Signs Your Hotel Website Needs a Redesign (2026)
By MarketingToolsProHub Editorial Team | Last updated: | 5 min read
How do you know your hotel website needs a redesign?
Your hotel website needs a redesign when guests can't check availability and book in a few taps on a phone, room pages don't show what each room includes, the booking engine feels like a different website, or the site no longer matches your property. Test the booking path first; some problems are fixes, not rebuilds.
- The booking path is the first thing to test: from the home page to a confirmed booking, on a phone.
- Room pages should show photos, size, beds, what's included and a rate, not just a gallery.
- Google's free booking links are free; if your booking engine can't use them, you're missing a direct channel.
- Measure speed against Google's Core Web Vitals, on a phone first.
- Our hotel website redesigns start from $5,000, or $7,500 with a booking system.
What are the signs your hotel website needs a redesign?
Check these on your own phone, as a guest comparing you with the OTAs would. If several apply, a redesign like the sites on our hotel website design page is usually worth it.
| Sign | How to check it | Usually a fix or a redesign? |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Booking takes too many taps | From the home page to a confirmed booking on a phone | Fix or redesign, depending on the cause |
| 2. The booking engine feels like another site | Do colours, logo and navigation change when guests click "Book"? | Fix (engine styling) or redesign |
| 3. Room pages are thin | Can a guest see each room's photos, size, beds and inclusions? | Fix (better room pages) |
| 4. No reason to book direct | Does the site say what direct guests get? | Fix |
| 5. Not set up for Google's free booking links | Ask your booking engine provider | Fix (engine connection) |
| 6. Slow on phones | Main content takes longer than 2.5 seconds to appear | Fix first; redesign if the build is the cause |
| 7. Browser shows "Not secure" | Look at the address bar | Fix (switch to HTTPS) |
| 8. You can't update rates, offers or photos yourself | Does every change need a developer? | Usually a redesign |
| 9. It no longer matches the property | Renovated rooms, new services or branding missing | Usually a redesign |
| 10. Rates or availability are entered twice | Do you update the website separately from your booking engine or channel manager? | Fix (connect the engine) or redesign |
| 11. You can't see where bookings come from | Does your analytics show completed direct bookings by source? | Fix (booking tracking) |
| 12. No packages, offers or reviews pages | Can a guest find a package or read what past guests said? | Fix (add pages) |
Why does the booking path matter most?
Every extra step between "Check availability" and a confirmed booking is a chance for the guest to go back to an OTA, where they already have an account. Test it as a guest: choose dates, pick a room, pay, and see whether the confirmation looks like it came from your hotel.
Your booking engine also decides whether you can use Google's free booking links, which Google says are free for hotels. Our guide to what a hotel website should include covers the booking path, and our guide to getting more direct bookings covers giving guests a reason to book direct. Our guide to hotel website conversion rates has benchmarks and fixes for a booking path that loses guests.
Should you fix your hotel website or redesign it?
One or two fixable signs (thin room pages, no direct-booking offer, HTTPS) rarely justify a new site. Signs 1, 8 and 9 together usually do.
| Route | When it fits | Cost with us |
|---|---|---|
| Targeted fixes | One or two fixable signs | Often handled within a maintenance plan, from $500/month, or quoted as a small project |
| Redesign with your booking engine linked in | Several signs; the engine itself works | Custom Business Website from $5,000 |
| Redesign with a booking system | Several signs, and the booking flow needs building | Website + Booking System from $7,500 |
These are approximate figures based on published pricing and industry reports at the time of writing. Your actual cost depends on your scope and will be confirmed after a free discovery call with us.
Our guide to what a hotel website costs covers booking engines and running costs, and our guide to OTA commission rates shows how many direct bookings repay a new site. For signs that apply to any business website, see our general guide to website redesign signs.
What should a hotel website redesign include?
Agree these goals before you compare quotes:
- A booking path from home page to confirmation that looks like your hotel throughout.
- Room pages with photos, size, beds and what's included.
- Rates and availability coming from one place: your booking engine.
- Eligibility for Google's free booking links, through your booking engine.
- A clear reason to book direct, and tracking that shows which direct bookings came from where.
- HTTPS on every page, and main content showing within 2.5 seconds on a phone.
- Old page addresses redirected, so rankings and saved links still work.
Our guide to OTA commission rates shows what each direct booking saves, and our guide to how long a custom website takes covers the timeline.
How can you check your hotel website for free?
Our free hotel website grader scores your site out of 100 for mobile speed, Google, room pages and direct bookings, and lists the 3 fixes that matter most. If you redesign, our website redesign checklist covers redirects and testing the booking engine before launch.
What does a redesigned hotel website look like?
See it in action. Here's a demo hotel website we built to show what's possible: The Aurelia. It's a demo, not a client project. It has four room types with their own descriptions, a "Check availability" form with dates, guests and room type, breakfast and experiences, and answers to the questions guests ask before booking.
With your booking engine linked in, a site like this corresponds to our Custom Business Website (from $5,000); with a booking system set up for your rooms, it becomes a Website + Booking System (from $7,500).
Frequently asked questions
Summary
A hotel website needs a redesign when booking on a phone takes too many steps, room pages don't sell the rooms, you can't update rates and offers, or the site no longer matches the property. Test the booking path first, fix the quick problems, and rebuild when several signs point the same way.
For a fixed price for your redesign, ask for a free quote; we reply within 1 business day, usually much sooner.
Sources checked
Information checked on . Prices, fees and policies change, so confirm details with the source before relying on them. This article is general information, not legal or tax advice.