Kimpton Hotels Property Site System
The Kimpton Hotels brand hinges on careful balance between a pioneering central brand and the many distinct properties within it. Nowhere is that more critical than in digital, where users traverse sites while booking a place to stay and building brand familiarity. The Kimpton Property Sites System addresses this challenge with a network of 68 sites (and counting) driven from a single design system; all look like brand family, yet none are identical twins.
Finding Common Ground in Architecture
The initiative began with a content audit, examining a range of sites to identify differences and commonalities. This kind of planning has two aims: efficiency and quality in rolling out at scale, while creating a look, feel and sense of consistency (but never sameness) across sites. That understanding drove Information Architecture to support the full family of property brands in ways uniform enough to easily implement, yet tailored for custom touches.
Exploring the Magic of Differently Same Design
With solid IA, design explored structural elements to arrive at a flexible direction. A system of page types and templates formed the basis for front-end code and templates adaptable across 68 current use cases (and many to come). To add complexity, the solution had to render responsively across all supported device and browser types used by Kimpton’s tech-savvy guests.
Built to Roll and Scale
While each instance of implementation requires some quality assurance and guidance, the system emphasizes operational efficiency. Seemingly small things, like mirroring image dimensions of the corporate site or creating turnkey splash pages for new hotel openings, have huge impact applied at scale. Front-end design also drives seamless transaction flow, optimizing booking engine feeds into property sites to streamline user experience and measurably maximize conversion.
Ready to Enhance, Expand, Impress
The test of any system is how it morphs and grows. Backed by documentation and a code base that enables in-house teams and vendors with minimal support, this system is engineered to add future property brands, enable collaboration on enhancements. And continue to provide a front-end brand and transaction experience that endorses the Kimpton brand wherever you go.