which makes the most revenue. For half make the booking process the main focus and the other half AdSense. Use tracking and determine which which method will make you the most.

 

[tetrapak]

Thanks for the nice words Gerry!

Whoa...after watching the film clip on King Pacific Lodge, I want to go there SOOOOOOOOOO bad!

Yes, that will be project number two for me. Visit all the hotels I've featured. Maybe leave North-Korea as last :lol:

I didn't see the book now button as I was focusing on the AdSense and hotel. I would switch and track which makes the most revenue. For half make the booking process the main focus and the other half AdSense. Use tracking and determine which which method will make you the most.

On a new website I'm using the 336x280 placement for booking, I will be tracking this more closely when the traffic builds up to a level where it's worth playing around.

 

[Gerry]

I really, really like the site.

Is there a template or CMS you are using?

Is this all built from scratch?

I love the flow and the design is wonderful. There is such a nice blend of elements, colors, and elements that divide the sections without being dominant.

 

[tetrapak]

Everything was built from scratch. The layout, the design, the programming and the content. It was over half year of development, but it's worth it, as many of my next websites are and will be based on this layout / code.